Horse girl horror
‘Exceptionally talented’ 15-year-old poised to represent her country dies in riding accident
AN ARMY captain’s daughter with a bright future in eventing has died after falling from her horse at the family farm.
Iona Sclater, 15, was an ‘ exceptionally talented’ rider and had been longlisted to represent Britain at a competition this week.
But on Sunday, the teenager is understood to have fallen while practising at her home in the Cambridgeshire village of Abington Pigotts.
Paramedics who arrived by air and road were unable to save her after her family dialled 999 at about 11.30am, and she died at the scene.
She leaves behind her father Charles, a former British Army captain, mother Hetty, thought to be a former eventing rider, and her two younger sisters Lara and Alicia.
Eventing sees riders compete in dressage, cross-country and show-jumping.
Writing online five days ago, Iona posted a photo of herself with horse ‘ Swatchy’ at Frickley Park horse trials in South Yorkshire. She captioned it: ‘Find me someone who looks at me the way Swatchy does.’
Tributes yesterday poured in for Iona, as devastated friends described her as ‘the most delightful, talented and personable young lady’ with a ‘very bright future’.
A friend wrote on Facebook: ‘Sincere condolences to Iona’s family and friends. Such a tragic loss of a beautiful girl with her life in front of her.’
With the 2019 European eventing championships set to take place in Strzegom, Poland, from Thursday, the friend added: ‘ RIP Iona, your friends will carry you with them in Poland this week.’
Another wrote: ‘I had the pleasure of knowing Iona through her family and the Pony Club. She was so much fun, always smiling.’
One said: ‘Oh my dear god!! I can’t believe what I’m reading! Iona Sclater you were the most delightful, talented and personable young lady I know
‘Absolutely devastated’
with a very bright future ahead of you. I’m absolutely devastated.’ Several of the girl’s close ancestors and relatives appear in the online database of British aristocracy, thepeerage.com.
Her grandfather, Lieutenant-Commander Edward Guy Lutley Sclater, became a farmer after serving in the Royal Navy and owns the land where Iona died.
Her parents, both 48, have been directors of their own firm, The Infrastructure Network, since 2010, according to Companies House.
In a statement, the national body for eventing said: ‘British Eventing was devastated to receive the news that one of our young members and bright stars in the sport, Iona Sclater, sadly died in a riding accident at home. Iona was an exceptionally talented and dedicated young event rider.’
The organisation said she had amassed 33 top- ten results and represented the Eastern region four times at the under-18 British championships. She came second in the pony trial at Weston Park and fourth at Lincolnshire trials in April, both on her pony Foxtown Cufflynx.
Most recently, Iona won the BE100u18 – a British eventing competition for under18s – at Stratford Hills, Colchester, in June, riding Foxtown Cufflynx. She also claimed the win at a competition at Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, in May riding Machno Excalibur.
A spokesman for East of England Ambulance Service said: ‘An ambulance, two hazardous area response team vehicles, a rapid response vehicle and East Anglian air ambulance were called to Abington Pigotts shortly after 11.30am on Sunday, following reports of a child injured in a fall from a horse. Sadly, despite the best efforts of all involved, the girl died at the scene.’