Zara Tindall Was Nearly Trampled by a Horse in Terrifying Near-Miss Just Months After Mother Princess Anne's Injury

Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter narrowly escaped major injury.

Zara Tindall wearing a blue jersey and helmet riding a horse and carrying a polo mallet
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Royal Family has always been full of equestrians—most notably Queen Elizabeth II—and Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, is no exception. The 43-year-old Olympian has been in Australia for the annual Magic Millions Races this month, and in a shocking video shared by the Daily Mail on Jan. 6, Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter narrowly avoided being trampled by a horse during a photoshoot.

In the video, Tindall, who is standing next to a horse and holding its reins on the beach while several others sit on horses next to her, is smiling and posing for a photo when the incident happens. A man is sitting on a horse behind her when the animal suddenly rears up and lunges, hitting the royal in the shoulder and knocking her to the side.

Luckily, Tindall was able to quickly move out of the way and escape being kicked or trampled, and the horse's rider was able to get the animal under control without further incident. The royal appeared startled but not terribly shaken by the frightening scene, continuing to smile and pose for photos after the rogue horse calmed down.

Zara Tindall wearing a blue jersey and helmet while riding a brown horse in a polo match

Tindall is seen taking part in a 2017 Magic Millions polo match.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The frightening near-miss comes just six months after Princess Anne was hospitalized for five days due to a horse-related injury. Although she has no memory of what happened, Buckingham Palace reported that Anne suffered from "minor injuries and a concussion" after an "incident at the Gatcombe Park estate."

It's a situation that left Zara "shaken to the core," according to OK! at the time.

As for her trip to Australia, Tindall has served as a Magic Millions Racing Women Ambassador since 2012 and travels Down Under every year for the 10-day equestrian event and carnival along with her husband, former England rugby player Mike Tindall.

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast co-host Mike—who is said to share a bit of a bromance with Zara's cousin, Prince William—has been enjoying the sun and summer weather in Australia this past week while providing some commentary on his wife's equestrian skills, too.

TOPICS
Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.