Parry Thomas, right, at the 2009 retirement of Brentina with Debbie and Bob McDonald; Parry’s wife, Peggy, and their daughter, Jane. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
He was best known as the owner of Brentina. But Parry Thomas, who passed away Friday at his River Grove Farm in Idaho, did a great deal for the entire sport of dressage with his willingness to invest in horses and riders.
A banker who played a pivotal role in the development of Las Vegas, Parry was serious about dressage. He would take the golf cart from his home to the outdoor arena every day that he was home to watch Debbie McDonald training Brentina and his other horses. Parry’s influence was felt on the podium and in the development of the sport.
While Brentina–who medalled in the Olympics, the World Equestrian Games and the Pan American Games–was Parry’s most famous horse, he and his wife, Peggy, also owned Wizard. Ridden by Debbie’s protege, Adrienne Lyle, Wizard went to the Olympics and World Equestrian Games. He was retired at the 2015 Las Vegas World Cup finals in the Thomas & Mack Center, named after Parry and his late business partner, Jerry Mack. Parry was on hand for the emotional occasion.
At the Markel/USEF Young & Developing Horse Dressage National Championships in Illinois this afternoon, Adrienne won the Developing Prix St. Georges National Championship on an overall score of 74.272 percent aboard Horizon, owned by another great supporter of U.S. dressage, Betsy Juliano.
“Today’s ride was special,” said Adrienne, citing Parry’s influence.
“He was excited about the competition and loving dressage up to the day he went. He was watching over us, and we rode for him today,” she said.
Services will be held Sept. 6 at the Encore in Las Vegas.