Matthew Wright and Caunton First Class competing at Burnham Market (2) 2020
A statement from the family confirmed the the sad news of the death of 38-year-old British eventing rider Matthew Wright on 15th February
“Matthew has always been open with everyone about his own battles with mental health and has worked hard to support others through their own.
Please could we ask that you respect the family’s privacy and give us the opportunity to grieve at this difficult time.”
The well-known 5* rider grew up riding ‘all sorts’ of horses at his parents’ horse dealing yard in Nottinghamshire.
He won the Pony Club Championships when 12 years old and represented Britain at the Young Rider European Championships in 2002 finishing sixth and winning team silver on the homebred and home-produced skewbald Park Pilot. The same year he made his first appearance at Burghley at the age of 18 and completed his first Badminton in 2003
In more recent times Matthew recovered from cancer and was instrumental in forming Riders Minds in 2019, where he openly shared his mental ill health struggles, regularly blogging about his experiences to raise mental health awareness and understanding
Matthew is survived by his wife, Victoria, and their children.
