It was first thought that Mary Beth McLean, 36, had been kicked by the horse, but paramedics on the scene said that there was no evidence of that, according to a Sheriff’s Office report.
Her father, Clarence McLean, said the family hopes to hear some definitive cause of death before the 90 days it takes the state medical examiner’s office in Chapel Hill to prepare an autopsy report.
The indications so far are that she suffered from some sort of aneurysm, McLean said.
“She was such an accomplished rider,” he said, “we don’t think she fell off the horse.”
Mary Beth McLean was seen riding in an indoor arena at Masterpiece Farm about 10 a.m. About 10:20 a.m., an employee of the farm walked into the arena and found her lying face down.
He called 911 and began performing CPR. When sheriff’s deputies arrived, Emergency Medical Services was already on the scene. She was quickly transported to the hospital and sheriff’s deputies didn’t realize that she had died until this week.
McLean began riding when she was 3. She won numerous horse riding competitions. She enjoyed dressage competing, her father said, and was recognized as an elite rider by her peers. She was well known among the riding community.
“She was living her dream,” Clarence McLean said. “It was all she ever wanted to do. She was a wonderful person. She loved animals. She rescued a lot of animals.”
She’d made the farm into a profitable business, he said, and was a riding instructor.
“Things were really beginning to shape up for her,” he said. “And then this happened. You just never know.”
Elizabeth O’Donnell, a close friend and student, said McLean was always humble and blushed at compliments. She never boasted about her skills, but O’Donnell said the people she taught joked that they could take classes every day but not approach the effortless talent of McLean.
“When she was on a horse, it was the most relaxed you’d ever see her,” O’Donnell said. “She was gifted in that way.
“I’ll miss her laugh. It was incredibly infectious. We would be driving along and I would have to pull over because my eyes were watering.”
Matthew Moriarty can be reached at 693-2479 or by e-mail at moriarty@thepilot.com.
