The horse racing industry is in mourning following the tragic death of jockey Megan Taylor after a horrific four-horse fall on New Zealand’s South Island.
The 26-year-old was riding Red Orchid in race two at Ashburton on Friday when her mount seemingly got caught between two other horses, which led to a collision.
The New Zealand Herald report Taylor was hit by one of the three other horses involved in the fall, with the race meet abandoned after she was pronounced dead.
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New Zealand Racing Minister Kieran McAnulty said: “I’m incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of jockey Megan Taylor during a race this afternoon.
“I want to pass on my deepest sympathies to Megan’s family and friends, and to all of those in the industry who worked alongside her and knew her.”
Fellow jockeys Diego Montes de Oca, Samantha Wynne and Tin Comignahgi all suffered non-life threatening injuries.
(Image: megantaylor.equestrian/Instagram)
Taylor had ridden a total of 16 winners since her first triumph win June of 2021, which came on the back of Jimmy Who at Timaru.
She had said at the time: “It was a huge thrill as I’ve been trying really hard to get this and it came on my first ride at Timaru.”
Tributes have been heartfelt on Taylor’s most recent Instagram post, which showed her hugging a horse and cat alongside the caption: “Do what you love, love what you do. Getting paid to cuddle animals daily.. I can’t complain!”
(Image: megantaylor.equestrian/Instagram)
One tribute read: “Rest in paradise.” With a second saying: “Rest easy Megan.”
Alex Coleman, a friend of Taylor, said: “I’m not sure anyone is going to be able to find the words to describe how tragic the loss of Megan is.
“She was such a beautiful soul that was loved by so many and the shock of her being taken so tragically and so young is completely numbing.”
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