CAPT ALWYN VARLEY

THE former eventer, coach, trainer and mentor has died aged 80 after suffering from cancer.

Born in York and from a farming background, Capt Varley originally showed Shire horses and Friesian cattle.

He was a great sportsman, playing rugby, boxing and swimming at county level for Yorkshire, before he was called up for National Service in 1956. He was deferred for agricultural reasons until 1957, when he joined the Household Cavalry, passing out as the top recruit in general military training and equitation.

He rose through the ranks, becoming the senior instructor, and competed in showjumping, dressage, team chasing, eventing and showing with many different types of horses. He loved eventing, and won at Tidworth, was consistently placed at Windsor three-day event and finished third at Bramham and sixth at Wylye. He also completed Burghley twice, and represented Great Britain at Boekelo and Fontainebleau.

After he was commissioned, Capt Varley became equitation officer and chief instructor at the Army School of Equitation. He jumped at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in the Foxhunter final, and competed at HOYS and Royal International (RIHS) many times, often on horses owned by The Queen. He taught several members of the Royal Family to ride and trained eventers who represented Britain at junior European level. He also trained the Irish eventing team.

Capt Varley left the Army in 1985 and taught at Newark Technical College, then moved to Brackenhurst, when he also became a showing judge for Sport Horse Breeding (GB) and the British Show Horse Association. He officiated at Burghley young event horse classes, and judged at county shows, RIHS, HOYS and national shows in the Netherlands, South Africa and Ireland, including five times at Royal Dublin.

He also trained riders for all disciplines, and produced pointto-pointers, who were placed in the Foxhunters at Aintree and the Maryland Hunt Cup in America, as well as winning ponies at HOYS.

A regular official at Burghley for more than 50 years, Capt Varley’s duties included stewarding, fence-judging and assisting the FEI ground jury. He also ran the start and finish boxes.

He enjoyed hunting, with some 20 packs, including serving as field master and whipping-in for the Staff College and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Drag Hunt, Windsor Forest Bloodhounds and the Cambridge Drag Hunt. He hunted regularly with the Belvoir and Quorn, and loved watching hounds work.

He leaves a widow, Anne, and two sons, Stephen and Gary.