NOTHING more could have been done to prevent the death of a Colwall Green rider crushed by her horse, a coroner has ruled.

Samantha Hudson, 33, of Nethercote, died from severe chest injuries after her horse Blackjack fell on top of her.

He had refused a fence at the Spring Hill event at Snowshill, near Broadway, on August Bank Holiday Monday.

An inquest into Miss Hudson's death was held by Cotswold coroner Lester Maddrell in Cirencester on Wednesday.

He heard Miss Hudson, a supporter of the Ledbury Hunt and Pony Club, had been wearing body armour and a helmet and had been attended by medics within seconds of her fatal fall.

"Short of saying these sorts of event should be abolished - and I'm most certainly not saying that - I don't think there's anything that could have been done reasonably to prevent this type of tragedy occurring," said Mr Maddrell, who recorded a verdict of accidental death.

"There is a risk attached to this type of event but in this case everything was done properly."

The inquest was attended by family and friends of Miss Hudson, who was a popular riding instructor who taught dozens of children to ride in the Ledbury and Malvern area.

Miss Hudson suffered "unsurvivable" injuries when the 500kg horse landed on her, including damage to her heart, a fractured sternum and several fractured ribs. The horse survived the incident.

The fence was examined by British Eventing's health and safety committee chairman Michael Tucker. He found it well constructed with a well-prepared landing and take-off and typical of novice events.