A promising rider who hoped to compete in the London Olympics died after she was crushed underneath her horse at a cross-country event.

Emma Jonathan, 23, fell just before the end of the course and her horse, El Niño, is thought to have landed on top of her in the wet conditions.

She had been competing in the Hartpury Horse Trials in Gloucestershire on Saturday. Fence judges could not identify the cause of the accident, and added that she had been riding well.

Ms Jonathan, of Sheet, near Petersfield, Hampshire, had been picked to join an elite group from which the British eventing team is selected and was due to train under Lucy Wiegersma, who had been selected for the British Olympic team but had to pull out after a setback to her horse.

Her parents described Ms Jonathan as a wonderful daughter and an exceptionally talented equestrian. Her father, Owen, 55, said: “She was a lovely girl. The news of her death is a shattering blow to the whole family. Riding was Emma’s passion. It was her raison d’être and she was exceptionally talented. Eventing is such a dangerous sport, but Emma was so passionate about it that I would never have wanted to stand in her way.”

Her mother, Jane, 55, added: “Emma was such a wonderful daughter. Every parent would say that about their child, but she really was. She will be terribly missed by us all.”

Cross-country is regarded as one of the world’s most high-risk sports, and in the past two years about a dozen riders have been killed during competitions.

A fence judge who saw the incident said that Ms Jonathan had been riding well before she fell at the 19th fence, just before the end of the course. Writing on the Horse and Hound website yesterday, she said: “Emma rode beautifully and did absolutely nothing wrong. It was one of the best approaches to the fence that we had seen. It was just a tragic and very unfortunate bit of bad luck.”

Ms Jonathan, who recently graduated from the University of East Anglia with a degree in world arts and musicology, was preparing to spend next year training under Ms Wiegersma. She had worked as a wrangler in the US state of Colorado during a gap year. She leaves a brother Hugh, 26, and a sister, Josephine, 18. The event continued yesterday at the express wishes of the family.

Zara Phillips, 27, the Queen’s granddaughter who was also competing at Hartpury after having had to pull out of the Olympics because her horse was injured, said: “I didn’t know Emma, but this is very sad. My sympathies are with her family and friends.”

Police said that a full investigation would be carried out into the accident. Olympic three-day event, page 65

High cost of eventing

Last year the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) announced a full-scale review of eventing safety after a spate of rider deaths and serious injuries in the sport

o-Anne Williams, the British rider, died aged 34 after a fall at Sapey Horse Trials, in Worcestershire, last year

A month later, Claire Lomas, 27, suffered spinal injuries in a cross-country fall at Osberton Horse Trials

In August 2006, Sherelle Duke, a friend of Zara Phillips, died of massive head injuries when the horse she was riding fell on her

According to British Eventing, more than 23 riders have died in Britain alone during the past 25 years, four of whom were killed in 1993 and five in 1999

The FEI has been compiling data on events for the past five years

Source: Times database

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