Young Australian eventer dies in cross-country fall
Young Australian eventing rider Olivia Inglis has died after a cross-country fall in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales.
Inglis, 17, was competing on her family’s horse Coriolanus in a two-star event at the Scone Horse Trials over the weekend, and reportedly suffered a rotational fall on the cross-country on Sunday morning.
She was given urgent medical attention, attended by the on-course paramedic, the on-course doctor, and the Westpac rescue helicopter service, but was unable to be revived.
The organisers of the event, NSW’s state championships, said that Coriolanus was in a stable condition and remained under veterinary observation.
It was Inglis’s first two-star event on the 11-year-old thoroughbred, who had previously competed at CCI* and CIC*level. The course at Scone was designed by New Zealand’s John Nicholson.
Equestrian Australia chairwoman Judy Fasher was at the event and said: “Her horse fell at fence eight and tragically landed on her.”
“Unfortunately, Olivia’s horse made a mistake and hit the obstacle which meant the horse fell and landed on her,” Fasher told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It would have been about 1.1m high, well within the dimensions.”
The event, which was attended by about a thousand people, was cancelled following the accident, and Equestrian Australia has arranged counselling services for anyone who was at the event.
Olivia Inglis was the daughter of Charlotte and Arthur Inglis, who is a bloodstock auctioneer. The Inglis family is well known in the region for their racing and breeding operation, as well as the William Inglis & Son bloodstock company.
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