The International Equestrian Federation riders' representative Eric Smiley has revealed the shock among his fellow competitors after the death of Caroline Pratt at Burghley yesterday, caused by her horse falling and causing crushing injuries.
However, Smiley, a 53-year-old Irish veteran, vowed to defend eventing to the hilt, and stressed that all riders at Burghley were well aware of the potential dangers endemic to the sport.
"We do it because it is a challenge," he said. "Through the education of our horses and ourselves, we try to mitigate the
risks in every way possible.
"We know the risks we take on board, we wouldn't do it if there was no risk. If you take the challenge out of life, we are going nowhere."
He denied reports that Pratt had at any point disclosed fears for the safety of the Burghley course. Instead, Smiley said that Pratt had suggested the time allowance of 13 minutes to complete the course might provide a stern test to riders.
"Caroline raised some concerns that the ground conditions would make it difficult for anyone to get round in the time, and about the picture this would present to the public," Smiley added.
"She never put it in terms that it was going to be dangerous or unsafe."
Burghley Horse Trials chairman Malcolm Wallace extended sympathy and condolences to the family of Pratt, who was 42 and single, and lived near Middlewich in Cheshire.
Referring to Pratt's earlier ride on Call Again Cavalier, which came before the fateful ride on Primitive Streak, Wallace said: "It is important to know that Caroline had already ridden the course once and was going well again without penalties, when her horse fell at the third element of fence 26, the Lake Crossing, two from home.
"The fence is exactly the same and in the same location as used in 2003. It is 1.15metres high with a top spread of 0.6m. The water height at take off was 15cm, 20cm less than maximum. In 2003, 61 horses jumped it clear and there was one other rider fall when the horse did not fall."
Eventing authorities have taken a host of measures to improve the safety of their fences, and courses. Mike Tucker, chairman of British Eventing's safety committee, explained how only 0.17 per cent of all cross-country rounds in competition over the past year had resulted in serious injury.
"But whatever we do we are never going to take the risk out of the sport," he said.
Pratt was the third rider to have a fatal accident at Burghley, after Mark Davies in 1988 and Simon Long in 1999, and the 20th to die in Britain since 1982.