By Nikki Smart
Sally-Ann Smart, the rider and much-loved trainer died from cancer on 5 June, aged 58.
Although she was well known as an accomplished rider, producer of horses and trainer of riders many people will recognise Sally as the face of Horse & Hound. For many years Sally was the manager of the H&H stand at major shows and events around the country. Her infectious smile welcomed many new readers to the delights of the magazine.
Born and brought up in Leicestershire, Sally was a keen member of the Quorn branch of the Pony Club and represented the branch on many teams. She was also an enthusiastic follower of the Quorn hunt. She and her sister Nikki were renowned for their bravery and elegance across the biggest of the Quorn country.
This ultimate grounding in the art of cross-country riding formed the basis of a successful eventing career, which included producing many horses including Smalltime and Snooty Fox.
Sadly a catastrophic cross-country fall ended Sally’s eventing journey but never one to admit defeat she quickly turned her considerable skills to dressage. With her elegance in the saddle and attention to detail, this was a match made in heaven; Sally produced and competed horses with great success.
Sadly Sally was a carrier of the BRCA2 gene for breast and ovarian cancer. Despite preventative surgery she developed breast cancer at a young age. She dealt with this setback in her normal positive fashion and was determined not to let her illness stop her achieving her ambitions.
One of the ambitions Sally did achieve was to compete for Great Britain in dressage. She and Bluewaters Bonhomie (Calvin) were chosen to represent GB at the Sunshine Tour in Spain. To say this was a challenging trip would be something of an understatement but Sally did not let a broken-down lorry and her own hospitalisation stop her dressage dream.
With the help of Carl Hester, who took Sally under his wing despite not knowing her before, she achieved personal-best scores.
Sadly Sally’s BRCA2 journey continued to ovarian cancer but this did not stop her travelling all over the country teaching and supporting her pupils. She was particularly proud of her work with the Army dressage team who were unbeaten in interservices competitions under her training. She was a rare teacher, a perfectionist who made all the hard work seem fun.
Sally was buried at Long Clawson in her beloved Quorn country on 16 July with a guard of honour provided by her Army colleagues.
She is survived by her parents Judy and Peter and her sister Nikki.
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