It was standing room only in both the congregation hall and basement of Clifton Lutheran Church as hundreds gathered Monday to honor the life of avid equestrian Chloe Smith.

“There are no words that can summarize what we have to say,” said Pastor James Bixby. “I did not expect to be here today. It feels terribly wrong. It feels not right at all…It feels wrong to gather here today, celebrating the life of somebody who was so alive and so vibrant and so full of plans.”

Smith, 25, died on Friday, June 5, surrounded by her loved ones. Smith was riding with friends when her show horse, Booze CruZe, threw her from the saddle before falling onto her. Smith was airlifted to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where she died hours later.

“Chloe is at rest now,” Bixby said. “It will be a challenge for us to find rest. I am counting on all of you to take care of one another. This was a good beginning. This was only the beginning. Continue to reach out to those who we know are struggling in this time. Continue to make Chloe’s memory a blessing. Talk about her often. Remember her fondly. Do what you can to keep her alive in the world.” 

Raised in Swampscott, Smith developed a love of horses at an early age. During Smith’s wake Sunday, mourners lined up outside more than 30 minutes before the service began. Smith was dressed in her riding gear.

“A throughway of Chloe’s story is independence,” said Smith’s brother Tristan Smith in the eulogy Monday. “Chloe was determined to take her own path, and there was no one who could tell her otherwise. Growing up, Chloe chose to pursue sports such as dancing and figure skating. Sports that none of the rest of the siblings had done. I suppose they were much more individual in their nature, and I think both of those showcase how she approached every challenge that came her way.”

Smith was introduced to horseback riding by her older cousin, Erica. She would later go to Caspery Stables in Loxahatchee, Florida as well as Pine Tree Equestrian Center in Beverly, Massachusetts. Her first horses were named Beemer, Duke and Sonny.

“She could not fathom how others in her circle were not as interested in horses as she was,” Tristan said. “She was defiant, free standing and fully a horse girl.”

Tristan told of how a teacher at Swampscott High School had told Chloe equestrian “wasn’t a real path.”

“Chloe explained to the crowd that day that she was going to be an equestrian and that’s what she was going to do,” Tristan said. “Looking back, I realized so much of that story defines who she is.”  

Smith had purchased a horse farm in Berlin, Massachusetts in April. She had moved there a week prior to the accident. 

She planned to board horses, train riders and build a business aimed at making equestrian sports more accessible and equitable.

“I would have loved to have seen what work she would have done with her barn, to break down barriers and let people who traditionally aren’t able to participate in equestrianing, to do so,” Tristan said. “Chloe was always committed to social equity in many ways she lived her life.”

Tristan said Smith always put others — especially her family — first. She continued traditions, made sure she made time for her siblings and was always there when they needed her.

“Our sister Hayley calls her the ‘yes girl,’” said Tristan. “Even when she was the only member of the family an hour away from the North Shore, she always said yes and showed up. Just last month, she drove two hours of rush hour traffic to enjoy a 90 minute dinner for our brother-in-law PJ’s birthday. This was not a special birthday. It was his 38th, and this was not a formal affair…But that’s Chloe.

During the funeral service, Smith’s eldest brother Andrew shared two poems she wrote. The first was from when she was in fifth grade, at about 10 years old. The poem, titled “Horses,” was published in the Lynn Item at the time. 

“Horses are awesome. Horses are cool, so I decided to put them on a binder for school,” the poem began.

The second poem was written around Smith’s 25th birthday last December. She posted it to Instagram, giving the “main takeaways” she had “after finishing my first quarter century on Earth today.” The poem gave pieces of advice like “the grass is greener where you water it” and to “not be too hard on yourself. Nothing worth doing is easy.”

Andrew said the poem now reads as both a reflection on her life and a message his family has reflected on in the past week.

“Grief is inevitable. Let yourself feel it but try to avoid drawing in it,” the poem ended. “Honor them by not giving up on you. You are here to experience life, not master it. Pay attention. Learn as you go. Let yourself live a little, love a lot and have a great ride.”