Sunday, 31 July 2022
Equestrian sport lost a true legend yesterday with the passing of Anneli Drummond-Hay, aged 84. The consummate horsewoman, Anneli transposed the sporting disciplines and in 1964 was short-listed for the Olympic Games in dressage, showjumping and eventing – the only rider ever to do so. Few competitors can claim to have had the winning trophies from Badminton, Burghley and the Hickstead Derby adorn their mantlepiece throughout their career, but such was the talent of this unique all-rounder.
Born in 1937 to an aristocratic heritage, Anneli learned to ride on a polo pony called Independza, who was too elderly to be requisitioned to the Army during the war. These early foundations gave rise to her style of a very light contact and rider balance with an independent seat. Her first competitive pony was Spider, by a Thoroughbred polo pony and out of Shetland called Miss Muffet, and they did a bit of everything, including the adventure of a train journey from Perthshire to Newmarket for the Pony Club interbranch finals, where they took second.
Her partnership with the quirky Merely-A-Monarch was a fairytale – two young talents who took on the world. They were essentially self-taught, but won Burghley Horse Trials in 1961 when he was just six years old, then Badminton the following year. Having reached eventing’s pinnacle, and with Olympic participation limited to male riders only, Anneli decided to swap disciplines and a stellar jumping career began. Woman were allowed to compete in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the duo were short listed for all three teams – Anneli’s sights were fixed on showjumping, but the duo missed out on selection due to an injury. By the Mexico Games four years later, a demanding selection schedule took its toll and they lost out on a place to Marion Mould and Stroller.
“My three shots at the Olympics all went by the wayside but I never look back; it’s water under the bridge,” she told Horse & Hound in an interview in 2020.
Anneli’s Hickstead Derby win came with the 15.1hh Xanthos II in 1969 – in her career, she won seven Derby titles across Europe.
She was a pioneer as the first ever commercially sponsored rider – a £20,000 deal with Ford, which was a significant amount in the 1970s. She duly bought a horse christened ‘Sporting Ford’, with whom she went on to break the British high jump record – unofficially 2.37m.
In 1971, Anneli emigrated to South Africa and, after the breakup of her marriage, she ‘collected’ horses to train and sell on just to make ends meet. She discovered Olympian, who gave her one last shot at the world stage. However, the prolonged quarantine requirements took their toll on the horse and, while they did compete at the World Championship in The Hague, they didn’t feature among the placings. Anneli stayed in Europe for a decade and remarried, but returned to South Africa. She continued to ride successfully, including eight South African Sportswoman of the Year accolades, and competed into her early eighties.
She died after a short illness, with her husband Trever Bern by her side. Anneli was a rider who inspired so many and broke barriers in a time when equestrian sport wasn’t as equal as we now enjoy. She was a pioneer with her riding style and training methods, which carry through today and will be much missed by many across equestrianism.
British Equestrian would like to offer our condolences to Anneli’s family and friends at this sad time.
Photo © Horse & Hound