A CHAMPION horserider was tragically found hanged after celebrating her first wedding anniversary at a plush spa resort, an inquest heard.
Abigail Garside, 30, was discovered nine hours clinking Champagne glasses in a hot tub.
Abigail Garside, 30, had ‘stormed out’ of her hotel room after a row with husband SamuelCredit: Facebook/@Abigail Garside
The couple had booked a spa getaway to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary when disaster struckCredit: Ben Lack
Mrs Garside’s body was tragically found in the centre of the town shortly after 6.20am on August 18Credit: Ben Lack
Northallerton Coroner’s Court heard she “stormed out” of her hotel room after a row with Samuel.
The couple, from Blackburn, Lancs, had splurged out on a spa day at Harrogate’s exclusive 300-acre Rudding Park resort on August 17 last year.
They booked the luxury trip to mark their one-year wedding anniversary.
That day, Mrs Garside posted loved-up photos of the pair and wrote: “Lovely day in Harrogate celebrating our first wedding anniversary with my love.”
Mr Garside also penned on social media: “1 year since you became my wife!! I love you more and more every day, happy anniversary.”
But the inquest heard the couple later drank alcohol and took cocaine while bar hopping in the nearby town.
The pair rowed at a venue called Mojo’s bar and they went back to the hotel.
The inquest heard Mrs Garside had accused her husband of failing to stick up for her at the bar.
She left their room, and Mr Garside fell asleep.
He raised the alarm when he couldn’t find her upon waking up the next morning.
Her body was tragically discovered by a member of the public in the centre of the town shortly after 6.20am on August 18.
Sarah Middleton, the assistant coroner for North Yorkshire, said: “That weekend should have been special because it was her wedding anniversary.
“You were in Harrogate celebrating, you had a lovely day. You went to the spa, celebrated with Champagne, had some food, had some drinks.
“Alcoholic was consumed and you may have taken some cocaine. Abigail took cocaine as well.
“There was an argument in a bar. Abigail and you left.
“You returned to the hotel between midnight and 1am. There was an argument there and Abigail left the hotel between 2 and 2.30am.
“Sadly, she left her phone there. Mr Garside fell asleep and when he woke up, Abigail was not there. He went to look for her.
“Sadly, a member of the public had located Abigail.”
Toxicology tests revealed Mrs Garside had a “high level” of alcohol in her blood, along with cocaine.
The coroner continued: “Abigail was a girl who loved life.
“She loved her husband, she was planning a life in Australia and loved her animals.
“She had no chronic health conditions, no regular medications and no mental health issues at all.
“She had everything to live for.”
The coroner concluded: “I know from experience the combination of alcohol and cocaine can make people act in a way they wouldn’t normally, and what happened to Abigail just seems completely out of character.
“If she hadn’t taken the alcohol and cocaine there’s no way she would have [taken her life]. She had far too much to live for.”
Mrs Garside was a champion dressage rider who won at the prestigious Horse of the Year Show in 2019 and was well respected in the equestrian community.
Mrs Garside’s father Andrew Leaver paid a heartbreaking tribute to his daughter at the inquest.
He said: “She had a great future. She was happily married and everything was on the up.
“When we found out it was a complete shock.”
Following her death, Mr Garside also paid tribute to his wife on social media and wrote: “My absolute world, my best friend and my beautiful darling wife.
“I will love you forever and you will never leave my heart xxx.”
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org , 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org , 116 123
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