‘A driving force who made things happen’: farewell to Albion Saddlemakers managing director
Obituary by the Belton family
Sherry Lee Belton, the managing director of Albion Saddlemakers died peacefully on 20 July, aged 74, having suffered from Alzheimer’s for the past few years.
It is a cruel irony that one of the brightest minds and hardest workers in the equestrian trade over the last 40 years should have been afflicted in this way.
Sherry was the managing director of Albion Saddlemakers and along with chairman and husband Paul, they took the company from its early days as Mansion House to the leading global saddle brand it remains today.
The achievement of being the first manufacturer to design saddles with horse welfare, rider and horse interaction at the forefront of their mission is not to be underestimated and is down to Paul and Sherry’s shared passion and understanding for horses, as lifelong riders.
Sherry worked closely and directly with medal-winning Olympic riders in dressage and eventing from 1988, including Margit Otto-Crépin, Klaus Balkenhol, Carl Hester, William Fox- Pitt and Laura Tomlinson, until the London Olympics in 2012.
Despite her many achievements, Sherry never sought praise or accolade and remained modest and committed to Albion, and an outstanding ambassador for the trade. In her life before Albion, she was a talented dancer and was offered a place at the Royal Festival Ballet, now the English National Ballet.
She had a lifelong passion for all animals but especially dogs; she was a regular at the local rehoming centres, ready to offer a loving home particularly to elderly “underdogs” who were so easily overlooked.
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Sherry was nobody’s fool, and was known for her strong and resilient character, a driving force at home and at work. She, in her own words, would “make it happen!”, fiercely loyal and committed to all she held dear.
Sherry was a devoted and loving wife to Paul and mother to Anna and Alex, a constant to Sarah and Richard and “Grandma” to George, Ava, Henry, Evie and Flossie.
A celebration of her life will be held at a future date and will be posted on Albion Saddlemakers’ Facebook page. Any donations in her memory to Hilbrae Rescue Kennels.
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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.