The sport of equestrian was never not injury-free. But the manner in which the numbers of injured equestrians, jockeys, showjumpers, etc, are mounting is truly alarming. In yet another horse-related sad news, a horrific injury at a racecourse recently claimed the life of a French apprentice jockey. Her mother, who is devastated, is looking for answers and doesn’t intend to stop until she has full disclosure. While teary-eyed, she has even made an appeal to the concerned coroner in this case.

Marina Morel, a 30-year-old French woman, was severely injured on Saturday morning, after falling from her horse. Her horse, named Lina’s Choice, suddenly collapsed after crossing the finish line and fell on her owner. But there might be more to the story, claims Morel’s mother.

Despite battling pain, the deceased equestrian’s mother calls for further inquiry

Maria Morel, Marina’s mother, urged the coroner behind the investigation, to call for a public inquest so that there would be witnesses involved. As per The Sydney Morning Herald, she said, “We want to know the truth. This won’t bring back our daughter and won’t change our grief, but if there really was negligence or fault, and it’s possible to prevent another tragic accident from occurring … and if not, we will know that nothing could have foreseen or prevented it”.

Maria Morel’s pain and anguish of losing her daughter could be easily felt in her words. She spoke to the coroner from her French alpine village of Chazey-sur-Ain. However, the New South Wales coroner is already conducting a preliminary inquiry into the young jockey’s death, due to its unprecedented nature. This is because, no jockey had ever died on an NSW racecourse in nearly 5 years. And a sudden death of a foreign girl living in Australia for equestrian training raises a lot of questions.

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As far as the incident is concerned, Marina Morel fell and was trampled underneath her horse at the Gulgong racecourse. It shattered her left leg bone and temporarily lost any semblance of consciousness. With no paramedics in sight, trainer Thompson and his son rushed to drag her away from underneath Lina’s Choice. They tried to resuscitate her before flying her off to Sydney’s Westmead Hospital. However, it was all to no avail. On the heels of equestrian Mazar Allaudin’s death after falling from a horse, Morel’s death further adds to the disheartenment of the larger equestrian community.

There’s more to the story than meets the eye

Morel died four days later, succumbing to her injuries. And when the news broke, it raised several questions regarding the cause of the horse’s fall. Between September to December 2021, racing NSW chief veterinary officer Dr. Toby Koenig raised concerns regarding the integrity of staff and the quality of stewardship in Thompson’s stables. There have been concerns about horse deaths from that stable previously as well. But the death of Morel, and her mother’s strong call for shedding more light on the matter, might just bring a huge matter to the forefront.

Nonetheless, this wouldn’t bring her daughter back to her. But if there was any negligence involved in the maintenance of these horses, which could’ve triggered this unfortunate incident, Maria Morel is on a quest to ensure proper justice is served to those concerned.

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