Two horse riders die within hours of each other at separate British competitions

By KRISTINA WEMYSS, GENERAL NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:52, 19 July 2026 | Updated: 17:58, 19 July 2026 Two horse riders have died within hours of each other at separate competitions, British Eventing has confirmed. Sophie Fouracre, 34, was fatally injured in a cross-country accident while riding Rhubarbsfox Brittania at Swalcliffe Park in Oxfordshire. Shortly afterwards, 42-year-old Kerry Donoghue died while riding Carneyhaugh Rua in another event at Penrith in Cumbria. Medics provided emergency treatment at both venues on Saturday, with an air ambulance dispatched to Frenchfield Farm in Penrith, but neither 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 want to extend our deepest condolences to Kerry and Sophie's families, friends and loved ones at this devastating time. ‘Our thoughts are also with their fellow competitors, organisers, officials, volunteers and everyone who has been affected by these tragic events. ‘We are immensely grateful to the organisers, 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. Deaths are rare in eventing, but there have been several tragic accidents in recent years ‘The loss of 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 profoundly across the sport for some time to come. Both horses were examined and found to be uninjured as reviews of both accidents are now undertaken. Responding to the news of Ms Fouracre's death online, fellow riders said they were 'heartbroken' and in shock. 'Absolutely devastating,' another wrote. 'You will be incredibly missed. What a wonderful person.' British Eventing initially issued two statements on Saturday saying there had been ‘serious incidents’ at the events, which had both been abandoned for the weekend. The mental health charity Riders Minds responded to the ‘desperately sad news’ by offering ‘immediate support’ to members of the eventing community. Eventing consists of three phases - dressage, showjumping and cross-country. Both incidents on Saturday took place during the cross-country phase. Deaths are rare in eventing, but there have been several tragic accidents in recent years. In May 2024, Georgie Campbell died after her horse fell and landed on her at Bicton International Horse Trials in Devon. And last August, 37-year-old British rider Sarah Yorke suffered a fatal accident during the cross-country phase of Aston-le-Walls horse trials. In 2019, 15-year-old British event rider Iona Sclater died during a training session at home, when her pony clipped a hay bale while jumping, somersaulted and landed on her.