On Thursday, July 28, 2022, a terrible tragedy occurred at an equestrian center in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region.
An eight-year-old girl suffered a fatal fall after her ponytail fell, local radio station France Bleu Pays Basque reported.
The equestrian center in Espelette, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, called “Le Cheval de 3” (The Horse of Three), was the scene of a terrible tragedy on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
As reported by local radio station France Bleu Pays Basque, the following day, an eight-year-old girl lost her life after a fatal fall from a pony.
In an interview with the local public broadcaster, the village’s mayor, Jean-Marie Iputcha, revealed that the pony the girl was riding had spooked her, causing her death. The girl, who hails from northern France, had been riding horses with her mother, aunt, and stepfather during the summer.
“We immediately realized it was a very serious accident,” the mayor said, emphasizing that the young victim, who was wearing a riding helmet at the time of the accident, fell violently, striking her head. Taken “in a state of extreme distress” to Bayonne University Hospital, the girl was in cardiorespiratory arrest when emergency services arrived at the equestrian center to treat her.
Another 9-year-old girl died in a pony accident.
Unfortunately, the girl died from her injuries moments later. The victim’s mother and aunt, both in a state of shock, were taken to the same hospital. The Bayonne prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the accident, as revealed by the regional newspaper Sud Ouest. Meanwhile, a psychological support group has been set up at the equestrian center where the tragedy occurred. Another rider was also slightly injured after falling from a horse at the same equestrian center. A 38-year-old woman was also taken to the hospital. As a reminder, at least 15 children and two activity instructors were injured on Thursday, July 28, 2022, in a stampede involving ponies at an equestrian center in Saint-M’Hervé, near Rennes. Furthermore, a girl aged just nine died the following day in a pony accident in Grézac, Charente-Maritime.