I received an email this morning that Sally Swift was in the hospital and would not be with us much longer. I called and Lucile Bump was by her side. She held the phone up to Sally so I could talk to her briefly. Although she was unable to acknowledge my words I am sure she heard me.
This afternoon I got another email saying Sally had passed with loving friends by her side.
Sally changed the lives of so many people that it is difficult to grasp just how far reaching her influence has spread. Around the globe her first book sold over 500,000 copies and was translated into at least 12 different languages.
Sally brought the rider back into the equation of equitation and partnership with the horse. For this she will never be forgotten. Her legacy lives on through each and every one of us touched by her life. Even if it is as simple as remembering to breathe.
Sally’s contribution to the horse world cannot be measured. The lives she changed, the horses that were finally understood, the very way we teach riding shifted when a little gray haired woman from Brattleboro, Vermont wanted to “teach a few of my friends and travel a bit”.
Thank you Sally.
Wendy Murdoch
