And now another sad shock; we have lost John Franzreb, dean of ringmasters

The horse show world has lost another icon during a very sad week.

John Franzreb III, the ringmaster of ringmasters, died yesterday at age 79. He was diagnosed with cancer only recently, after coming back from last month’s Pin Oak show in Texas, where he worked as hard as he always did. His death came four days after we lost his friend Mason Phelps, former chairman of the National Horse Show. It’s all very hard to handle.

John served everywhere from the Florida circuit to Devon, the Washington International and National Horse Shows, as well as points west,  but will be remembered as much for his warm and welcoming personality as for his dignified and effective arena demeanor. Despite having done his job for decades, he never lost his enthusiasm for playing such a key role on the sporting scene.

John made every class and every presentation seem special, whether it was at a smaller show or an international competition. Always perfectly turned out, his mere presence demonstrated a standard that paid respect to the sport. He was old school at its best.

His wife, Judith, recalled how he loved to pose for photos with children, who years later would come up and remind him, “You gave me my first ribbon.”

John was as vibrant as a man 30 years his junior. His work kept him young and gave him energy..

“He was blessed by every person he ever came across in the horse show world. He thrived on their enthusiasm and love of horses and hoped each day he was with them he was a contributing factor to their lives,” Judith said.

She noted that in addition to his horse show work, he was active on Staten Island with the Boy Scouts, Red Cross and local zoo.

Vicki Lowell, president of the Washington show, called John “an integral part of the Washington family,” a genial presence who  “always brought his wonderful style, smile and pomp and circumstance to the opening of each class and the presentation of awards. Start to finish, he was all class, warmth and kindness. We loved John.”

As she fondly recalled, “He was so kind and reassuring. He really loved everyone and was so positive.”

“He was like everybody’s horse show grandpa,” remembered Liz Soroka, a key staffer at many horse shows, noting John was a real gentleman. He always used to compliment the women working at the National when they dressed up for the Saturday night grand prix, which made them feel very special.

John was tapped for his first ringmaster position at the age of 17 at Madison Square Garden by National Horse Show Manager Honey Craven. He was supposed to compete in the show, but his junior hunter had gone lame.

Honey recognized talent when he saw it. He told John’s father, who ran the family’s Clove Lake Stables on Staten Island, “I need someone to be a ringmaster. Your son knows what to do.”

And indeed he did.

Honey also passed along some “advice”,  an order, not a suggestion: “Stand up straight, keep your hands out of your pockets, keep your jacket closed at all times, say `Yes, sir, no sir, yes ma’am, no ma’am’ and make sure you go to Mass on Sunday.”

While John served as a horse show manager over the years, including at the National, he was best known for his style and capability in his ring duties.

“If you needed a ringmaster at your horse show, there was nobody better,” said David Distler, Washington’s manager and Devon’s co-manager. When something went wrong, “John kept his cool and knew exactly how to handle it,” David stated.

He recalled that when a four-in-hand had jackknifed at Devon, John specified what needed to be done, and that kept the coach from turning over.  Once when a horse went down, John called members of the jump crew to surround the animal until screens could be put up to shield the scene from the public.

“The ringmaster should always be a horseman,” John used to say, and that he was.

“If something goes amok, the ringmaster must stop it,” he emphasized when we talked about it a few years ago.

“I am omnipresent,” he told me, “I’m always watching.”

Alan Keely, a ringmaster who worked with John at Devon, noted “he always had great stories to tell.” Alan sometimes wondered if they were a bit embellished, but after knowing John for awhile, he said “I could see the twinkle in his eye.

“He was a pleasure to work with,” added Alan, commenting that he and John “spoke the same language. If  he saw something going on in the ring, he did something about it, whether it was a dog in the ring or a rider down.”

Lenore Phillips, president of the Phelps Media Group founded by Mason, recalled that she liked to see John brushing his coats at 6:15 a.m. at the National, making sure all was perfect for his appearance that morning.

“I felt like I was watching a piece of history in action, someone who took pride in carrying on a tradition,” she said.

When many people decided not to go to the National last year due to the Covid situation, she was gratified to see John there.

“I wouldn’t miss this,” he told her.

Noting that Mason and John had known each other for decades, she said, “as sad as I am not to see either of them any more, I’m just happy they’re together now.”

In addition to his wife, John is survived by their three sons: John IV (Cheryl), Jeffrey (Christine) and Jarad (Crissy), as well as six grandchildren: Dr. Taylor Franzreb, who graduated from veterinary school this month as John III watched on his iPad; John IV,  Margaret Rose, Casey, Sean and Ally.

There are no plans as yet for memorial ceremonies, but there certainly will be.