Tuesday, 16 February 2021
Five-star eventer Matthew Wright has died at the age of 38, his family announced yesterday (15 February).
Matthew rode extensively at five-star level, completing Burghley Horse Trials on five occasions and Badminton Horse Trials ten times. He also had an interest in sport horse breeding, standing four stallions at stud from his base in Nottinghamshire.
Riding the homebred Park Pilot, Matthew represented Great Britain at the Young Rider European Championship at Wiendorf in 2002, where they won team silver. The combination went on to compete at the Senior European Championship at Blenheim in 2005, finishing in 13th place.
In recent years, Matthew had been open about his struggles with mental health, and helped to form Riders Minds in 2019 with his wife, Victoria, to offer an online support service to others who are suffering.
All at British Equestrian offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends on his untimely passing.
Matthew’s family have asked for privacy during this difficult time.
Urgent mental health support: If you need access to urgent mental health help, find your local NHS 24/7 crisis line here. Only call 111 if you can’t get help online
Samaritans: Free 24-hour listening support. Call free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org
Shout: Text “SHOUT” to 85258 or visit giveusashout.org
Mind: Call 0300 123 3393, or click here to find available support sources
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): A service for people in the UK who are down or have hit a wall for any reason. Call 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight), or access a free, anonymous webchat with trained staff here
Papyrus’s HopelineUK: Crisis support for young people. People under 35 can call from 9am to 10pm on weekdays and 2pm to 10pm on weekends. Call HopelineUK on 0800 068 41 41 or text 07786 209697
Riders Minds: Call 0300 102 1540 or visit ridersminds.org