The heiress to Aristotle Onassis’ fortune, his granddaughter Athina Onassis suffered a devastating fall during the qualifying competition for the 54th CHI international horse show jumping tournament in Geneva, Switzerland.
Athina Onassis was in the middle of her routine when her horse fell. The 29-year-old heiress managed to free herself without any harm but unfortunately her horse, Ad Camille Z-Zang was gravely injured.
A crane was used in order to remove the horse from the track and an ambulance transferred the wounded animal to a veterinary clinic in Geneva. After much examination the veterinarians came to the conclusion that animal’s injuries were too severe and could not be treated.
In order to help the animal and end its suffering Athina Onassis made the decision to put her mare to sleep.
Onassis has been competing for Greece for many years. She stays shy of the public eye and lives with her husband, rider Alvaro de Miranda Neto in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Both of them competed in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Finals in Barcelona, where Athina Onassis placed 57th and her husband 24th. Onassis also competed with her mare Z-Zang on December 4 and December 7.
Athina is the only living descendant of Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Upon his death she inherited 55% of his fortune which is thought to be worth millions. However, she has stayed away from the media her entire life, keeping a low profile, and devoting herself to her equestrian career.
In 2012 she suffered a spinal injury due to falling off a horse. Her injuries forced her to stay away from the sport for over a year. Now, her tumble with Z-Zang is expected to be a major setback in her career.
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