A woman who lost her life in a horse riding accident in Galway earlier this week has been named locally, with tributes pouring in for Heather Hewitt from Williamstown, Co Galway, who was originally from East Sussex in England.
The tragic incident occurred at the Glenamaddy Equestrian Centre on Thursday evening, when emergency services attended reports of a serious accident that caused fatal injuries to a woman.
Despite the best efforts from medical personnel, Ms Hewitt was pronounced dead at the scene and was subsequently taken to Galway University Hospital, where a post-mortem is understood to have taken place.
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The incident was referred to the Health and Safety Authority, Galway Beo reports, and it's understood that an investigator from the HSA attended the scene on Friday.
A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana told Galway Beo: "Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene of an incident in Glenamaddy, Galway on Thursday evening, 6 April 2023 in which a woman suffered fatal injuries. The matter has also been referred to the HSA."
Heather is survived by her husband Kieran, daughter Beth, parents Clive and Tracy, sister Andrea, stepchildren Conor, Jack and Millie, and extended family and friends. She will be laid to rest in the United Kingdom, with funeral details to be made available at a later date.
Among those to pay tribute were the Association of Irish Riding Clubs who said: "On behalf of AIRC West Regional Committee, may we express our sincerest condolences to Heather’s family, friends and fellow club members.
"Our thoughts are with you all and we would like you to know that we are here to support you in any way. May the love of those around you help through the days ahead."
The Burren Riding Club commented: "Our hearts break for you all. We send you all our deepest and sincerest condolences. As a mark of respect we will not be running our show this Sunday 9th April."
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