I always thought of Jimmy Wofford as the irreplaceable man. Jimmy, who died today after a long struggle with cancer, held the status of legend befitting his expertise in a variety of roles.
He was a doer who checked all the boxes; few lives are as well-lived and appreciated as his. And right up until nearly the very end, he made the most of the time he had left, visiting family and friends in England, going fishing and enjoying his Fox Covert Farm in Virginia.
(NOTE: Jimmy’s funeral has now been set for 11 a.m. Feb. 24 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 9108 John S Mosby Highway in Upperville, Va. Donations in his memory may be made to the Piedmont Fox Hounds Conservation Fund c/o Box 592 Upperville, VA 20185 or The National Sporting Library,102 The Plains Road,Middleburg ,VA 20117.)
Jimmy Wofford was an unforgettable sportsman. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Heavily influenced by his military heritage, he grew up on a farm next to the Fort Riley, Kansas, Army base, where the U.S. cavalry trained. His father, Col. John Wofford, was an Olympian who rode on the U.S. army show jumping team in the 1932 Olympics.
Jimmy went on to get Olympic and world championships medals in eventing. He then became a coach, generously sharing his knowledge of the sport to the benefit of horse and rider, whether in person or through the books he wrote.
There likely isn’t an eventer who wasn’t influenced in some way by this master horseman.
Jimmy going cross-country on Carawich.
Swapping his riding clothes for a business suit, he moved seamlessly into equestrian governance, becoming a most effective president of the American Horse Shows Association, the predecessor of the U.S. Equestrian Federation. He also served as a vice president of the U.S. Equestrian Team.
His great sense of humor was a treat for every audience when he served as an after-dinner speaker or a master of ceremonies at the U.S. Eventing awards presentations.
As a master of ceremonies, Jimmy made any evening memorable. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
A real student of history, he used that to tailor his perspective on the world. An engaging writer, he produced several technical equestrian books.
But his finest effort was “Horse Crazy After All These Years,” his life story that was both motivational and entertaining. It’s a history as much as it is a biography, because Jimmy lived through all the changes in U.S. horse sport that brought us from the army teams to today’s very different world.
Jimmy’s heyday in the sport was at a point in time when endurance and guts, as much as talent, were the keys to victory. And he had all three.
As an outdoorsman, he enjoyed going fishing with his dog, shooting and fox hunting.
Last month, he left his home for the final time to attend a meet of the Piedmont Fox Hounds, greeting the masters and thoroughly enjoying the action, despite the burden of being on oxygen. His friend, Jim Wolf, took him there, reporting that “everyone in the hunt field came by and said hello and the hounds came up to him. It was nice.”
Jim and Jimmy were like brothers. They had traveled the world together and engaged in their share of shenanigans.
“What do you say about someone like Jimmy, who’s an icon of the sport?” asked Jim.
“He made so many contributions it would be hard to catalogue them. It just goes on and on.”
Added Jim, “He got some really good years after the diagnosis, and he went after it. He did not feel sorry for himself. He had a long time to say goodbye; he hadn’t left anything undone or unsaid.”
Jimmy will be mourned by many, including me. He was a loyal friend, a faithful correspondent and a continuing inspiration. But as his daughter, Hillary Jones, told me, we can take comfort because he is now at peace after his grueling final battle.
Jimmy enjoying one of his favorite pastimes, fishing with his Labrador Retriever by his side. (Photo courtesy Jim Wolf)
He leaves Gail, his wife of 56 years; Hillary and her sister, Jennifer Ince, and four grandsons.
Funeral arrangements are in italics above, but I also would count on some kind of tribute at the Kentucky Horse Park during the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in April.