Rider is crushed by horse.

THE distraught mother of a showjumper crushed to death by her horse said last night: "We're devastated."

Alexandra Watt's daughter Jemima Johnson, 38, died a week after becoming engaged to sweetheart Tom Le Page-Norris.

Jemima - who had spoken of her fears about the jump - was the eighth rider to be killed in international eventing in the last year, six of them in Britain.

The tragedy came days after a report recommended new safeguards at horse events following fears that the sport was more dangerous than motor racing.

And last night grieving mother Mrs Watt, a 62-year-old former Olympic skier, declared: "It's such a terrible waste.

"Jemima was the happiest I'd ever seen her. She'd never been interested in settling down before, but she and Tom knew that this time it was right.

"Jemima was one of the nicest riders around. She was a good rider and a good friend to other riders.

"People are heart- broken," the grieving mother added.

Jemima, who had only known fiance Tom for 10 weeks, planned to marry in November.

The talented rider first competed for Britain as a teenager in 1987.

Heartbroken Tom, who was being comforted by Mrs Watt and her husband, was unavailable for comment.

The British Horse Trials Association has launched an inquiry.

Johnson was the sixth rider to die in showjumping accidents in Britain in less than a year.

Last May, mother-of-two and Olympic hopeful Peta Beckett was thrown and crushed by her mount at Savernake Horse Trials in Marlborough, Wilts.

The following month, Robert Slade, 30, died when his horse fell on him at Wilton Horse Trials near Salisbury, Wilts.

In August, Olympic rider Polly Phillips, 30, died in a fall at Thirlestane Castle, in the Borders.

September claimed two lives.

Simon Long, 38, was crushed when his horse clipped a water jump at Burghley, Cambs.

And Scots rider Peter McLean, 20, was killed during cross country trials at Somerleyton Hall, Suffolk.