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Olympic rider undergoes operation following Pau five-star cross-country fall

Becky Murray Becky Murray

    • Austrian Olympic rider Lea Siegl is recovering from injuries sustained in a cross-country fall at Pau Horse Trials.

    Lea, 25, and 15-year-old DSP Fighting Line had been enjoying a super clear round when they fell at combination fence 13b, a corner after an oxer. They had gone into the five-star cross-country in provisional 10th.

    Lea was taken to hospital by ambulance following the fall.

    Lea has shared an update on her condition and said it was “unfortunately not the Pau result we hoped for”.

    “After a nice 29.9 dressage test, which put us into the top 10, we had a fall at a MIM-corner in the middle of the cross-country course. However, we are both ok,” she said.

    Lea added that “Fighty is totally fine and doesn’t have a scratch”.

    “Unluckily I broke two ribs and suffered a wound on the head which had to be stitched during an operation yesterday,” she said.

    “The next months are for recovery, I hope that we are back in form by the beginning of next year. Thanks for all the kind messages and calls.”

    Lea came up through the young rider ranks and competed DSP Fighting Line at the youth Europeans in 2016 at Montelibretti, Italy. The next year they made their senior championship debut at the Europeans in Millstreet, Ireland, and they have continued to be a regular at championships.

    In 2020 she was the youngest event rider at the Tokyo Olympics aged 22, and she finished 15th with DSP Fighting Line. Last year they were part of the Austrian team at the World Championships in Pratoni, where they finished 25th individually.

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    Becky Murray
    Becky Murray

    H&H senior news writer
    Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
    Becky Murray

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