Farewell to Badminton eventer remembered for her ‘extraordinary, indomitable spirit’, aged 91
Obituary by Annabelle Scofield
Virginia May, the former eventer, who completed Badminton Horse Trials twice during the 1950s, died on 6 July, aged 91.
Virginia grew up in Puttenham, Surrey. She came from a sporting family; her mother Marjorie played golf for England and her father Harold played cricket for Sussex and captained the England team in Australia.
She started riding as a child through a family friend and never lost her love of horses. Her first pony was named Janie and she enjoyed hunting with her sister Joanna and her pony Punch.
Virginia moved to Shamley Green, Surrey, and went on to compete at the highest level in eventing, riding alongside the likes of Sheila Willcox and back when the long-format included the phase E gallop section after cross-country.
She rode at Badminton twice with her much-loved mare Jungle Queen, a 15.2hh thoroughbred who was small in size but had a heart of a lion. They completed in 1956 and were fifth in 1958. Two years later, they were shortlisted for the Rome Olympics.
In 1959, Virginia married Peter May, the Surrey and England cricket captain, and the couple had four daughters – Suzanne, Nicola, Annabelle and Tessa.
Virginia was very involved with the Hampshire Hunt branch of the Pony Club and trained their event team, which included a young Hugh Thomas, his sister Helen, Brynley Powell and Malcolm Wallace.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
She played a huge part in all her girls’ journeys, from learning to ride to competing at the highest levels in dressage and eventing, three of whom successfully competed at Badminton and Burghley.
Virginia will be remembered for her “extraordinary, indomitable spirit that she never gave up”.
She will be sorely missed by her daughters, five grandchildren and one great grandson, who all adored her.
- To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.