Canadian show jumper Bryan Anderson died Sept. 11 due to injuries sustained in a riding accident that occurred while he was hacking. He was 44.

“He was cantering down a hill, and the horse tripped and fell on him,” friend Kelly Hirsch told the Sun News Network.

Anderson made his international riding debut at the 1985 American Continental Young Rider Championships (Illinois) for Team Alberta, which took home the silver medal. He went on to be short-listed for the Canadian Equestrian Team in 1987, and three years later he represented Canada at the FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals in Dortmund, Germany. Among many other notable accomplishments in the grand prix show jumping arena, he also won the 1988 CIBC World Cup at Spruce Meadows (Alberta).

Complementing Anderson’s career as an international competitor was his zeal to teach others how to ride. He established the Bryan Anderson Show Jumping training facility just south of Calgary, Alberta, where he passed on his hunter, jumper and equitation skills to fellow equestrians.

Anderson is survived by his wife, Cari; his parents, JC and Barbara; as well as siblings John, Sandra and Susan, all of whom also have a passion for equestrian sports. His family was inducted into the Jump Canada Hall of Fame in the category of builder for a long-standing commitment to the Canadian equestrian community.