Jack Le Goff: A Video Tribute from USEF

by Fran Jurga | 27 July 2009 | The Jurga Report

Video courtesy of Sarah Lane, USEF's Senior Director of Communications, and www.clubequestrian.com. I believe that is the soundtrack is the wonderful original recording of Edith Piaf singing "La Vie en Rose".

Friday's news of the death of former USET eventing coach Jack Le Goff was stunning. I feel the usual sadness at the loss of a great horseman and the particular loss of someone who lived right here for many years and was a familiar site on horseback and out on the water as well.

But mostly I wonder about the the fact that we have lost not just a great horseman and a legendary coach to whom US eventing owes so much, but we have lost some perspective on international horse sports and eventing as a sport. Jack Le Goff spanned generations in eventing, indeed the 50 years of Badminton seem contiguous with the timeline of his life.

He was a great competitor, but he was also one of the last great coaches whose roots were in classical training, as you will see in the video, which shows some of his higher level displays of horsemanship at the Cadre Noir at Saumur, which is roughly the French equivalent to the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.

The sport of eventing has changed since Jack Le Goff had riders like Tad Coffin and Mike Plumb galloping around the Essex County trails here in Massachusetts (and I do mean galloping). If you went to what you thought was a safe little schooling show, he might pull up with a big horse van and give some young horses some showring exposure. (No pressure, riding in front of Jack Le Goff!)

There was a time when the best aspiring riders in Canada and the US found there way to Hamilton/Wenham, Massachusetts to train at the USET headquarters. Even now I meet people who brag about having even having passed through the barn in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Is eventing the same sport now? I don't think so. Wherever it is headed, it is not likely to ever go back to those days of galloping super-fit horses.

The accomplishments and gifts to our nation of an international coach like Jack Le Goff can never be overstated. But his sport may have technically passed with him, and the next generation is on its own to invent what's next for their great sport. Who is or will be the next to inspire riders--and a nation--to embrace a sport the way that Jack Le Goff did?

What a tall order to attempt to fill those boots and attain the thrilling combination of art and sport that Jack Le Goff represented.

Injured Event Horse Le Samurai Is Dead

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY--Amy Tryon's Rolex (Kentucky) Three-Day Event mount Le Samurai has been humanely euthanized at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky. The horse stumbled or was somehow injured at the final fence on cross-country at Rolex last Saturday. The FEI Tribunal is investigating Tryon's handling of the situation to see if abuse occurred.

On her web site today, Amy Tryon wrote, "I am heartbroken at the passing of Le Samurai. Sparky was a wonderful horse and a gallant partner who meant the world to me. His loss has left me indescribably sad. I want to join the Broussards in thanking the veterinarians who tried so hard to save him."

The horse did cross the finish line, where he was immediately seen by the veterinary team and transferred to the nearby veterinary hospital. Descriptions of his injuries suggest major damage to the gelding's suspensory ligament and or network of ligaments in the lower leg. No statement has been made on the exact diagnosis. One report in a newspaper said that an "elevator shoe" had been applied to his foot; this would probably be some sort of a patten bar shoe.

Statement from the Broussard Family, Owners of Le Samurai

"It is with tremendous sadness that we announce that Le Samurai has been humanely euthanized. From the outset we have been determined to give this magnificent horse the best veterinary treatment available, but only so long as the continuation of that treatment remained consistent with Sparky's best interests. Regrettably, the veterinarians treating him have advised us that a successful outcome is not possible.

"Sparky will be greatly missed by our family, Amy Tryon and everyone who knew and loved him. We wish to express our heartfelt thanks to Dr. (Robert) Hunt and the veterinary staff at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute for their tireless dedication to Sparky's well-being. We also wish to thank the eventing community around the country for all the kindness and good wishes that have been extended to us and to Sparky.

--Jerome and Rebecca Broussard

An edited telecast of highlights from the event will be on NBC Sports at 5 pm (eastern time) on Sunday, May 6.

Broussard statement courtesy of USEF. Photo by Michelle C. Dunn courtesy of Rolex.