Equestrianism: Irish rider dies after cross-country fall

The Irish three-day eventer Samuel Moore died yesterday after being thrown from his mount during the cross-country phase of the three-day Blenheim International Horse Trials.

The 35-year-old Moore, from Kilrea in Co Londonderry, fell from his nine- year-old horse, Darragh Rock, at the 19th fence called The Keyhole Corner. He was immediately attended by a doctor and a paramedic team before being taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Darragh Rock hit the first part of the obstacle, an oval hole cut into brushwood through which the horses jumped. Moore was catapulted out of the saddle and into a tree, causing major facial injuries. Seconds later the horse stumbled on to him, causing further serious chest injuries.

Riders had predicted that the fence where Moore fell would be the most influential obstacle on the cross-country course, but it had caused little trouble before the Irishman's accident.

Report, page 19