Zara Phillips lands olympics

Zara Phillips was picked for the Olympics yesterday — just hours after a terrifying fall from her horse.

The Queen’s grand-daughter was sent crashing during a two-day event.

Her ride, a novice horse called Make Mine Music, caught a crossbar on a fence, became spooked and parted company with Zara.

One spectator said: "She was having a good round — but just as she was looking to go clear, she was unseated over the penultimate jump.

"There were gasps from the crowd but Zara got to her feet very quickly.

"She caught up with her horse — but she was eliminated from the trials as she was timed out."

Unhurt


Another onlooker at the trials at Rodbaston College near Penkridge, Staffs, said: "It looked hairy for a moment.

"But Zara was a true professional and controlled the fall quite well.

"She could have been seriously injured if she hadn’t have been lucky.

"If she wasn’t such a world champion, it could have been much more disastrous."

Zara, 27 next Thursday, emerged unhurt.

And she had the perfect pick-me-up yesterday with her inclusion in the Great Britain team for the Beijing Games in August.

She has been selected on Toytown, the horse on which in 2006 she won the World Championship.

The former BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner said: "It is nice to be selected, but we still have a long way to go.

"I am lucky in that Toytown has been to championship events before, so he knows about big occasions and has been consistent. But an Olympic Games really is very special."

Zara’s mum Princess Anne was a member of the British team at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and her dad Mark Phillips won a gold medal at the Munich Games in 1972.

Via thesun.co.uk