Miss Universe finalist dies weeks after horse-riding accident

A beauty queen from Australia has now died after she was injured in a horse-riding accident early last month.

On April 2, Sienna Weir was riding at the Windsor Polo Club in Sydney, Australia, when the horse she was riding took an unexpected fall. Weir apparently fell as well and was quickly rushed to Westmead Hospital, where she spent several weeks on life support. Unfortunately, she never improved and was taken off of life support on Thursday, her family and agency confirmed. She was just 23 years old.

In an interview with Gold Coast Magazine last September, Weir called horse riding her "passion" and claimed that she became involved with the sport at a very young age. "Although I’ve lived most of my life in the city, I have a deep and unmoving love for show jumping," she said. "My family aren’t quite sure where this passion came from, but I’ve been horse riding since I was 3 years old and can’t imagine my life without it."

Weir was one of 27 finalists in the 2022 Miss Universe Australia contest. Many fellow beauty pageant contestants and members of the modeling industry have expressed their grief and condolences at her passing.

"As a fellow equestrian, this pains me even more," said Miss International 2022 Jasmin Selberg of Germany. "Rest in Peace."

Scoop Management, which represented Weir, posted a video on Instagram with the caption "Forever in our hearts" to honor her.

Weir, affectionately nicknamed "Gremlin," attended Sydney University and graduated with a double major in psychology and English literature. She took a particular interest in Gothic poetry, an interest her boyfriend, Tom Bull, seemed to channel when he claimed that he and Weir "loved with a love that was more than love," a line from Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem "Annabel Lee."

"You were one of the kindest souls in the world," photographer Chris Dwyer wrote in tribute, "you lit up the room and the world is a lot darker now that you are gone. Hope wherever you are, you’re being the gremlin we all know and love. Miss you so much already."

Weir's death marks the second notable fatality in the last week which can be traced to an unfortunate equestrian accident. Last Saturday, 15-year-old Hannah Serfass, described by the U.S. Equestrian Federation as a "very talented up-and-coming young rider" in Florida, died after her horse stumbled a few steps after landing a jump.

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