Louie Isaac Webster

Louie Isaac Webster was an eight-year-old schoolboy from Wigan, Greater Manchester, who died in June 2026 after being kicked in the head by a horse at a stables in Cheshire. He was not a public figure in the ordinary sense: he became known to the wider public only through the tragic circumstances of his death and the inquest that followed, which was reported in the English press in the autumn of 2026.

<cite index="0-1,0-2">Louie Isaac Webster entered a fenced-off arena at The Beeches Livery Centre in Croft, Warrington, while his mother's back was turned on 15 June that year.</cite> <cite index="2-7">He had gone to the stables with his mother, Rebecca, and his teenage sister, whose horse was kept there, and the inquest heard how, after the family mucked out the stables, Louie's sister took the ex-racehorse for a ride in the arena while mother and son watched from the fence.</cite>

<cite index="1-7">Louie had complained of being thirsty, so his mother told him to sit on a bench near the stables while she went to their car to get a drink.</cite> <cite index="1-8">She had been gone a matter of minutes when he was struck, Cheshire Coroner's Court heard.</cite> <cite index="0-9,0-10">At that point, his sister had stopped riding the horse and was sitting on it using her mobile phone when Louie walked up to the animal and stroked its belly, causing it to become scared and kick out with its back legs.</cite> <cite index="0-6,0-7,0-8">His sister was heard shouting at Louie to get out and then shouting for her mother in a panicked tone, and was caught on car park CCTV running to alert her mother and another livery user, and all three returned to the arena, where they found Louie lying unresponsive near the fence.</cite>

<cite index="2-9,2-10">Several people at the livery rushed to perform CPR on him while emergency services were called, and when air and land ambulances attended, Louie was taken by land ambulance to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in a state of cardiac arrest.</cite> <cite index="2-11">Despite the efforts of medics, he could not be revived and died at 7.45pm.</cite> A post mortem scan found that the cause of death was a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a type of brain bleed.

<cite index="2-4">An inquest into his death concluded a verdict of accidental death.</cite> The coroner, Victoria Davies, heard evidence from the police officer who led the investigation and from Louie's mother. <cite index="3-8">In a statement to the inquest, Rebecca Webster said she would describe Louie as a loveable rogue with a heart of gold, adding that everyone on their street loved him and that he was a massive part of so many people's lives.</cite> <cite index="3-9,3-10">She described him as a ridiculously fast runner who was always out and always on his BMX and who had even constructed his own bicycle from four discarded bikes with a neighbour's help, and said he hated bullies and had a fierce sense of fairness.</cite> <cite index="3-11">She added that despite being a loveable rogue, Louie had a loving and sensitive side, and that if he ever upset someone it would play on his mind until he went to apologise.</cite>

News of Louie's death and the inquest's findings drew widespread sympathy on social media and in local and national press when it was reported. Because the case involves a child and a coroner's inquest, this page sets out only what has been established through the inquest and reputable news reporting. Further details, including about any funeral or memorial arrangements, will be added as they become publicly known.