GRANVILLE — Central Ohio lost a leader in equestrian hunt and jump training Friday with the death of Pamela L. Graham.
Jennifer Robertson, an owner and head of operations at Timber Run Farm, an equestrian boarding facility near Alexandria, called Graham the best known trainer in this area for hunting and jumping, two disciplines in equestrian competition.
Graham, 61, died Friday morning after the car she was driving north on Northridge Road went off the right side of the road and hit a ditch, flipping several times. She was struck by a vehicle heading south on Northridge Road that drove off the right side of the road, overcorrected into the northbound lane and crashed head-on into Graham’s vehicle, according to the Ohio State Patrol.
Robertson said that Graham was on her way to Timber Run Farm for a horse show. Those present knew something was wrong when Graham did not arrive on time, Robertson said, noting Graham was one turn away from the farm.
Graham had an apartment in Granville, Robertson said, and had trained with horses and youths at Timber Run for the past seven years. Previously, she did the same at several other horse farms in the area, she said.
According to a Timber Run website biography on Graham, she had over 40 years of varied equestrian experience, had been riding since she was 10 years old, showing hunters on all levels, including Grand Prix Show Jumping.
Laura Bracken of Granville, who was an equestrian student of the late Sally Sexton during the 1970s at the Bryn Du Mansion, recalls competing against Graham’s students.
“I was always impressed with how beautifully she rode, and she was highly respected in the community,” Bracken said, noting that her students took home “lots of ribbons.”
“I saw her every two weeks for three years,” Bracken said.
Robertson said Graham trained under Olympian George H. Morris, a world class trainer.
Robertson’s 11-year-old daughter was a student of Graham’s, winning some national championships in the process, she said.
“She was the epitome of the old-school training — the discipline and the grace,” Robertson said. “There’s nothing you can ever do to replace Pam.”
Robertson said a Pam Graham Memorial has been set up on FaceBook.
“There’s people streaming in from all over the world,” she said.