A 60-year-old has spoken of how he was thrown from a horse on a Pembrokeshire beach, incurring a catastrophic spinal injury.

Experienced horseman Lourens Koetsier took part in a beach ride run by Nolton Stables when on holiday with his wife in June 2018.

Lourens claims he was thrown into the air when a loose dog sped underneath the 16 hands cob.

On impact with the ground, he incurred devastating, life-changing injuries.

The outcome could have been worse had two doctors not been present, who cared for him throughout his two-and-a-half-hour ordeal lying on Druidston Beach, until an air ambulance arrived.

Lourens was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where he was diagnosed with central spinal cord syndrome injury.

He underwent extensive surgery followed by gruelling treatment.

He did not return home for almost 18 months, spending nine months in a rehabilitation home.

“I knew I was seriously injured as soon as I hit the ground and have had to fight for every small piece of progress I have made since, it has been extremely painful and humiliating to be unable to care for myself. ” said Lourens.

“I’m completely dependent on others and I am mostly wheelchair bound, Even making coffee is now an impossible task. It has destroyed my life and left me unable to work.

“My life is completely unrecognizable to what it was the day we stepped onto that beach. My life, and that of my wife, was ruined.

“What was supposed to be a simple, enjoyable day almost ended my life.”

Law firm JMW Solicitors is representing Mr Koetsier as he has launched legal action against the dog owner and the owner of Norton Stables.