Jane Miller was seen hitting hunt saboteurs and screaming 'get off my horse' in 2017

A huntswoman who was filmed whipping animal rights activists with her riding crop and calling them 'uneducated peasants' was crushed to death when her horse fell on her during a later drag hunt, a coroner ruled today.

Estate manager and farmer Jane Miller was seen hitting hunt saboteurs and screaming 'get off my horse' when the activists interrupted a drag hunt two years ago in Pevensey, East Sussex.

The 57-year-old was on another drag hunt in November 2018, just a few weeks after discovering she faced criminal charges through a civil prosecution for the whipping incident, when her horse became tangled in barbed wire and became distressed, the inquest heard.

As Ms Miller attempted to calm the animal, it reared and fell backwards, crushing her to death, Surrey Area Coroner Simon Wickens was told at Woking Coroner's Court.

Ms Miller is also known as Jane Goring through her marriage to a member of the UK's oldest luxury hotel dynasty, Richard Goring, who was at the inquest today.

Mr Goring, who belongs to the family which owns The Goring, a prestigious five-star hotel in London's Belgravia district, where the Duchess of Cambridge and her family spent the night before the Royal wedding in 2011.

The inquest heard that during the hunting season, from September to April, Mrs Goring went on drag hunts two to three times a week and usually went by herself with her horse and a horse box.

On the day of her death, James Etheridge was riding behind her and witnessed the tragic accident, telling the coroner: 'Jane struggled to stay on her horse over the jump so I gave her a little extra space and held back.

'I did not see her take the next jump as cox was in the way. The next time I saw her she was standing holding her horse's reins when the horse reared and appeared to be stuck on barbed wire.

'She was trying to keep hold of the horse but that's when it fell backwards on top of her and she struggled to breathe.'

Jane Miller is also known as Jane Goring through her marriage to a member of the UK's oldest luxury hotel dynasty, Richard Goring (pictured together), who was at the inquest today

Police Constable Robert Lawrence of Surrey Police was called to reports of a riding accident in a field adjacent in Leigh, Surrey.

He said: 'On November 6, 2018 police arrived as ambulance were leaving. Jane had suffered a massive trauma to the back of her head along with crush injuries.

'The head specialist team arrived and they tried to resuscitate but she was confirmed dead at the scene.'

The South East Coast Ambulance Service gave the likely cause of death as a traumatic chest injury.

Dr Ali Alhakim discovered a significant finding at the post mortem examination, saying: 'The post mortem revealed a major finding of a 15mm laceration involving the right atrium major. This was the consequence of blunt chest trauma.'

Ms Goring married Mr Goring, a retired civil engineer and former director of Gorings Ltd in 2012, and they lived together on a £1million estate in Heathfield, East Sussex.

Mrs Goring became a figure of controversy after a video was released which seemed to show her whipping Brighton Hunt Saboteurs members Simon Medhurst and Shirley Makin repeatedly with a riding crop.

Mrs Goring was said to have thrashed the activists 17 times around the head after they allegedly grabbed her horses reigns during a drag hunt.

After family members shared tributes to Mrs Goring online after the accident last year, some anti-hunt activists shared their own posts which suggested they were not sorry to hear of Mrs Goring's death.

Presiding at the inquest today, Mr Wickens said: 'On the balance of probability, I find the person who died was Jane Amanda Miller or Jane Amanda Goring.

Ms Goring married Mr Goring (pictured together), a retired civil engineer and former director of Gorings Ltd in 2012, and they lived together on a £1million estate in Heathfield, East Sussex

'I find that Jane was born on April 27, 1962 in Cowplain, Hampshire, and she died in a field adjacent to Leigh Road, Leigh, Surrey on November 6, 2018, aged 57 years.

'She leaves behind her widow Richard Goring, a civil engineer. I accept the cause of death as given by pathologist, namely one blunt chest trauma leading to laceration to the right atrium.

Videos emerged which showed Ms Miller calling anti-hunt demonstrators 'f***ing terrorists' and 'uneducated peasants'

'On November 6, Jane was riding a horse and she was seen to undertake a jump and she was unseated by that jump. She was subsequently observed to struggle to stay on her horse as she approached the second jump.

'What happened next is unclear as it was unobserved. The next event was that Jane had dismounted and was holding the reins of her horse.

'The horse had reared as it appeared to be stuck on a barbed wire fence but initially however appeared to break free. However it was seen to fall backwards onto Jane, taking her to the floor and causing her crush injuries to which she succumbed.

'I do find that on November 6 2018, Jane Miller died in a field adjacent to Leigh Road, Leigh, Surrey of injuries sustained by a horse she was riding as it reared and fell upon her causing her injuries.

'I formally record her death as one of accident. To conclude I would like to give Mr Goring and all those touched by Jane's life my sincerest condolences.'

Mr Goring did not speak after the coroner's verdict, but leaped to his wife's defence in interviews held after the videos emerged which showed her whipping anti-hunt demonstrators and calling them 'f***ing terrorists' and 'uneducated peasants'.

Mr Goring had said: 'She was very scared and she still is. She was frightened. I know that it is getting too much for her and she wants nothing more to do with it. She was scared, the horse was scared. She was surrounded by terrorists.'