“An outstanding ambassador for the trade.”
Sherry Lee Belton, who with her husband Paul Belton was the inspiration behind Albion Saddlemakers, passed away peacefully on Monday, 20 July.
She was 74 and had suffered from Alzheimer’s for the past few years.
It is a cruel irony that one of the brightest minds and hardest workers in the equestrian trade over the last 40 years should have been afflicted in this way.
Sherry was the managing director of Albion Saddlemakers. Along with Paul as chairman, they took the company from its early days as Mansion House to the leading global saddle brand that it remains today.
They were the first saddle manufacturers to design saddles with horse welfare, rider and horse interaction at the forefront of their mission. It’s an achievement not to be underestimated and was down to Paul and Sherry’s shared passion and understanding for horses as lifelong riders.
Sherry worked closely and directly with medal-winning Olympic riders in dressage and eventing from 1988 (Margit Otto Crepin, Klaus Balkenhol, Carl Hester, William Fox Pitt, Laura Tomlinson (nee Bechtolsheimer) through to the London Olympics in 2012.
Modest and committed
Despite her many achievements, Sherry never sought praise or accolade and remained modest and committed to Albion. She was an outstanding ambassador for the trade.
In her life before Albion, she was a talented dancer and was offered a place at the Royal Festival Ballet.
Sherry had a lifelong passion for all animals, especially dogs. She was a regular at her local rehoming centres, ready to offer a loving home particularly to elderly ‘underdogs’ that were so easily overlooked.
Sherry was nobody’s fool, and was known for her strong and resilient character, a driving force at home and at work. She, in her own words, would “make it happen!” - and was fiercely loyal and committed to all she held dear.
Sherry was a devoted and loving wife to Paul and mother to Anna and Alex, a constant to Sarah and Richard, and ‘Grandma’ to George, Ava, Henry, Evie and Flossie.
A celebration of her life will be held at a future date, details to be posted on Albion Saddlemakers’ Facebook page.
Any donations in Sherry’s memory to Hilbrae Rescue Kennels please.
- With thanks to Sarah Belton.
