06 February 2023 , 15:57
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A jockey who was injured in a pile-up which killed her friend Megan Taylor has been receiving counselling to help her get over the trauma of the tragic accident.
Tina Comignaghi, one of New Zealand’s top riders, broke her ankle in the crash in which four horses went down, including apprentice Taylor, 26, in the middle of a race at Ashburton in December.
Taylor was struck by another runner as she lay on the ground and was pronounced dead shortly after. An unnamed apprentice jockey has been charged with careless riding by stewards in New Zealand.
Comignaghi said she remembers everything about the incident, describing it as “pretty horrific” in her first interview since Taylor’s death.
“The race started as usual… and then it all happened very quickly,” she told the .
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“All of a sudden I was on the ground… seeing horses’ hooves and just thinking ‘it’s okay, I’m okay, I’m still conscious’.
“At first I didn’t know how big the damage was, I thought it was just me falling - but then I looked around and there were a lot of people… when I got out it was pretty horrific.”
Comignaghi was nearly killed in 2021 when her car hit a truck and she managed to crawl out before the vehicle burst into flames.
“I was winded. I was trying to get my breath back and I had a sore ankle but I was able to walk so… I got up straight away. I was very, very lucky.”
“The paramedics were with Megan… I went to see her, and then I just left the scene because it wasn’t a pretty view.
The horse racing industry is in mourning following the passing of Megan Taylor (megantaylor.equestrian/Instagram)“I thought from the beginning when I looked at her, I thought she wasn’t alive.
“I just hung on to a hope that they could do something for her…. But I was pretty sure she wasn’t alive.”
She continued: “It was pretty horrific; what happened just devastated everyone. The good thing is, I don’t think she suffered… that is what kind of just gave me a bit of relief… it was so fast.”
Comighaghi said she has watched the race back and has found it difficult to get over as “every time I close my eyes I still see it, it’s all pretty fresh in my head.”
She added: “(The mental) impact is pretty big… I’m not very good at expressing my emotions normally so this is hard - and I’ve never lived through trauma like this before.
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“So I got help straight away just to deal with it… it was really helpful. I think it was really good to talk to someone about it, because... that day was pretty traumatic."
Taylor was in her third season of riding and had won 16 of her 236 starts in the saddle. Born in Canterbury on New Zealand’s south island, she spent two years working in Britain with New Zealand Olympians Tim and Jonelle Price.
“We were a pretty tight group down here,” said Comignaghi.
“Megan was a lovely girl - she brought so much joy, she was always happy, always laughing… I can still hear her laugh, it was so loud.
“Megan was great, she was a lot more mature than her age… she was enjoying life… We were talking about it and she was really, really enjoying what she was doing; she loved horses.
“It was just really sad, she had so much more to give to the industry and to everyone.”