Distinguished horsewoman Peggy Pacey dies at the age of 95

Peggy Pacey, who showed ponies, played polo, judged horses and bred steeplechasers with considerable success, died peacefully at home in Oxfordshire on 19 August. She was 95.

By the age of 10 she had won more than 200 prizes in the showring, including with Snap Dragon (pictured). She later played polo and was part of the winning British ladies’ team, with the three Balding sisters.

After the war, she showed hacks and hunters and judged horses at all the major shows of the day.

Miss Pacey later turned to breeding and was the leading National Hunt breeder in 1983. She never retired and sent her broodmare to Kayf Tara a few months before her death.

Her friend and farm manager Jason Maloney paid tribute to her “quick wit, kind companionship and incredible breadth and depth of knowledge”.

She never married.

Originally published in H&H 5 September 2013.

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