The owners of horses killed in a suspected arson attack two years ago hope a memorial ride will make a statement that they ‘haven’t forgotten’ what happened.
Grace Tredgold and Ciera Battson are running the Elmwood Memorial Ride for a second year on 24 November to remember the 12 horses, including Grace’s mare Willow and Ciera’s loan pony Rex, killed at Elmwood Equestrian Centre, Burnham-on-Crouch, on 3 December 2017.
Essex Police investigated the fire but no one was ever caught.
“You learn to deal with it but not having the closure of who did it and why is difficult. Myself and Ciera and some of the other owners will have a moment every now and again where we sit and think about it all,” Grace told H&H.
“It’s a very strange feeling, they were taken so suddenly and it’s now been almost two years.”
Grace said she hopes by raising awareness of the incident through the ride, someone might come forward.
“We want to make a statement to whoever did it that we haven’t forgotten. We want to get people talking about it again especially for people who might not be aware. We hope someone eventually speaks out, someone has to know something,” she said.
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Grace said the event will run on the same lines as last year, starting at Elmwood Equestrian Centre
“The ride is around nine miles and we’ll ride up Burnham-on-Crouch High Street,” she said. “The mayor is very supportive of the event and has agreed to come and say a few words again and we have asked the farmers who helped last year if we can use their land and they’ve agreed – without them it wouldn’t be happening. ”
Grace, who will ride her pony Ella on the day, said 66 riders have signed up.
“Last year we had 52. We’ve had a lot of people want to come this year and most of the liveries from Elmwood Equestrian Centre will take part,” she said.
“It’s a good community event and gets people together and talking about the fire again. Last year it was really special as a double rainbow appeared as we set off.”
Anyone interested in taking part in the ride can sign up at the Elmwood 12 Memorial Ride Facebook page.
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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.
