British Eventing: Two riders died in separate incidents on Saturday

Two riders died in separate competitions on Saturday, British Eventing confirmed.

Sophie Fouracre, 34, was fatally injured in a cross-country crash while riding a Rhubarbfox Britannia in Swalcliffe Park, Oxfordshire.

Hours later, 42-year-old Kerry Donoghue died while running the Carnihag Rua in another cross-country event in Penrith, Cumbria.

At both locations, medical teams responded immediately and provided emergency treatment, but despite their best efforts no rider could be saved.

In a statement, British Eventing chief executive Rosie Williams said the community was “heartbroken”.

“On behalf of everyone at British Eventing, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to Kerry and Sophie’s family, friends and loved ones at this devastating time.

“Our thoughts are with their fellow competitors, organisers, officials, volunteers and those affected by this tragic event.

“We are extremely grateful to the organizers, doctors, paramedics, veterinary teams, officials and emergency services at both events for the professionalism, compassion and care they showed in the most difficult of circumstances.

“Losing two members of our eventing family on the same day is almost beyond words, and we know the sadness of these events will be felt deeply throughout the sport for some time to come.”

Both horses were examined and found unharmed as both accidents were reviewed.

British Eventing initially issued two statements on Saturday saying there had been “serious incidents” at the events, both of which were abandoned over the weekend.

Mental health charity Riders Minds Eventing responded to the “desperately sad news” by offering “immediate support” to members of the community.

The event consists of three stages – dressage, showjumping and cross-country.

Both incidents took place during the cross-country phase of the competition.

Rider fatalities at the event are rare, but the sport has been rocked by tragic accidents in recent years.

In May 2024, professional eventers Georgie Campbell is dead After his horse fell and landed on him at the Bicton International Horse Trials in Devon.

And last August, the 37-year-old British rider Sarah York suffers a fatal accident During the cross-country phase of the Aston-le-Walls horse trials.

In 2019, the promising 15-year-old British event rider Iona Sclater is dead During a training session at home, her pony tripped over a bale of hay while jumping, tripped and fell on her.