A rider who was dedicated to her horses, devoted to her job and health and a stalwart of the Welsh dressage group has died earlier than she had an opportunity to understand her dream.
Alice Smith, 31, was killed in a highway incident on 9 March as she was biking to see her horse, Foxcourt Road Gossip (Tess), with whom she had certified for the Petplan Winter Space Competition Championships subsequent week.
Alice’s buddy Briony Cutler instructed H&H Alice had twice earlier than earned a ticket to the championships however had by no means had the prospect to journey there.
“The primary time, her horse sadly died weeks earlier than and the second time she broke her hip weeks earlier than and was instructed she would by no means stroll once more,” Briony mentioned. “She recovered and certified for this 12 months’s ultimate after which sadly misplaced her life in such a tragic manner.”
Briony mentioned she met Alice seven years in the past, when Alice got here to her for coaching at the beginning of her dressage journey.
“After I began working full-time, I lower down on the educating – however saved Alice as a buddy,” she mentioned. “She was Superwoman; so devoted and dedicated. Some individuals known as her cussed, in a great way. She labored for the NHS, pharmacy tech in a hospital, and he or she did triathlons; her alarm went off earlier than 4am daily so she may go to the health club, take care of her horses, then she’d be again after work to do it once more.”
Briony mentioned Alice began in British Dressage (BD) in 2019, and certified her beloved Torygraig Black Jack for the 2020 Pet Plans.
“However she misplaced him to a tragic sickness; she was devastated,” Briony mentioned. “She’d had Jack from a younger age, backed him herself and finished every part with him, he was the love of her life. They began doing dressage, and Alice didn’t realise how good she was. After I stopped educating, I launched her to Brendan Tegg, they began doing BD, getting large scores right away, and certified, then she misplaced him a month earlier than.”
When Alice was prepared, Briony mentioned, she began searching for one other horse.
“At Foxcourt Stud, the place Brendan relies, she met Tess, who was unbacked and large,” Briony mentioned. “Alice was solely about 5 ft tall and we thought she’d be tiny on her however they bonded, Alice fell in love and took her over.”
Alice and Tess then certified for the summer time Pet Plan championships in 2023 however Alice needed to withdraw weeks beforehand as she had fractured her hip in a fall.
“She didn’t realise,” Briony mentioned. “She was nonetheless driving, working and going to the health club however then it received to the purpose it was hurting. She went to hospital and so they instructed her she confronted the potential for by no means strolling once more. However she went by means of all of the rehab and was competing once more two months later. How she managed to place that a lot dedication in – she proved everybody flawed.”
In a tribute on-line, Briony wrote: “This 12 months, Alice was thrilled to have certified to lastly get the prospect to journey on the 2024 Petplan Space Competition Winter Finals at Addington on her beloved horse Tess, solely to as soon as once more, and now for the final time, miss out on her dream.
“We want to take consolation in remembering Alice for the hardworking, selfless and sort younger lady that she was. We’re positive you’ll all be a part of collectively in persevering with her legacy of affection for horses and fervour for dressage.”
Briony added that the native equestrian group will at all times keep in mind Alice, who was at all times a pleasant face at competitions, supporting and reassuring different riders and providing her very restricted spare time to volunteer at reveals.
“She was at all times the one asking how your take a look at went, and your day, at all times saying how good everybody else was, and never realising how good she was herself,” Briony mentioned. “She was selfless, and thought everybody else was superb.
“She was so trying ahead to competing at Addington; she wished to do Jack proud and he or she lastly had the prospect to go.”
Tess is staying with Orwel and Sarah Davies, at Foxcourt Stud, and being ridden by Brendan.
“Alice would by no means have wished her to be bought,” Briony mentioned. “She can be at peace to know her horse is staying the place she was bred, together with her coach driving her. She couldn’t ask for higher.”
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