He wasn't. Although insurance is an issue at the moment for many hunts
There was a case a year or two ago. A decent rider, in the sense she could go around showjumping course, was out for one of her first times with a hunt. They came to a fairly dodgy ditch, the guy in charge said no-one was to take that jump unless they were seriously good, decades of riding with hunts-type experience, and recommended that pretty much everyone go a bit further to a safer spot. This eejit of a wan thought she was Tammy Top Tits and went for it despite the message it was only if you were really confident with a huge amount of experience. She fell, horse landed on her, I think. Injured. She sued the hunt and it went to court. I think she lost but I'd say insurers are terrified about this kind of thing. All it takes is one judge who says jumping over natural landscapes features has to be perfectly safe if you're doing it, and even if everyone with an ounce of sense is telling you not to do it the hunt is still responsible.
Similar case, that won, I think, was taken against a school, where someone fell from a horse. Lots of people looking for dollars for any injury despite the fact that everyone knows horse riding can be dangerous.
Lots of general chatter that these are all "city" people who haven't a clue about horses or the culture and think the horse is a machine that you know everything about and not a real living animal.
Even racing is having problems. Supposedly the national insurance in both Ireland and the UK negotiated for jockeys is getting more expensive. The insurers just don't want to take on something high risk, even if people are willing to pay. A little bit like the bookies they only want easy, guaranteed cash. Insurance not in the insurance game, really, but in the guaranteed money game.
