MUM Hannah Vaughan broke down in tears as she told an inquest of the moment she found her adventurous four-year-old son Harley Barnes face down in a pond after he wandered off to feed horses.

The youngster, of Elm Grove, Corsham, had spent the morning at his grandparents’ stables in Velley Hill, Gastard, helping Miss Vaughan clean out the horses and watching farrier Martin Head shoe them.

When Harley, who went off to give hay to one of the horses, did not return the admin assistant for Direct Cleaning Services in Corsham started shouting his name and searching the fields, before she made the devastating discovery on July 28 this year.

"I started calling out for Harley and looking around more. I walked to the pond and I saw him,” she told Salisbury Coroner’s Court today.

Her cries for help were heard by neighbour Jennifer Gibson, a midwife, who helped get Harley out of the water.

Mrs Gibson told Miss Vaughan to go to her house and ring for an ambulance, while she began resuscitation.

Despite her best efforts Harley, who was due to leave the Mansion House Pre-School this summer and join St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in September, was later pronounced dead by doctors after being rushed to the Royal United Hospital in Bath.

Miss Vaughan, who attended the hearing with Harley's dad, her partner Andrew Barnes and Harley's grandparents, described how her son loved throwing stones in the pond and climbing on the boulders around it.

They had warned him on previous occasions to be careful in case he fell in.

"He loved the pond and loved throwing stones in the pond as much as we told him not to. We always told him to get away from it but that is all he seemed to want to do - throw stones in the pond," Miss Vaughan said.

The gate to the pond was shut and Miss Vaughan said she had never seen him open it on his own, but told the hearing he would climb anything.

“For me to open the gate I have to lift the latch up and push the gate at the same time,” she said.

"He had little hands and he was a strong boy. I have never seen him open the gate but he was good at climbing over things.

“Harley was playing around like he normally would and going up to see the other horses. Martin let him help and gave him a shoe to bang and he took a really keen interest.

“Harley was quite good at being a grump sometimes, so it was a nice ungrumpy day. He was having a great time."

A post-mortem examination found that Harley had died from freshwater drowning and police found no suspicious circumstances.

Claire Balysz, assistant coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

She said: "Harley was a normal, lively and adventurous little boy who had spent the morning helping his mother and the farrier in the yard.

"He went to the field to give some feed to a horse and after 10 or 15 minutes his mother could not find him.

"After a brief search she found him unresponsive lying in the pond at the yard. On previous occasions Harley had loved throwing stones in the pond and jumping from one boulder to another.

"Resuscitation was unsuccessful and Harley passed away at 1.21pm.

"I just want to express my sincere condolences to you for your loss."