Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher, the lifelong horse lover, the ultimate vet, a beautiful person full of life, love and laughter has died unexpectedly, aged 65.
Rebecca (Becca) was born and grew up in Richmond on Thames, but her happiest childhood memories were the weekends and summers spent with her family at their cottage in Rempstone on the Isle of Purbeck. This was where Rebecca acquired her first pony, Twinkle. The spark was lit, the flame fanned and a world with horses beckoned.
Rebecca’s ambition was always to be an equine vet, and she graduated from the University of Bristol with honours in 1983.
She worked in various practices; she was resident vet at Whitcombe racing stables when Cool Ground won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1992, then spent a short time at Avon Lodge in Salisbury. Becca set up a two-woman equine practice, then moved to Endell Equine hospital in Salisbury, where she stayed for 25 years.
In 1990 while she was at Whitcombe, Becca suffered a neck injury in a fall from her horse Touché and in her period of limited action, met Jan Puzio, a partner at Endell Equine, who helped her with some cases.
Becca and Jan married in 1994, set up home in the New Forest and their daughter Bethany was born in 1999. Rebecca was incredibly fond of her life in the New Forest, devoting time outside work caring for her New Forest ponies bred on the forest from Wellhouse Betsy, under the prefix Halestorm, whom she and Jan bought as a yearling in 1997.
Betsy won best mare on the forest in the 2011 gradings, and still roams the New Forest at the age of 29, although she still knows which gate to stick her head over in the quest for some extra treats.
Becca was naturally incredibly supportive of Bethany’s inevitable love of horses, seeing her thrive through showing, dressage, eventing, and Pony Club with the Wilton Hunt branch. Wilton camp riders will remember the jars of worms Becca would bring when she would educate on the importance of equine veterinary care, inspiring further generations of equine vets.
In 2012, the Connemara Smokin’ Gun (Gunner) joined the family, and he and Bethany formed a formidable partnership, representing Bethany’s school and Pony Club branch at a national level on numerous occasions. When Bethany decided to focus on university, Rebecca took over the reins of Gunner, competing in dressage, showing and working equitation.
Her incredible knowledge of equine care and wellbeing shone through as she took veteran classes by storm. Highlights included winning veteran ridden champion at the Royal Bath and West, and winning the senior-plus ridden pony title at Royal Windsor two years running (Gunner aged 25 and 26) with Jan by her side as groom.
With so much commitment to her work and personal fulfilment competing Gunner, Becca still found time to share her passion for equine welfare. She wrote frequent letters and articles for H&H expressing her thoughts on the veterinary industry and the importance of monitoring horse welfare inside and out of competition circuits (vet clinic, 12 June).
She was also an integral member of the riding establishments sub-committee, working tirelessly to improve the standard of riding establishment inspections with the goal of elevating equine welfare, as well as rider safety.
There have been staggering numbers of tributes from clients, colleagues and friends; Becca was a supportive colleague, gave her valuable advice to anyone and cared for every horse and owner. She was a true horsewoman, always sensitive and supportive when colleagues lost a loved one, saying, “Grief is the price we pay for love.”
She was the ultimate vet. Her mantra was: “A horse or pony is not naughty, there is always an underlying problem.”
Becca will be missed very dearly but lives are richer for those of us who were lucky to know her. Rest in peace.
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