Fresh blow for Australia

Injuries to Olympic horses are impacting on the team

Last Updated: July 26, 2012 11:20am

Greenwich Park: The Australian eventing team have been dealt another blow

Australia's preparations for the London 2012 eventing competition look to have been dealt another blow.

Just five days after Shane Rose was ruled out when his horse Taurus suffered an injury, it is now thought Rose's replacement Megan Jones is struggling to start.

It is understood that Jones's horse Allofasudden is also carrying an injury.

It is believed that Dorset-based Sam Griffiths has answered an SOS from Australian equestrian chiefs and is on his way to Greenwich.

Happy Times

A posting on Griffiths's Facebook page on Thursday read: "We had a call this morning telling Sam to get up to Greenwich asap - he's needed!"

Griffiths would ride Happy Times, a horse he had considerable four-star success with.

They finished third at Badminton and Burghley in 2009 - both events were won by British rider Oliver Townend - and fourth at Badminton a year later.

The Olympic eventing competition starts on Saturday morning with two days of dressage at Greenwich Park, followed by Monday's cross-country phase and the showjumping finale next Tuesday.

The other members of the Australian team are husband and wife Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks, Andrew Hoy, Christopher Burton and, currently, Jones.