Michelle Payne's Melbourne Cup win on Prince of Penzance struck a blow against sporting misogyny.

Obstacles have loomed as regularly as fences and jumps for former world and Olympic eventing champion Blyth Tait in his comeback, but his Rio Games dream remains alive.

Veteran rider Andrew Nicholson's neck injury shocked the equestrian community but New Zealand's two Olympic eventing gold medallists say the sport has never been safer.

Andrew Nicholson has undergone successful surgery to repair the injury to his neck suffered during a fall from his horse.

Nicholson fell after the last fence on the cross-country course at Gatcombe Park, where he was in the lead.

Top New Zealand event rider Andrew Nicholson is in hospital in Oxford after suffering a neck injury at a British event.

Andrew Nicholson's chances of being selected for a record eighth Olympics have improved.

Another top class performance from a NZ eventer yesterday rammed home the country's standing in the equine world, yet qualification for the Olympics has still to be confirmed.

Ingmar Vos, the first non-royal to head the FEI in 60 years, wants his sport to become more pro-active in introducing change.

Andrew Nicholson has won three Olympic and three World Equestrian Games medals since starting out as a groom at Badminton, writes Andrew Alderson.

Andrew Nicholson's Olympic career is expected to be decided at an Equestrian Sports New Zealand board meeting this month.

Andrew Nicholson has suffered a brutal denouement to his Badminton campaign after dropping three rails on Nereo in the showjumping phase to finish sixth.

Regardless of this morning's Badminton horse trials result, Andrew Nicholson's Olympic availability remains under threat.

It's one of the only titles that has eluded Andrew Nicholson and the highly-decorated eventer knows what's at stake in the showjumping phase of the Badminton horse trials.