Those in the global equestrian community we lost in 2022.
In their own fashion, each made an impact. The best way to honor them at this special time of year is to recall what they contributed, and raise a glass to their memory.
Whether they were royalty or trainers, riders, a merchant or a politician, they all were special and had something in common—the love of horses. I can’t mention everyone who left us during the year, but here are some people you will remember fondly.
While most of the world looked at Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as a monarch (and of course she was), we prefer to think of her as a horsewoman She owned racehorses and was quite a rider herself. Who can forget her appearance on Burmese during the Trooping the Colors ceremony in 1981, when a teenager fired six blanks at horse and rider. While Burmese was startled, she kept her cool, as did the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth II on Burmese.
In later years, the Queen continued riding the Fell pony Carltonlima Emma, serving as inspiration for anyone who wonders if they could ride into their 90s. She left us at age 96 in September.
Michael Clayton, the former editor of iconic British magazine Horse & Hound, died at age 88 this month. A veteran war correspondent who had worked for the BBC, he was an avid foxhunter who became an innovator at H&H while holding it to the highest of standards.
Jack Pemberton served as a pillar of the driving community. The Canadian embodied the very definition of a gentleman, and he always got things done. Competitor, judge, chairman of the FEI driving committee, he made a mark for the good on the horse world. Gone at age 99 in August.
German course designer Arno Gego was known for his work at Aachen, his country’s premier show, and he was a respected mentor who departed at age 84 in April.
Anneli Drummond-Hay rode Merely-A-Monarch to victory at Badminton and Burghley, but she also excelled in show jumping and was shortlisted for those disciplines and dressage for the 1964 Olympics. Gone at age 84 in July.
In the U.S., those we will miss include trainer and author Judy Richter, extremely admired and widely mourned when she passed at 83 last month. She was influential in the careers of so many top riders, including Andre Dignelli and Norman Dello Joio.
Others of note who departed this year included para-dressage advocate Hope Hand, who posthumously will be the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner next month. The former executive director of the U.S. Para-Equestrian Association and a two-time paralympian herself died in June at age 73.
Trainer Richard Picken was far too young when he passed away in August at age 53. He helped such top competitors as Boyd Martin and Phillip Dutton.
Kay Meredith, a founding member of the U.S. Dressage Federation, died in November at 86. She was president of he USDF and a mentor to many.
Helen Kleberg Groves, who died at 94 in May, was raised on the famous King Ranch. A member of the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, she made a name for herself as a longtime thoroughbred, quarter horse and cattle breeder. She was the mother of D.D. Matz, wife of Olympic show jumping medalist turned racehorse trainer Michael Matz.
Maurice Ewing was a ringmaster for 50 years at North Carolina’s Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show, where he was also a member of the board. He died in September at 76.
In January, we lost Audrey Bostwick, 91, a judge, steward, and technical delegate specializing in pleasure driving.
Nancy Whitehead, who died in April at age 72, was presented with the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Jane Marshall Dillon Award for devoting her life to teaching and mentoring riders.
Another beloved trainer, Jeff Wirthman, was also a respected judge. The winner of the Kavar Kerr Distinguished Service Award died at 69 in August.
In New Jersey, it seemed as if we lost more than our share of special people this year.
Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, a champion for the horse industry in the state Legislature, left us in July at age 73.
Barbara Isaac, one of the country’s pioneers in therapeutic riding, died in November at 91. She was the founder, with her husband, Hanen, in 1979 of the Handicapped High Riders Club which became Riding High Farm in Allentown, N.J
Jim McCue of Sergeantsville Grain and Feed was much respected, and his departure at age 73 was keenly felt in November.
Driver Bill Orth, a singles winner in combined driving at Royal Windsor, had moved away but was fondly remembered by his friends in New Jersey, where he spent most of his life. He passed on in August at 90
The hunter/jumper trainers who died include Sandy Lobel and Joy Kloss. Sandy, the daughter of legendary trainer Clarence Nagro, died in April at 78. She was remembered as a complete horsewoman who inspired her students. Joy, who died in November at 71, was a judge and trainer who was involved in horse sales.
The hunting scene in the Garden State lost Joan Scher. Known for her work with equestrian charities and riding side-saddle with the Essex Foxhounds, she died at 86 in March. Louis “Tom” Gimbel, a member of both Essex and the Monmouth County Hunt, was gone at 93 in September.
Sale Johnson, 73, also died in September. She owned several of the USA’s top international show jumpers in the late 20th Century, Heisman and the General, and ran a breeding business in Bedminster.