A rider was killed when a horse landed on his chest during an international horse trialling event.

Samuel Henry Moore, 35, from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was one of about 85 riders participating in last year's three-day Blenheim Horse Trials.

He was killed as his mount, Darragh Roch, was trying to negotiate fence 19 of the cross-country event.

Fence judge Sue Eeley, from Kirtlington, told the Oxford inquest yesterday, that the horse appeared to be lacking in energy as it approached the fence.

She said: "In my opinion the horse was not going to jump it at a few strides out. The horse hit the fence hard. The rider was catapulted over the head of the horse. The horse somersaulted on top of the rider."

Pathologist Peter Millard, from the John Radcliffe Hospital, said Mr Moore suffered multiple rib fractures which penetrated into his lungs. "The cause of death was due to crush injuries to the chest and lungs. With the lung detached there was no chance of survival."

The jury, which was shown a video recording of the tragedy, heard how 78 riders had previously jumped the key-hole fence. The weather was warm and dry.

Dr Judith Johnson, from Kirtlington, a medical practitioner, who was also one of the fence judges, said the rider approached the fence at, "considerable pace".

She added that the horse appeared to, "back off" before it "catapulted the rider through the fence."

She said: "He was unresponsive. He made three or four respiratory efforts but then no more."

The chief medical officer and staff were quickly at the scene following the accident just after 4pm.

He was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Dr Michael Whitlock from Barnet, who specialises in rider and equipment safety, said Mr Moore was wearing an appropriate helmet and body protector.

But he said, "The body protector would not have provided the protection due to the force involved.

"There is nothing on the market that would have helped."

The jury recorded a verdict of misadventure.

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