Ride on Margaret Thompson

Margaret sadly died last month at the age of 91. She had been President of SRC for many many years and took great pride in attending our Annual show and AGM and handing out the various prizes and awards . Everyone remembers how kind and generous she was with her time and her enthusiasm, And the support she gave many people in their various equestrian pursuits.
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She attended SRC’s 75th anniversary barbecue in 2023 and in fact there is a photo attached here with Lucy Cunliffe, of that evening. ​

She has been the longest SRC member, we have ever had, she joined when she was 18 and I remember her telling me, that she was very cross that when the club was formed in 1948, she was too young to join! No juniors in those days! But she joined as soon as she could at 18 and has been a member ever since.
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She always has, and until very recently, attended the Clubs AGMs and for many years used to bring Meg Palmer who was indeed a founder member. By then, Meg was sadly disabled, but Margaret always made the effort to meet her regularly and bring her to the AGM, whenever she could.
However, what many people would not know of, is Margaret’s own wide and varied equestrian successes. She was too modest to mention them.
Like most people at that time, she hunted regularly and rode boldly across the country.

In 1963, she was placed fifth in the ‘Teams of Three’ at the Royal Windsor horse show and the Queen presented her with her rosette. A very proud moment. She Competed alongside Deirdre Robinson and her friend Meg Palmer, in these competitions, which at that time, were very prestigious.

She Competed at Hickstead in the Teams of Three, and again more rosettes for the Teams of Three in, 1963, 64,& 65 at the Royal International Horse Show held at White City.

We believe she competed in the Golden Horseshoe ride on Exmoor in its very early days, and has this memorial plaque. She certainly Evented and jumped regularly as a young woman, winning many jumping classes at the local shows.

She went on many Riding and trekking Holidays abroad, enjoying particularly a Dressage holiday in Spain.

She was an active member of SRC, helping organise Dressage and Horse Trials competitions, which were held at Great Hollenden Farm, in Hildenborough.

In more recent years, she regularly came to group lessons at Redlands with Penny Pegrum and then had lessons with Andrew Day for many years. She owned the horse Toby that Jo Mair competed for her and won the unaffiliated dressage at Hickstead with him. He also won the Evening Dressage series at Redlands. Such proud moments for Margaret.

She has continued to own horses right up to the current day. Her passion for horses was consuming and she loved nothing more than being around them, caring for them and riding them.  She always wanted to know more about them and about their training. In more recent years, she enjoyed other people riding them and giving them a variety of types of work, although she continued to ride herself, albeit gently, up until last year, when she was 90! She had continued to have training sessions with Penny Pegrum, weekly, hitching up her trailer on her own and driving to the Weald, every week!
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This final photo is the view that she would’ve had for many years, hacking out on her beloved Toby, on the track behind her home- such wonderful happy memories….,

Ride on Margaret….