A showbiz agent's personal assistant, who died in a fall from her horse during a 'fun ride' at Adam Henson's Cotswold Farm Park in Guiting Power, was not wearing her inflatable safety vest on that fateful day, an inquest heard yesterday.

Mandy Berry, 58, took the vest with her but was unable to use it because she had a new saddle and it had not been fitted with a 'breakaway' activation device that would have inflated it if she fell.

Her husband Keith Berry is now calling on saddle manufacturers to fit the devices as standard in future to prevent similar tragedies.

The Gloucester inquest heard Mrs Berry was taking part in an organised fun ride on the farm run by TV Countryfile presenter Adam on 8th October last year when tragedy struck.

In the unwitnessed fall from her beloved horse Crumlin near the end of the ride, she suffered multiple rib fractures and her aorta - the main artery to the heart - was ruptured.

She was still conscious and talking when other riders found her - but she quickly lapsed into unconsciousness and died despite the efforts of first aiders and paramedics to save her.

Mrs Berry, of Clapton in Gordano, near Bristol, had worked all her life for a showbiz agent whose clients included Carol Vorderman, Noel Edmonds, Timmy Mallett, and the Wurzels.

Gloucestershire Coroner Katy Skerrett recorded a conclusion of accidental death. She said Mrs Berry was found 100 metres away from the nearest jump and the only possible reason for her fall was that the horse slipped on a patch of mud or bolted.

In a statement to the inquest Katherine Topley, who was taking part in the fun ride with friends, said Mrs Berry appeared to be riding alone. At one stage they caught up with Mrs Berry and passed her - later she caught up with them and then rode on.

Her riding had been 'very sensible' and calm, she stated.

"Eventually she disappeared ahead of us and out of sight. We were in the final field and nearly back to the Farm Park when I noticed she was lying on the ground.

"Her horse was at the end of the field. She was conscious and talking. She said things like 'I don't know what's happening.' She thought she'd hurt her right leg. Her breathing was rasping.

"I was with her for 10 to 15 minutes before an ambulance arrived and someone brought a blanket. She would occasionally panic and I was unable to calm her down.

"The paramedic was there for five to 10 minutes before she became unconscious."

Richard Davis of Outdoor Medical Solutions, a first aider on duty at the event, said he got to Mrs Berry three minutes after hearing that she had fallen.

She gave him her name and told him she could not remember what had happened, he said.

"Her breathing was very quick and rasping. I suspected she had suffered a pneumo-haemothorax and I called 999. She was losing consciousness and I commenced CPR."

A police report said that Mrs Berry's fall was 100 metres away from the nearest two jumps and she was equidistant between them.

"It is not clear why she fell off. There was some evidence in the mud that the horse had either slipped or bolted but that is not clear."

Mrs Berry's husband Keith, who identified her body, stated that she was an experienced rider who had been riding horses for 50 years. She took regular weekly instruction and she enjoyed taking part in fun rides.

Normally she would wear her inflatable vest to protect her, but she had a new saddle at that time and it did not have a breakaway device to activate the vest, he stated.

"I can only assume that is the reason she was not wearing it. Given her experience, she was extremely unlucky (to have this fall) and it is difficult to explain it. I would encourage manufacturers to fit breakaway devices to all new saddles.

"She was very safety conscious. She loved her fun rides. She was nicknamed 'Fun Ride Mandy.'"

The coroner said "She fell from her horse for unknown reasons quite near the end of the ride. She was a very experienced rider and she was doing this event, which she very much liked to do. She was seen riding along sensibly and then she was found on the floor.

"The fall from her horse, or whatever happened, was not witnessed by any other rider. Why she fell remains unclear. This was a tragic accident. She was a lady doing what she loved and tragically it had the worst consequences for her."

Mrs Berry had worked since her teens for showbiz agent John Miles, who described her as 'jolly, friendly and smiley - absolutely superb.'

Interviewed at the time of her death he said "She loved animals, particularly horses. It (Crumlin) was her love - her baby really. It was quite placid and she trusted it immensely.

"She knew some of the biggest stars in the country and they all spoke so kindly of her."

She had helped John manage stars including Timmy Mallett and The Wurzels and she was also involved in organising BBC Radio 1 roadshows in the 1970s-90s.

She had no children and had separated from her husband about 10 years previously, but they had remained good friends.