High Court in London heard that Ms Boyd was riding a horse at Ty’r Heol Farm in South Wales on June 23, 2020, when she fell from the animal.

Ms Boyd is suing under the Animals Act 1971, claiming the horse was a “dangerous” animal that was easily “frightened”. However, Ms Hughes’ lawyers dispute the cause of the fall and the extent of her injuries.

Georgina Crawford, acting for Ms Hughes, said in court papers: “It is accepted that the claimant fell and sustained an injury, the nature and extent of which is denied.”

At a preliminary hearing in the case, Deputy Master Judge Stephen Boyd said the case was complicated by the fact that Ms Boyd was facing a charge of “fundamental dishonesty” in relation to the seriousness of her injuries.

“The defendant says that Ms Boyd is a goalkeeper who plays rugby, football, who is quite capable, while she presented herself as a person with a significant injury to her right arm which prevents her from doing anything manually,” he commented.

Ms Boyd claims the horse “dropped her shoulder” and “suddenly flew” to the side, causing her to fall and suffer incapacitating injuries to her arm. She also complained that the horse “freaked out” before when she was riding it.