him on the first day of the Agricultural Exhibition in 1998, a Coroner ruled this week.

One woman told the inquest she saw the horse throw Mr. Jones but did not note what caused the bucking and a veterinarian said the horse had no medical conditions that may have caused it.

Coroner Will Francis ruled Mr. Jones died from head injuries as a result of the throw, which came as he rode the horse from his father's home on Point Finger Road to a staging area for riders in the Western Riding competition.

"We can't speculate -- we may never know what caused the horse to rear up like that,'' Mr. Francis said before delivering his verdict.

The ruling came after testimony from eyewitnesses and medical experts.

Mr. Francis noted that Mr. Jones' parents, Noel Jones and Mary-Ann Brady had allowed his vital organs to be harvested once he was declared brain dead.

"We do sincerely sympathise with them and extend our condolences to the family and friends,'' he said. "We are grateful and thankful for their very kind act of donation of his body parts for the good and benefit of others. We just hope that their example will be emulated by other Bermudians.'' The investigating officer, Fiona Miller, recommended to the Police Commissioner that steps be taken to make safety helmets mandatory for riders, particularly when they are on asphalted public roads.

Mr. Jones was wearing a cowboy hat and when his body was examined, he was found to have a large wound to the back of the head and bleeding and swelling to the brain.

P.c. Miller also suggested that a reminder be issued to the public about using "extreme caution'' when travelling near horses.

P.c. Miller also said Mr. Jones was an "experienced'' horse rider.

Sudell Joseph told the court she was riding a cycle east on South Shore Road when she saw Mr. Jones at the junction of Point Finger and South Roads.

She said traffic was very heavy and travelling very slowly when "suddenly the horse reared up a couple of times until the rider fell''.

Bystanders ran to Mr. Jones' aide while De Doctor ran off.

Speaking about what may have caused the incident, she said: "I didn't notice any buses at the time of the accident. The only thing I could think of was the traffic coming out of Point Finger Road. It was right there.'' When Mr. Francis asked "So, there was nothing too obvious to spook the horse?'', Ms Joseph said: "No. No noises. But it was a very very busy intersection.'' In his statement to Police, Mr. Noel Jones said he said goodbye to his son around 7.30 a.m. that day and began walking north on Point Finger Road while Jason rode south.

He said he "specifically'' remembered a bus on the road headed south, because he "had to step aside to allow it to pass''.

Mr. Jones added: "Just two minutes later a man approached me telling me to get down the other end. I turned around and walked right down to Jason.'' Veterinarian Stefan Walther said of his examination of De Doctor two weeks after the incident: "There was nothing remarkable about it (the horse). What actually happened that morning I don't know. The horse was unremarkable.

"I'm sure this horse had been on the road before,'' Dr. Walther explained.