A JOCKEY who "was thrown from his horse" during a point to point race at Larkhill died from a "traumatic brain injury", an inquest heard.

James McNeile, from Chippenham, died aged 57 after an accident at an amateur racing event on April 1.

An inquest heard that Mr McNeile's horse veered to the left while racing, and Mr McNeile was thrown from its back into a post near fence two to the side of the track.

Coroner David Ridley said Mr McNeile, who worked as a financial advisor, was taken to Southampton General Hospital by Air Ambulance, but died the next day after suffering brain haemorrhages.

Nancy Chamberlain, a senior environmental health officer for Wiltshire Council said the Larkhill Point-to-Point Course, which was laid out in 1946, is regularly inspected.

The court heard that an inspection had been carried out by the British Horseracing Authority a few days before the race, on March 30, and no problems had been identified other than some badger damage to one side of the course.

And Mr Ridley said a course inspector from BHA who attended after the incident said there "were not any issues with the fence concerned".

The race was attended by three doctors and an ambulance and riders were subject to regular health checks before being allowed to ride.

Records showed Mr McNeile was not due for a check before the race.

It was the fourth race of the day involving 16 jockeys and Mr McNeile had not taken part in any of the previous events.

The clerk of the course confirmed the horse, which was eight years old, had not been ridden in a race by Mr McNeile before.

A witness statement from Sophie Vine, race attendant stationed at fence two, said: "It appeared that the horse went through the left wing of the fence, with the jockey exiting and hitting the post before landing."

And another attendant, Janice Vine, said in a statement: "The horses came down towards our fence in a big bunch.

"They jumped the fence and on landing, I noticed a loose horse on the far side.

"The horses ran on, at which point I saw something laying on the ground on the other side of the fence."

And vet Neil Brimstone, who was following the race in his vehicle 100m behind the horses, said: "The Jockey was thrown from the horse as a result of the horse veering."

Evidence from Doctor Timothy Nicholson-Roberts, an intensive care consultant at Southampton, said Mr McNeile arrived at the hospital with "many adverse features", including "significant head injuries".

He also had fractures to his skull and spine, broken ribs and a lung injury.

Mr Ridley concluded that the cause of death was "a traumatic brain injury" and that the death was accidental.

"This appears to be a tragic incident that resulted in James's death but many sporting activities carry risk, and sadly in this case it proved to be fatal."