International champion four-star eventing mare Headley Britannia was euthanized yesterday (April 1) following a jumping accident close to home, according to her owner/rider Lucinda Fredericks.

“Brit” was jumping a small oxer (1 meter / 40 inches) on flat, grassy ground when she just “crumbled” upon landing and did not rise immediately, said Fredericks, 2008 Olympic silver medalist (representing the Australian team), of Devizes, in southwest England. Fredericks' student Alexandra Smith, was riding the mare at the time, but was unharmed.

“I could see right away that something was broken,” said Fredericks, who was schooling a younger horse with Brit and Smith. “There was a slightly unusual lump on the upper part of her leg, but there was no bleeding.”

Hattie Lawrence, BVSc, MRCVS, of Valley Equine Hospital in Lambourn, England, confirmed onsite that the 21-year-old mare had fractured her left radius (forearm) bone, Fredericks said