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.

The People's Horse: Driving Horse WIns Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year

Cincinnati, OH – Every year the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) honors the best horses across all breeds and disciplines at the Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year Awards dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting.

This year, a horse that was just a few steps from slaughter stepped up to the podium. Drining horse "Jamaica" took the night’s biggest accolade.

Jamaica is the foundation of Chester Weber’s Four-in-Hand team that won Individual Silver at the 2008 FEI World Four-in-Hand Driving Championships.

“The horse is amazing,” said Weber after receiving his trophy from Farnam’s Chris Jacobi and USEF President David O’Connor. “It is great to be part of his life.”

The 17-year-old Dutch gelding was initially bought to be a tourist carriage horse, after he was rescued on his way to the slaughter house. His refusal to stand still and be patient was the demise of that career but his tenacity and strength of character paid off when he landed in Weber’s stable.

Jamaica has been part of all six of Weber’s Four-in-Hand National Championship teams.

“It’s a real honor to share this journey with such an unbelievable horse,” said Weber. “Driving is a very small discipline in this country and the support from the rescue organizations and the letters I got from kids was amazing.”

The winning veteran will receive a year’s worth of Farnam Platform feed for his efforts.

Eventing Safety Summit Reports Changes to Be Made; Darren Chiacchia Speaks

Concerned members of the eventing and veterinary worlds met in Lexington, Kentucky this weekend to manifest immediate changes in the sport following the recent deaths of horses and riders at competitions. No one has more firsthand experience and more clout in their statements than former Olympic rider Darren Chiacchia of New York; he has made a near-miraculous recovery from injuries suffered this winter in Florida. Darren spoke at this weekend's meeting.

In the wake of several serious accidents to riders and horses in eventing over the last few months, USEF President David O'Connor and USEA President Kevin Baumgardner announced last week tha they would hold an emergency "Safety Summit" on June 7-8, 2008. Statement from Kevin Baumgardner and David O'Connor.

The goal of the Summit was to bring together all those concerned about the sport - riders, coaches, veterinarians, course designers, fans - in a quest to better understand what might be contributing to these accidents and to identify and agree on steps that can be taken to better protect horses and riders.

Preliminary reports suggest that action has been taken to supply frangible pins for more "breakaway" fences and that USEF will pay for necropsies of fatally-injured horses to determine the cause of death. Also, judges may have the authority to "yellow flag" or even "red flag" a rider and a reporting system for dangerous riding practices may be in the works.

Earlier this week, the FEI announced a "fall and you're out" rule change that will be used in the upcoming 2008 Olympics. It requires fallen riders on cross-country to retire rather than remount.

I am sure that USEF or USEA will supply official details in a day or so, and the information will be posted here. This post is just to report that the Summit did take place and action will be taken. One report said that 250 people attended the meeting.

NBC Sports' web site has an unofficial report summarizing the two-day meeting, if you just can't wait for the official summary from USEF and USEA, but I would be careful about hanging any hats on any of this until it is sorted out by affiliated/unaffiliated status of events and the levels of riders, which could affect events from Pony Club to advanced horse trials and three-day events.

Stand by for more news!