(a reminiscence from an Oklahoma friend, Barbara Haney, was added to this story July 24)
Kavar Kerr “lived a life of doing for others in an incredible fashion. She was a force of nature to get things done,” said Burr Collier, president of the Blowing Rock, N.C. Horse Show, remembering his friend, who died July 13 in Jackson Hole, Wyo., surrounded by her three dogs.
“Everything she did was for the good of the sport and the people (of) the sport that she loved,” he recalled.
Kavar Kerr.
Tom Wright, who was one of her trainers, noted, “She gave the shirt off her back to her friends and people she respected. She loved fiercely, and worked tirelessly for the underdog and felt that caring and supporting artists was a particular responsibility in her life.”
He added, “a great horseman and successful amateur rider, she owned great animals and supported many professionals, just when they needed her most.”
Kavar enjoyed some very successful horses, among them Trust Me and Sleigh Ride in the hunter ranks, and in eventing, Mike Huber’s mount Southcoast, who won a section of the 1983 Open Preliminary event at Rolex Kentucky.
She was known for her great sense of humor and her love of all animals, but it was her charitable side for which she will be most remembered in the equestrian world.
A year after Louise Serio and Geoff Teall started the World Championship Hunter Rider organization in the early 1980s, Kavar came to them and said, “Why don’t we make this bigger and make it a foundation and start an emergency relief foundation?”
As Louise noted, “She changed lives like that. She was just an amazing lady.”
Kavar enjoyed showing her hunters.
The American Hunter Jumper Foundation, which merged with the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association in 2013, helped scores of equestrians in need, whether they were dealing with illness, a barn fire or other tragedies.
The Kavar Kerr Distinguished Service Award, named in her honor, is presented annually by the World Championship Hunter Rider Committee of the USHJA for exceptional dedication, leadership, and commitment to the WCHR Program through volunteer service and philanthropic efforts.
The center of the WCHR logo, at the top of this page, bears a likeness of Kavar jumping one of her horses.
Another person whose life was changed by Kavar is international show jumper Laura Kraut. Her first Olympic mount, Liberty, was purchased in a partnership put together by Kavar, who brought in Peter Wetherill, Joyce Williams and Kate Gibson and was part of the syndicate herself.
When Laura won the 4-star grand prix at Chantilly, France, on Bisquetta over the weekend, Kavar was on her mind.
“I thought of her when I was in there getting the ribbon,” said Laura.
“She’s the person who helped me get to the next level of my career, and the point where I am now. She never took credit for it.”
As Laura was building her resume, she rode a hunter for Kavar and lived with her in Florida during the winter circuit.
“We were really great friends. She had the biggest heart, the greatest sense of humor–I never laughed more with anyone than I did with her,” Laura remembered
Peter Wetherill ended up buying in on the Anthem syndicate as well, and Kavar’s introduction of Laura to him was key.
“If it weren’t for Peter, I wouldn’t have gotten Anthem, he came in at the 11th hour through Kavar’s urging and helped us buy Anthem, and then he bought Cedric,” said Laura, referring to her 2008 Olympic team gold medal mount.
“None of that would have happened without Kavar.”
Laura noted Kavar had bravely struggled with pain and illness for decades.
Losing Kavar was “very, very sad,” Laura acknowledged, but “she’s out of pain now. I feel confident she got out of life what she wanted.”
Barbara Haney grew up with Kavar in Oklahoma, where the two were part of “very small” hunter/jumper group during the 1970s.
“She first had a small roan, Carousel (later inherited by younger sister Mara),” recalled Barbara.
“I can even remember her riding jacket from then: a Scottish tweed from Miller’s, of course, that looked so sharp on Carousel.”
When Kavar was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, she “had to stop riding for a while, while she wore a back brace to correct that condition. She would still attend all the shows and was always ready to lend a hand when I needed one, like to hold a crop, or keep my place in the order at the in gate,” Barbara reminisced.
“At a big show in Tulsa one night, I managed to misplace my gloves right before the show started. She ran around and found a pair for me to borrow. I won the eq championship that night with whoever’s gloves those were, which was one of the biggest wins I have ever had,” said Barbara.
“After I left Oklahoma for college, I wrote to her, and saw her once or twice, but we drifted apart, since I was working internships in the northeast and wasn’t back home much. I’d given up riding to concentrate on school, and didn’t go back to riding for another 20-ish years. I still thought our paths would cross again at some point.”
Kavar, who was on the board of the Kentucky Horse Park, also raised money for the first World Champion Hunter Rider Spectacular at the Winter Equestrian Festival with funding from the late Sallie Wheeler. The class is named after the late Peter Wetherill.
Always upbeat, Kavar was known for her great sense of humor.
For the Blowing Rock show, Kavar brought in money dedicated to Sallie Wheeler and her late husband, Kenny, in recognition of all they had done for the horse show world.
A native of Oklahoma, she was a granddaughter of Robert Kerr, who served the state as governor and U.S. senator. Kavar was a big fan of the University of Oklahoma Sooners and enjoyed watching their football games in person when she could.
Twelve years ago, Kavar was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and presumably had only five years to live. A brother and sister had died previously, and she did not want her parents to face burying another child, so she was determined to live.
Her mother, Joffa, a sculptor, died in June 2022 and her father, Bill Kerr, died a week and two days before she did. He was the founder of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyo. and Kavar served on its board. Outside of the horse world, she was also active in philanthropy, serving on the board of a battered women’s shelter in Wyoming.
Kavar, who was 64, is survived by her sister, Mara Kerr of Edmond, Okla.; her niece, Ayla Mashburn of Oklahoma City, a nephew, Graycen Mashburn (Whitney), Edmond, Okla., and great-nieces Tyler, Aubrey and Caroline.
Private services will be held in Minnesota, at the final resting place of her parents and siblings, Joffa and David.