Equestrian: Treacherous water jump shatters Tait's wind-down

World and Olympic equestrian champion Blyth Tait is expected to be sidelined for three months after badly breaking his leg at the Burghley horse trials in Britain.

But his fellow Olympic champion Mark Todd is in line to pick up his fifth Burgley win with just the showjumping left at the three-day event.

Tait, whose horses were winding down for the end of the northern hemisphere season, has six months to recover before next season's competitive buildup to the Sydney Olympics begins.

He was one of five riders to fall at the sunken water jump fence. British rider Simon Long was killed there. Three other riders were hospitalised after falls on the cross country leg of the event.

Tait broke his right femur when Chesterfield stumbled coming out of the water jump, trapping Tait against the fence and snapping the leg.

His groom Fiona Fraser said Tait had been taken to hospital "in agony", but was coping well.

She said early reports suggested Tait would be out of the sport for three months, though it might be difficult to keep him off his horses for that long.

Tait has already wound down Ready Teddy for the season, and Burghley would have been Chesterfield's last event.

Meanwhile, Todd, who lay first and third going into the final-day showjumping round on Word for Word and Diamond Hall Red respectively, had predicted the sunken water fence would be the most difficult on the Burghley course.

Todd was the first rider to tackle the endurance test on a hot day, with firm underfoot conditions. Word For Word jumped the steeplechase clear, and went on to become the only combination to complete the 35-fence cross country clear and without any time penalties.

Diamond Hall Red, at his first major championship, also completed the endurance test clear, with 19 time penalties on the cross country.

Todd is on 77 penalties on Word For Word, 16 clear of British rider Tina Gifford on General Jock, which gives him a three-rail cushion for the showjumping.

Diamond Hall Red is a further two points back, so a clear round could move him ahead of General Jock if Tina Gifford slips up.

Todd first won Burghley in 1987, and has picked up three more wins this decade.

The rest of the New Zealand riders had a mixed day.

Andrew Nicholson had to withdrew both his horses. New York pulled a muscle on the road and tracks stage of the endurance test and Splendid Style was withdrawn during the final vet's check.

Andrew Bennie continued his quiet progress at major championships, taking Wottabert clear on endurance day but picking up 55 time penalties to be 15th on 164.

Caroline Powell, a Burghley newcomer, rode a careful, clear round to pick up 77 time penalties, but withdrew the horse at the final vet's check.

A 40-penalty stop cost Paul O'Brien dearly at his first Burghley, dropping him to 27th on Enzed.

Catriona McLeod found the three water complexes in a row a battle. Win For Me stopped at the water cascade and then she also fell at the sunken water. She finished her round, though had one more refusal, and is now 32nd.

Todd was at a loss to explain why four riders have died in horse trials in Britain since May.

Apart from the sunken water, there were numerous falls on the day, with three riders as well as Tait hospitalised.

Two other British riders and an Australian rider have been killed in falls this year, in events ranging from novice to senior competitions.

Long, 38, was riding at his second major championship after taking up the sport from his background as a hunt rider.

He finished 28th at this year's Badminton horse trials on the same horse, Springleaze Macaroo, even though the pair had a fall at the lake then.

At Burghley, Long had tried to take the horse through the difficult, direct route at the sunken water, which had been causing problems for horses.

Long's horse refused the second element, and he switched the horse's direction immediately to the easier, alternative route. Both of the horse's front legs struck that jump and the horse somersaulted onto Long.

Todd said the course had been difficult, but he could not explain the "carnage" that resulted.

Todd is president of the Professional Event Riders Association, which has already called for a new scoring system used in three-day events to be scrapped.

The new scoring imposes harsh time penalties on riders who fail to finish the endurance test within the allowed time.

While some riders have been accused of riding too fast, others are thought to now be under pressure to take the direct, quick, but difficult routes through jumps even though it might stretch their horse's ability.

However, the traditional easier option at each jump takes so long it means a rider will be docked time faults, and they are now so severe they can rule out any chance of winning an event.

The New Zealand Equestrian Federation has already called for the new scoring system to be abandoned until it can be cleared of any link to the deaths.

The system is not used for national events here, but will be used for the Puhinui horse trials in December, run under the jurisdiction of the international equestrian federation.