Zara Tindall narrowly avoids mishap 'by the skin of her teeth'

Zara Tindall had a close call when her horse was almost late to the first inspection at her latest competition.

The equestrian, 43, is competing in the Burghley Horse Trials in Lincolnshire from 5 to 8 September on her beloved gelding, Class Affair.

But there was a minor hiccup as Zara made it to the arena "by the skin of her teeth" for the first inspection on Wednesday, where each horse is 'trotted up' in front of a panel to ensure they are fit to compete.

An onlooker tells HELLO! : "They were calling for Zara and she was double-checking the time as she had got to the arena with lots of time to spare as she had ridden up on her bike.

"She then sprinted off down the hill to her horse, quickly took the rug off him and then ran up to the arena where she made it to the inspection by the skin of her teeth.

"You would have never known though once she was in the arena for the inspection."

© James Whatling

Clad in a navy suede top by Fairfax and Favor , with white jeans and trainers, Zara beamed as she trotted her horse down the track.

The Princess Royal's daughter has had a busy season of competitions, having participated in the Wellington International Horse Trials in Hampshire over the August Bank Holiday weekend and the Hartpury International Horse Trials in early August.

© James Whatling

The mum-of-three was supported by her husband and former rugby star, Mike Tindall , and their children – Mia, ten, Lena, six, and three-year-old Lucas at Hartpury.

The family also turned out to cheer on Zara at the Badminton Horse Trials in May, with Mia, Lena and Lucas appearing alongside their mother as she spoke about her performance. Take a look in the video below…

Zara pursued an equestrian career from a young age, following in her parents' footsteps. Her biggest achievements to date include finishing as runner-up at Burghley Horse Trials in 2003, winning the Eventing World Championship in Aachen in 2006 and taking home a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics.

Burghley is one of just seven five-star events in the world, which is the highest level of eventing competition, where top riders compete in dressage, cross-country and show jumping.

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