French rider dies 7 months after cross-country fall
The French eventing world is in mourning following the death of rider Guillaume Pucci, who was in a medically induced coma for seven months following a fall at the CIC2* Le Pouget Horse Trials in France last November.
Pucci died on June 14 — exactly a year after the deaths of eventing riders Benjamin Winter and Jordan McDonald. He was 28 years old.
Pucci sustained a cranial hematoma on November 16 in the fall from nine-year-old mare Schatzie Du Parc at the eighth obstable on the 2* course. Schatzie Du Parc was not hurt in the accident.
Pucci was operated on in Montpellier, then moved to a Bordeaux hospital where he remained in the coma.
The rider graduated from the Ecole Nationale d’Equitation in 2012, and since 2013 had been head trainer at the L’Oxer de Bellevue equestrian center in Mérignac, France, a family owned operation.
He had a great year in 2014, representing France at the 2014 Nations Cup at Boekelo in The Netherlands with Enzo Van’t Vennehof. It was the combination’s first long format 3* contest. He also competed at Blair Castle, Waregem, Blenheim, Pau, Barroca d’Alva, Montelibrett.
The ride on Enzo Van’t Vennehof has been taken over by Greg Le Coz. The combination finished second in the CCI ** in Montelibretti and third in the CCI * with Usko de Montplaisir.
On the weekend of Pucci’s passing, Le Coz and Enzo finished fifth in the CIC2* at Laizé.
• Receive a notification when a new article is posted:
So sad to hear this. I cannot believe the number of rotational incidents in eventing the past 5 years.