A groom who died at The Hand Equestrian Centre in Somerset nine days ago has been named as Carole Tassell.
The 48-year-old had been working for showjumper Claudia Verburgt at the centre’s Premier Show on 17-18 March.
The accident was not horse-related and is not being treated as suspicious. Ms Tassell appears to have fallen into a ditch and drowned. She was found on Sunday 18 March.
“It was a very sad accident and every parent’s worst nightmare,” Ms Tassell’s mother Val Payne told H&H.
“It was nobody’s fault but I’d like to warn anyone to take care – whether you’re working with horses or just wandering around the site.”
Mrs Payne added that she’d seen Ms Tassell the day before.
“She was so happy and doing a job she absolutely loved,” she added.