‘One of the good guys’: tributes paid to young rider who died after road collision
The family of a young rider who suffered fatal injuries in a road accident have paid tribute to a “popular individual who was loved by peers and colleagues alike”.
Max Riley Berry, 22, died after the car he was driving and an HGV collided on the A417 near Gloucester on 23 October.
In a statement, his family said: “Max grew up in Lancashire with his family where he developed his love of horses and first came to the Gloucester area when he was accepted as an equine student to Hartpury College in 2015.
“He then went on to complete a degree in equine business management before becoming a member of the equine staff at the university.
“Max also worked at Renkum Stud in Malvern whilst at University where he made many close friends and from where both his horses came.”
Having taken this summer off to concentrate on jumping his horses, Tini and Ammo, Max had recently started his “dream job” at Brendon Stud in West Sussex.
“Max was a popular individual who had many friends and was loved by both his peers and colleagues alike,” the tribute read. “He will be sadly missed by all of his family who would like to thank all the emergency service personnel who attended the scene.”
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Shirley Light of Brendon Stud told H&H: “Max was one of the good guys with an infectious smile.”
She added that the stud has a theme for foal names every year, and Max had already suggested naming next year’s youngsters after body parts.
“So we’ll do that in his memory,” she said.
Max’s funeral will be held at Skipton Crematorium, Walton Wrays Cemetery, Carlton Road, Skipton on November at 2.10pm, and friends and colleagues are welcome, his family said.
Anyone with information on the incident, or dashcam footage they feel may be relevant, is asked to contact police online or by calling 101, quoting reference 81 of 23 October.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.