Equestrian Katharine Morel and her horse Kerry On died during a competition on Saturday, February 29, when the Thoroughbred somersaulted into the air and landed on her back.
The horse and rider from Alberta, Canada, were competing in Altoona, Florida, at the Rocking Horse Winter III Horse Trials when the tragic accident occurred.
Katharine, 33, and Kerry On, 8, were making their way towards a jump they’d done a thousand times before, but as they approached, the horse leapt straight in the air, doing a rotational fall and landed on its back with Katharine still in the saddle. The weight of the horse and impact of the fall killed Kerry On not long after.
Katharine was immediately taken to the Waterman Hospital in Tavares by Lake County Emergency Medical Services but, unfortunately, she also passed away that day.