A 12-year-old Olympic horse riding hopeful died after she fell off her pony in a cross country competition, an inquest heard.

Shannon Bloomfield's father watched on as his daughter was kicked in the head by the horse as it struggled to get itself upright after a fall.

The schoolgirl, who was being touted as a potential contender at the Olympics, was thrown from the horse two jumps from the end of the course.

Emergency services were unable to save the 12-year-old rider who died an hour later after being rushed to hospital.

Her shocked father Darren Bloomfield was the first on the scene following the fall at the Milton Keynes Eventing Centre in Hanslope, Bucks.

He told the jury at an inquest into his daughter's death that he had instantly feared the worst.

"It all happened so quickly, I'm not sure what happened, it was all such a blur, but she seemed severely injured and was completely unconscious," he said.

Paramedics took Shannon to Milton Keynes Hospital where she died after suffering fractured ribs, internal and external bruising to both lungs and a fractured skull.

Competition judge Jacqui Warner recalled the tragic incident, which happened on January 27 this year.

"The pony was riding nicely, they just failed to negotiate the jump. They were going at a nice speed and I wasn't worried as they approached the jump," she said.

Fiona Gifkins, who owns the eventing centre where the accident happened, said Shannon's death was a terrible tragedy.

"Shannon was a very experienced rider and has experienced a lot of ponies and competitions, and this was a pony that knows how to jump," she said.

"Sadly this is a risk sport and we often fall off our horses, it is one of the dangers of competing."

The talented young girl lived with her mum Wendy, dad Darren and older brother Tony in Bletchley, Bucks.

Shannon qualified for the British Show Jumping Championships at the David Broome Centre in Wales when she was 10 years old, with her horse Poppy.

The determined youngster competed against 300 others in each of the six classes and walked away with a 5th and 10th placed rosettes.

The jury at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court recorded a verdict of accidental death.

The British Horse Society had approved the course before the event and carried out a full investigation the day after the incident happened.