Sister of Cian O’Connor injured during launch of Dublin Horse Show
Model Pippa O’Connor, who is sister to Irish show jumping reserve for the Beijing Olympics Cian O’Connor, was rushed to hospital yesterday after a photo shoot for the Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show went wrong.
Ms O’Connor, 23, was at the Royal Dublin Showground (RDS) as part of publicity for the event, which runs from 6-10 August.
The model, who was wearing a summer dress, had sat sideways on the saddle of army horse Ballymoney when it reared causing her to fall and the horse to land on her.
She was taken to hospital with suspected concussion but was released later in the day.
A spokesman for the RDS said: “It was during the launch of the show. One of the photographers requested her to get up on the horse, she obliged and unfortunately the horse threw her off.
“She went to hospital but as far as we are aware she’s fine.”
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.