Hampton Classic's Anne Aspinall, 65, dies

Anne Aspinall, a well-known riding instructor on the East End and a co-founder of the Hampton Classic horse show, died Thursday at her home in Sagaponack after a long battle with lung cancer. She was 65.

A memorial service is being planned for the spring at the Topping Riding Club in Sagaponack, where Aspinall worked for decades as one of the region's most respected hunter-jumper trainers. In 2007, Aspinall received the Classic's first Long Island Sportsmanship Award, recognizing her 35 years of service to the hunter-jumper industry.

"Her work was the main thing in her life," said her sister, Emily Aspinall, a vice president on the Classic's board of directors. "She was diagnosed 5 1/2 years ago. She was a very stubborn, very strong lady."

Many years ago, Aspinall tried acting with the Spindrift Players, a community group in Bridgehampton. But as she got older, her work and the Hampton Classic took center stage in her life. Nevertheless, she also kept a strong interest in animal welfare and preserving the environment, according to her sister, and became a strong supporter of the Peconic Land Trust.

In 1976, Aspinall helped form what would become the Hampton Classic's board of directors, bringing back a small local horse show that had been dormant for a decade. That show has evolved into one of the nation's premier riding events, drawing 1,500 riders and 50,000 spectators for a weeklong event in Bridgehampton that closes the Hampton summer season.

"Anyone who has ever enjoyed even a single day of the Classic over these last 36 years owes Anne a tremendous debt of gratitude," Dennis Suskind, president of the Classic's board of directors, said in a statement.

Aspinall spent a lot of time each year at the Classic, mostly by the competition rings, working with her students in the hot sun and breathing the dust, rather than under the VIP tents. "Her concentration was always on her students and what they were doing," said her sister, adding that Aspinall worked so hard because she was not a naturally gifted rider. "She never relaxed until the end of the week. She was with the big boys in the big ring."

SEE PHOTOSNotable deaths: Long Islanders we recently lost

Aspinall, who had been in hospice care, is survived by her sister, who lives in Sagaponack.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Peconic Land Trust, P.O. Box 1776, Southampton, N.Y., 11969 or to Fighting Chance, Free Cancer Counseling Center, P.O. Box 1358, Sag Harbor, N.Y., 11963.