A 42-year-old mother and veteran horse rider was killed in a horrifying competition fall just months after revealing that safety fears had left her wondering whether the sport was “all worth it.”
Kerry Donoghue, an NHS nurse from Glasgow, Scotland, died Saturday while competing with her horse, Carneyhaugh Rua, at the Penrith Horse Trials in Cumbria, England.
The married mother of one was one of two female riders killed in separate eventing accidents just hours apart that day.
As friends, relatives and fellow riders mourned Donoghue’s death, an emotional podcast interview recorded shortly before the tragedy resurfaced. In it, she spoke openly about losing her confidence, fearing life-changing injuries and coming “this close” to walking away from the sport entirely.
During the May episode of the Equestrian Performance Mindset podcast, Donoghue explained that she had reached out to a mindset coach at a point when she no longer knew whether she wanted to continue riding.
“I don’t know if I should be speaking to you because I think I might just give up,” she said. “I think I might just call it a day. I’m not really sure, but I don’t know. I’ve just really lost my confidence.”
Donoghue said her doubts deepened after a miserable experience at a riding camp, where her horse became unsettled and bolted.
“I just thought, ‘Oh goodness, I don’t really know if this is for me,’” she recalled. “I’m just not sure where I’m going next and don’t really know why I was doing this.”
Although she had competed at events across Scotland and northern England, Donoghue admitted she had been “a bit on the verge of giving up” before eventually rebuilding her confidence.
She also described witnessing what she called a “freak accident” in which another rider was crushed by a horse, a moment that forced her to confront just how dangerous the sport could be.
“It’s one of those moments where the fragility of just being around horses is very much shown a spotlight on,” Donoghue said.
“You’re thinking to yourself, ‘Goodness, is this all worth it? Do you really want to do this? Do you really want to give it a go?’”
In another haunting part of the interview, Donoghue said she was not afraid of dying. Her greatest fear was surviving an accident with devastating injuries that could permanently alter her life.
“I was really afraid of getting hurt, but hurt in a very specific way,” she said.
“People talk about dying and things like that. That wasn’t what I was afraid of. I was afraid of how some people have had to live their lives, and the challenges that come with that.”
Her concerns were shaped in part by her work as an NHS nurse. Donoghue said she had the “utmost respect” for patients she had cared for in a spinal unit whose lives had been “turned upside down” by catastrophic injuries.
Despite those fears, she continued competing and recently celebrated one of the proudest moments of her riding career.
In April, Donoghue completed her first British Eventing Novice competition with Carneyhaugh Rua, whom she affectionately called “Roly Poly.”
“My First BE Novice!!!! Oh my goodness, I cannot believe we’ve done it!” she wrote in a joyful Instagram post after the event in Penrith. “Carneyhaugh Rua, you are the best orange pony ever!”
Her social media pages were filled with humor about the triumphs, frustrations and occasional spills that came with amateur eventing.
After falling into the water during the Forgandenny Horse Trials in Perth on May 4, Donoghue jokingly wrote a mock TripAdvisor-style review of the mishap, calling it “cold water therapy.”
“Floatation device activated. Slightly inappropriate white clothing now brown. Pride more bruised than my bottom,” she wrote.
Saturday’s fatal accident occurred during the Penrith Horse Trials. Although officials did not immediately release full details about what happened, it is understood that Donoghue was competing in the cross-country portion of the event.
Eventing is an equestrian competition made up of three disciplines: dressage, show jumping and cross-country.
Just hours before Donoghue’s death, 34-year-old rider Sophie Fouracre was fatally injured while competing with her horse, Rhubarbsfox Britannia, at Swalcliffe Park in Oxfordshire.
That accident is also believed to have occurred during the cross-country phase.
Medical teams at both venues responded immediately and provided emergency treatment, but neither woman could be saved.
British Eventing Chief Executive Rosie Williams said the entire community had been left “heartbroken” by the loss of two riders on the same day.
“On behalf of everyone at British Eventing, I want to extend our deepest condolences to Kerry and Sophie’s families, friends and loved ones at this devastating time,” Williams said.
“Our thoughts are also with their fellow competitors, organizers, officials, volunteers and everyone who has been affected by these tragic events.”
Williams also thanked the doctors, paramedics, veterinarians, emergency workers and event staff who responded.
“The loss of two members of our eventing family on the same day is almost beyond words, and we know the sadness of these events will be felt profoundly across the sport for some time to come,” she said.
Both horses escaped the accidents without injury.
Formal reviews of the two fatal incidents are now expected to be carried out.