Zara Tindall almost crushed by horse as it lands on top of royal at racing event

Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne, is currently in Australia for the Magic Millions Horse Racing event with husband Mike - but she almost ended up seriously hurt after an unexpected incident with a horse during a photoshoot

Zara Tindall narrowly avoided serious injury after a shocking incident with a horse during a glamorous photoshoot.

King Charles' niece is currently in Australia with husband Mike Tindall where, every year, they travel to the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions horse racing event. The pair are ambassadors for the event and are often seen enjoying glitzy parties, while champion equestrian Zara is no stranger to hopping on a horse and taking part in polo matches.

As part of her ambassador role, Zara, the daughter of Princess Anne, took part in a glossy photoshoot on the beach where she posed with the winning horses of the annual beach gallop, which is part of the Magic Millions event.

However, the mum-of-three was almost crushed by one of the animals who suddenly reared up while posing for the winners' photo.

Luckily, experienced horsewoman Zara was able to react quickly to stop the horse from falling completely on top of her. Instead, the animal came down hard on her shoulder, slamming her to the side. But like a seasoned pro, she calmed the horse and carried on.

The incident comes just six months after her mother Anne, who is also a veteran horsewoman suffered a serious injury, thought to have been caused by a horse.

Back in June, the Princess Royal spent five nights in hospital after she was believed to have been struck by a horse's head or legs while out walking near her Gatcombe Park home. The princess was forced to pull out of nine engagements while in hospital including a trip to Canada to commemorate war heroes.

After the incident which left her with a concussion and minor injuries to the head, the princess recovered at her home in Gloucestershire before returning to work.

Zara is a world champion equestrian and also won a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics as part of the three-day eventing team. And during her trip to the Gold Coast, she was probed about whether she would like to appear at another games, especially as nearby Brisbane will be hosting in 2032. And Zara admitted: "I’d love to run another Olympics. But I’m very lucky even if I don’t – I got to ride at my home Olympics."

In an interview, Zara also talked about her love of horse racing, which has been passed down by her mother Princess Anne, from Zara's grandmother the late Queen, who would watch racing with her and Mike on TV.

Zara added: "Racing was a big part of her life and she absolutely loved the breeding side of it as well,” she said of the late Queen. She had a big book of names that she had registered and when a foal was born, she’d go through all the names and pick one out, which gave her hours of delight.

"With my mum and my grandmother, the equestrian side is a huge sort of connection between us. It was a special passion that they passed down."