ZARA PHILLIPS' Badminton mount High Kingdom was left needing four staples in a hind fetlock following an injury picked up at the Rolex Kentucky Horse Trials last week.

In an article for the Horse & Hound, Mark Phillips, Zara’s father, explained that the horse was taken to hospital and put under general anaesthetic while it had its joint flushed out.

Zara Phillips and High Kingdom are still set to compete in the Badminton Horse Trials next week.