Cecile Hetzel Dunn was an ecumenical horsewoman, whose efforts benefited a variety of breeds, from Arabians to Friesians, Andalusians to saddlebreds.
She spent decades serving the entire horse industry, working as a licensed official and volunteering with a variety of governing bodies. Cecile was a mainstay of the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s board of directors. She served as a founding member of that panel after the organization succeeded the old American Horse Shows Association.
A recipient of the federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, she died Saturday at the age of 89.
Cecile Hetzel Dunn and the USEF’s David O’Connor.
Cecile rode a pony on her family’s Arabian farm before she could walk and became a skilled competitor who went on to devote her life to equestrian sport and education.
After graduating from Stephens College in Missouri, she worked at Northwestern State University to develop its equestrian studies program. She returned to Stephens as a professor and director of their Equestrian Department.
Moving on to Salem International University, she developed its Equine Careers and Industry Management degree program, as well as a horsemanship teaching certification program. As a professor and coach, she inspired young equestrians by helping them set realistic goals and guiding them.
She went to her first AHSA convention in the late 1950s (she wasn’t quite sure of the year) at the posh Breakers hotel in Palm Beach.
“I thought I was in fairyland,” she said, recalling how her eyes lit up when seeing the jewels and sparkling floor-length gowns worn at the social events that once were a key part of the convention in a very different era.
Those were the days when it was “100 percent” about who you knew. For instance, she told me that after a saddlebred trainer for whom she worked wanted her to judge a horse show, he simply called a friend at the AHSA office and asked that Cecile be given a judge’s card–even though she had no training in that area.
The only question asked was whether she was 21. When her age was confirmed, Cecile got her card.
Things are different today, of course, and Cecile served17 years on USEF’s Licensed Officials Committee, among other committees that furthered the mission of the federation. She officiated for 49 years, working as a steward as well as a judge. Among the judges’ cards she held were those for Andalusian/Lusitano, Connemara, Friesian, National Show Horse, Welsh and Western.
Cecile also was a founding member of the Arabian Horse Association and served as the Region 6 Director and on various AHA committees.
She was married to the late Norman Dunn, who also was active with USEF. They are survived by two daughters, Martha Rattner and Merri Murdock-Krehl.
In lieu of flowers, Cecile’s family has requested that donations be made to the Arabian Horsemen’s Distress Fund in her memory. For information, go to: https://www.horsemensdistressfund.com/