British rider breaks collarbone in fall but aims to be back for Burghley

Young British four-star rider Willa Newton broke her collarbone in a fall last weekend, but is hoping to be back in the saddle in time to ride at Burghley.

Willa, 28, was riding her own six-year-old Cock A Doodle Doo in a novice section at Buckminster Park (7-8 July) when he made “a very unusual mistake”.

“I think he tripped coming off the step,” Willa told H&H. “He’s an amazing horse and it was just one of those things.”

Cock A Doodle Doo, who had never had a jumping fault across country before and had been in the top 10 in his previous four novice runs, was not injured.

Willa had her collarbone operated on on Wednesday (11 July), but does not yet have a detailed plan of when she will return to action. She hopes to ride at Burghley (30 August-2 September) on Chance Remark, which whom she finished fifth at Luhmühlen CCI4* in Germany in June.

“I need to see physios and so on to make a plan, but I’ll definitely be doing everything I can to get back quickly,” she said.

Willa finished 35th at Burghley last year on Chance Remark, who belongs to Peter Thomas and Feena Machin.

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The Melton Mowbray-based rider experienced the highs and lows of eventing at Buckminster as she won BE100 section C on Jesmond Rainbow and finished seventh in the five-year-old class on Cipriani before the fall.

Willa won junior team gold in 2008 and young rider team gold and individual silver in 2011, all riding Neelix, who was retired earlier this year. She was long-listed for the senior European Championships in Strzegom last season with Caja 20.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday. Full report from Barbury, plus first column from new columnist Mary King, in this week’s issue (dated 12 July).

Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.