The respected judge and trainer Susan Walsh died on 15 November, aged 69.
Born on 26 June 1953 in Lancashire, Ms Walsh was the second daughter of Margaret Agnes and David Walsh.
Ms Walsh was always a kind and generous person who loved all animals, especially horses, from an early age. She did well at school, and on leaving, having achieved her A levels, she chose to join her elder sister Christine in the running of their family riding school. Here she spent many hours teaching children to ride and care for their ponies.
Her talents were not confined to the riding school, and in her spare time as a rider she competed at county shows with her favourite horses in showjumping, ridden and in-hand hunter classes, winning many rosettes and trophies along the way. Fellow competitors were the likes of Geoff Billington, Michael Whitaker and many others who were on the circuit at the time.
Northumberland had always been a favourite holiday destination for the family, and when an opportunity arose, the family moved from Lancashire to Thrieprig in 1990. After the move, Ms Walsh’s focus turned to eventing and dressage. She became a registered judge, regularly judging at British Eventing and British Dressage events such as Burgham International, Alnwick Ford, Belsay and the Ian Stark Equestrian Centre, to name but a few. Accompanied by Christine as her note-taker, Ms Walsh became a familiar and hugely respected figure everywhere she went and she always found time to train many of her friends.
Ms Walsh struggled with ill health for most of her life, but being the person she was, she did everything to avoid fuss and never let it get in the way of what she wanted to achieve, something she managed quite remarkably.
She was a wonderful sister and friend. Her patience, generosity and thoughtfulness, not to mention her knowledge and skills, will be missed by so many.
Ms Walsh is survived by her sister Christine.
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