Brief Outline of Recent Cases

Horse cases

  1. Opinion sought on whether horse’s behaviour, or rider’s competency or show organisers’ facilities and staff were contributory to an injury to a show rider.
  2. Opinion sought when a rider had a fall while “trying out” a horse before making purchase decision.
  3. Opinion sought in matter where one jockey was suing another jockey for negligent riding resulting in a race fall.
  4. Case in which horse escaped from agistment property and caused a motor vehicle accident. Opinion sought on whether fencing and containment system to prevent horses escaping off the property was adequate.
  5. Opinion sought on interpretation of pathology results.
  6. Assessment of lost earning capacity for professional rider and riding instructor injured in one day event.
  7. Opinion on whether horse should have been allowed to race following medical examination.
  8. Opinion sought on whether horse’s behaviour, rider’s competency or construction of cross-country fence were contributors to an injury to a rider who fell at a one-day event.
  9. Dispute over frozen semen straws accidentally thawed and subsequent loss of income by owner of straws.
  10. Valuation requested on a riding horse which had some years beforehand been injured in a motor vehicle accident.
  11. Opinion and valuation on a horse which got out of its paddock and was injured.

Cow cases

  1. Opinion sought on case of severe weight loss and suspected poisoning in beef cattle.
  2. Opinion on a case where there was injury by a bull   to a member of the public at a rodeo.
  3. Opinion sought on contributors to mastitis problem in a herd of dairy cattle and associated economic loss where a farmer had installed a new milking machine plant.

Dog cases

  1. Opinion sought in “dog bite” incident.
  2. Opinion sought in an issue between neighbours about barking dogs.

Alpaca cases

  1. Valuation on Alpacas.
  2. Opinion sought on safe work practices when employee was injured working with alpacas

Sheep cases

  1. Valuation on a group of stud sheep, which were mistakenly picked up by a livestock carrier and slaughtered at the abattoir.
  2. Opinion sought when a farm worker was injured by a ram

Veterinary cases

  1. Opinion sought on the safety for veterinary staff  of the establishment of a go kart racing track next to an already existing equine veterinary clinic
  2. Opinion sought on an unfair dismissal  case where an employed  veterinary surgeon was “fired” by her employer
  3. Negligence claim against a veterinary surgeon when a mare aborted twins
  4. opinion sought re liability issues when a veterinary surgeon became ill following exposure to a horse with hendra virus