On February 22, 2019, Honora Hayes, a longtime Sudbury resident passed away at age 95. Honora grew up in Weston, the daughter of Muriel Sturgis Haynes. She is predeceased by her sister, Letitia and her brother, Paul. Honora graduated from the Abbott Academy at Andover and Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass, Amherst. She bought a horse farm in Sudbury in 1954 and moved there with her sister.
As a young woman, Honora spent many summers on Martha’s Vineyard and enjoyed sailing and racing.
Honora was a well-known horsewoman in the New England area. She managed the riding school at the Millwood Hunt in Framingham until the mid-1960s. She then moved the riding school to her own, beloved Broadacres Farm in Sudbury. Honora was a successful competitor at New England shows and Hunter Trials in the 1950s. Her students and horses continued to compete successfully throughout the Northeast for the next 50 years. Honora, her students and horses featured prominently in Vladimir Littauer’s books on horsemanship and schooling. Honora continued teaching into her 80s. She taught 3 generations of students. During the 1970 and 80s Honora conducted clinics at numerous colleges and universities around the country.
Honora was keenly interested in Fox Hunting. She was an active member of the Groton Hunt, the Millwood Hunt and the Nashoba Valley Hunt, all in Massachusetts. Honora served as Jt. Master of Foxhounds with the Nashoba Valley Hunt for 20 years.
She will be dearly missed by her closest friends and the many students, whose lives she impacted. A Gathering of Remembrance is scheduled for May 10, 2019, 2PM to 4PM at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn, Sudbury, MA.
In lieu of flowers, a donation in Honora’s memory to the Green Mountain Horse Association, PO Box 8, South Woodstock, VT 05071 would be appreciated.
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