Former FEI Dressage Judge General Stephen Clarke died this weekend at the age of 71 after battling cancer.
As fellow 5-Star judge Cesar Torrente commented, “It’s a very sad day for the dressage world. One of a kind. A true gentleman and an exceptional horseman. He will be missed, but hopefully his generosity and knowledge will be passed on to new generations. That’s what he would have liked.”
The International Dressage Officials Club paid tribute to its former president The club statement says it all about this stellar judge and remarkable man:
“Stephen was, quite simply, one of the greatest gifts the sport of dressage has ever received. His passing leaves a stillness in our world that will take a long time to fill — and yet, if we listen carefully, we can still hear his voice: warm, measured, often wonderfully witty, and always pointing us toward what is right and good in this sport we all love.
Stephen’s journey with horses began as a boy growing up in a small Welsh village, where a neighbouring farmer’s ponies captured his imagination and never truly let go. He started judging in his early 20s, having become, as he put it, “fed up with everyone moaning about the judging” — a characteristically Stephen solution to a problem: rather than complain, step forward and be part of the answer.
He trained two winters with Ernst Bachinger at the Spanish Riding School, and with guidance from Jennie Loriston-Clarke and Ferdi Eilberg, his horse Becket went on to earn him selection as reserve combination for the British Dressage Team at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. As a rider, he won five National Championship titles and represented Great Britain in international competition throughout the 1980s. Even then, it was always, as he admitted himself, about the dressage.
The astute and respected Stephen Clarke.
Stephen Clarke was one of the most highly respected dressage judges in the world. As a 5* FEI judge, he officiated at countless international championships — including as President of the Ground Jury at the London 2012 Olympic Games and on the judging panel at the Rio Games in 2016, as well as numerous World Cup Finals, European Championships and World Equestrian Games. Athens 2004 was his first Olympic assignment, London 2012 his finest hour — presiding over a ground jury at the Games in his homeland, an honor he described as one of the proudest moments of his life.
To be on the judging panel when Totilas and Valegro broke the world records was, in his own words, “beyond exciting.” The privilege of awarding 10s for movements where you just cannot imagine how it could be better — that was the joy Stephen brought to his work every single time he sat behind the judging board.
He never shied from the difficult calls either. At the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, he made one of the toughest calls in a world championship — the disqualification of Adelinde Cornelissen when her horse bled from the mouth. It was correct, it was courageous, and it was entirely Stephen. He understood that integrity in judging is not a convenience — it is the foundation upon which the sport rests.
In 2013, Stephen was unanimously elected FEI Dressage Judge General, succeeding Ghislain Fouarge. The FEI’s own words at the time describe him perfectly: “a first-class judge and a natural communicator.”
He also sat on the FEI Dressage Committee for several years and was instrumental in putting together the FEI Judge’s Book — now considered the bible of modern judging. His efforts earned tremendous respect for dressage judges worldwide and contributed greatly to the reputation and profile of the sport. His goal, as he always said, was to ensure young judges have the opportunity to develop their education and skills. And he meant it — not as a statement of policy, but as a personal mission. He took time with every young official who crossed his path. He remembered names. He remembered horses. He remembered what it felt like to be new to this world, and he made sure no one felt alone in it.
As President of IDOC, Stephen brought the same qualities to our organization that he brought to everything: clarity of thought, generosity of spirit, and an unwavering commitment to doing things properly. He worked alongside colleagues including Maribel Alonso, Katrina Wüst and Hans-Christian Matthiesen in the Education Working Group, and his influence on the way we train and support officials across the globe cannot be overstated. IDOC is a better, stronger, more purposeful organization because Stephen Clarke led it.
Those of us lucky enough to know Stephen beyond the formal settings of competition and seminar know a different, equally wonderful dimension of the man. He ran a working pupils scheme at his Cotton Equestrian Centre near Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, and many of those young trainers have gone on to build outstanding careers of their own — a fact Stephen spoke about with immense, quiet pride.
He was quick to laugh, quicker still to listen. In any discussion — whether about a single movement in a test, the future direction of FEI judging policy, or the state of the sport over a glass of wine after a long competition day — Stephen brought the same qualities: a clear mind, an open heart and exactly the right words at exactly the right moment. Many of us will carry specific things he said to us, privately, at just the right time, for the rest of our lives.
In his final years, illness slowed him physically — but never in spirit. He remained in close contact with many in his circle, generous with his time, his warmth, and his thoughts, right to the end. That, too, was entirely Stephen.
We will miss him at the arena. We will miss him in the seminar rooms. We will miss him at the table after a long day, when the best conversations always seemed to happen. We will miss his laughter, his precision, and his extraordinary ability to make everyone around him feel both valued and challenged to be better.
The sport of dressage is immeasurably richer for everything Stephen Clarke gave it over so many decades. We are immeasurably richer for having known him.
Our thoughts go to Julian Sebire, Stephen’s partner for more than 40 years.
Stephen — thank you. It was a privilege and an honour.
On behalf of the International Dressage Officials Club