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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 street incident on 9 March as she was biking to see her horse, Foxcourt Avenue Gossip (Tess), with whom she had certified for the Petplan Winter Space Competition Championships subsequent week.
Alice’s buddy Briony Cutler informed H&H Alice had twice earlier than earned a ticket to the championships however had by no means had the possibility to experience there.
“The primary time, her horse sadly died weeks earlier than and the second time she broke her hip weeks earlier than and was informed she would by no means stroll once more,” Briony stated. “She recovered and certified for this 12 months’s closing after which sadly misplaced her life in such a tragic manner.”
Briony stated she met Alice seven years in the past, when Alice got here to her for coaching at first of her dressage journey.
“Once I began working full-time, I reduce down on the educating – however saved Alice as a buddy,” she stated. “She was Superwoman; so devoted and dedicated. Some folks referred to as her cussed, in a great way. She labored for the NHS, pharmacy tech in a hospital, and she or he did triathlons; her alarm went off earlier than 4am day-after-day so she might go to the fitness center, take care of her horses, then she’d be again after work to do it once more.”
Briony stated 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 stated. “She’d had Jack from a younger age, backed him herself and finished every little thing with him, he was the love of her life. They began doing dressage, and Alice didn’t realise how good she was. Once I stopped educating, I launched her to Brendan Tegg, they began doing BD, getting huge scores right away, and certified, then she misplaced him a month earlier than.”
When Alice was prepared, Briony stated, she began in search of one other horse.
“At Foxcourt Stud, the place Brendan relies, she met Tess, who was unbacked and big,” Briony stated. “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 stated. “She was nonetheless using, working and going to the fitness center however then it acquired to the purpose it was hurting. She went to hospital they usually informed her she confronted the potential of 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 incorrect.”
In a tribute on-line, Briony wrote: “This 12 months, Alice was thrilled to have certified to lastly get the possibility to experience 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 wish to take consolation in remembering Alice for the hardworking, selfless and type younger lady that she was. We’re certain you’ll all be part of collectively in persevering with her legacy of affection for horses and fervour for dressage.”
Briony added that the native equestrian group will all the time keep in mind Alice, who was all the time a pleasant face at competitions, supporting and reassuring different riders and providing her very restricted spare time to volunteer at reveals.
“She was all the time the one asking how your check went, and your day, all the time saying how good everybody else was, and never realising how good she was herself,” Briony stated. “She was selfless, and thought everybody else was wonderful.
“She was so wanting ahead to competing at Addington; she needed to do Jack proud and she or he lastly had the possibility to go.”
Tess is staying with Orwel and Sarah Davies, at Foxcourt Stud, and being ridden by Brendan.
“Alice would by no means have needed her to be bought,” Briony stated. “She can be at peace to know her horse is staying the place she was bred, along with her coach using her. She couldn’t ask for higher.”
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