The long-standing British Eventing (BE) organiser Anne James (née Webb) died on 20 October aged 72, following ill health.
Mrs James was born in Worcester, and grew up on the Malvern Hills, in Colwall. She and her sister Nicky were members of the Malvern Croome branch of the Pony Club, where their mother Jenny Webb was district commissioner.
She followed her mother’s footsteps into The Pony Club and worked for the organisation at Stoneleigh in the 1970s. One highlight was when she looked after a team of riders, alongside Sue Pennell (née Lupton), who were competing at Luhmühlen, Germany.
Mrs James enjoyed competing in eventing, and one victory was in 1972 at Crookham Horse Trials, which later became Tweseldown. In 1977 she welcomed her daughter Ali, who went on to compete in eventing until she was a teenager on some of Mrs James’ horses.
In the 1990s Mrs James became district commissioner of the Clifton upon Teme branch of the Pony Club, and alongside chief instructor Karen Nicholas, took teams from their branch to The Pony Club championships for the first time.
She later became a well-known horse trials organiser, when in 1998 Sheila Berry asked her to help run Berrington horse trials. Mrs James went on to organise Homme House horse trials with Stella Robinson, which ran for 12 years.
Mrs James was given the Pony Club Cubitt award, which honours those that have passed the landmark of at least 20 years of voluntary help to the organisation. She was also a long-term volunteer with the British Horse Society, and will be remembered for her huge contribution to equestrianism in the UK.
A British Eventing spokesman said Mrs James was a “valued and well-respected organiser for almost three decades and will be very much missed by the organisation, and the wider eventing family.”
Mrs James is survived by her parents John and Jenny Webb, sister Nicky, and daughter Ali.
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