THE importance of wearing a hat while horse riding was stressed at an inquest in to the death of a teenage girl.

Samantha Richards, 15, died of head injuries after falling off of her beloved horse Rhummy in October while riding with a friend close to Muswell Manor in Leysdown.

Samantha, of Leysdown Road, Leysdown, died at Kings College Hospital in south London four days after the fall when emergency brain surgery failed to save her.

The inquest heard how the Minster College student had been riding since the age of 10 and did not always wear a hat.

She had not been wearing one when she and her friend fell from the horse while riding back to nearby stables. Rhummy had been galloping and the pair both fell on a bend in the road.

Coroner Roger Sykes recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: “The brain injury was so overwhelming that at no stage was there a realistic chance of survival.

“I cannot conclude from the evidence that had Samantha been wearing her hat, her injuries would not have been fatal, but it can be said that her injuries would have been less severe.

“There is a safety lesson to be learned from Samantha’s tragic death. There are no circumstances when it is completely safe to ride without wearing a hat.

“A fall can cause serious head injuries and every rider needs to understand this.

“Everyone who has responsibility for a young rider needs to ensure that a hard hat that fits properly is worn at all times. It needs to be as automatic an action as putting on a seatbelt in a car.

“Let us hope no one finds themselves in the same situation as Sam, having the same kind of accident with the same outcome.”

Samantha had a twin sister Michelle, sisters Lucy, Rosie, Katie, 14 and a brother Josh.