Joseph Fiennes has described a tragic horse riding accident in Costa Rica, during which he comforted a newlywed woman as she died. The 55-year-old actor, known for roles in Shakespeare in Love and The Handmaid's Tale, shared the story on the Travel Secrets podcast.
Fiennes was staying at a hacienda at the foot of a volcano when he joined a fellow traveller for an early morning ride. He recalled seeing the woman kiss her husband goodbye before her horse reared up. 'She sadly pulled on the reins and the weight of the horse came over and the whole horse landed on her and she fell back and really broke her head on the gravel and died,' he said.
The actor described the incident as 'the most unexpected, horrific accident' and said he held the woman as she slipped away. Her husband was in shock and unable to communicate. Fiennes admitted he could not sleep for about a month afterwards.
Despite the trauma, Fiennes did ride again during that holiday, galloping 'hell for leather' to process the event. He speculated that the horse might have been startled by a snake or poorly trained. 'You can never be entirely sure how horses are trained,' he noted.
