Lexington, Kentucky, USA – March 8, 2024 – Francisco “Pancho” Lopez, longtime barn manager for Katie Monahan Prudent and then Elise Haas, and Cedric, Laura Kraut’s gold medal Olympic mount, were inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame during the Hall of Fame’s Induction Gala in Wellington, Florida, on March 3.
“This was the third year we have hosted our annual induction ceremony as part of a sit-down dinner in Wellington and it was our biggest and best yet,” said Show Jumping Hall of Fame chairman Peter Doubleday. “We sold out in advance and, unfortunately, had to turn away several people who wanted to be there. Our sport’s history was on display with 15 Hall of Famers and many more of our sport’s legends in attendance. Once again it was an incredible night, one that we will continue to build on each year.”
The “once in a lifetime” partner for rider Laura Kraut (FRA), Cedric was a small gray Holsteiner gelding foaled in Belgium in 1998 who became a stalwart on the U.S. Equestrian Team. He was originally owned in the U.S. by Peter Wetherill and Happy Hill Farm. After Wetherill passed away in 2010, his brother, Cortie, assumed ownership together with Kraut before Margaret Duprey of Cherry Knoll Farm became Cedric’s final owner in 2012 to help keep him in Kraut’s barn.
Cedric made his FEI debut in 2006 and, despite his 15.2-hand height and many quirks, quickly became a powerhouse on the international show jumping circuit. His amazing partnership with Kraut spanned 11 years, producing 81 clear and 45 double-clear rounds in major competitions of $100,000 or more. Most notably, the pair helped the U.S. win a team gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong.
Cedric’s successful career also included riding on the U.S. team at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) and numerous Nations Cup appearances, including Aachen, Barcelona, Dublin, La Baule, Rome, Rotterdam, St. Gallen and Wellington. He and Kraut also won the Grand Prix at four Longines Global Champions Tour (GCT) events and they were the first horse-and-rider combination to win back-to-back events, claiming top honors in 2010 at Chantilly and then Valkenswaard just two weeks later. Cedric and Kraut also won GCT events in Lausanne (2012) and Wiesbaden (2013).
A naturally careful and competitive horse, Cedric was one of the nation’s leading money winners, amassing well over $2 million in prize money. He was honored as The Chronicle of the Horse’s Show Jumping Horse of the Year in 2010. Cedric was formally retired at age 19 in a moving ceremony in Wellington in 2017.
The induction dinner, held at the Wanderers Club in Wellington, also recognized 15 others in attendance who have previously been inducted into the Hall of Fame including Olympic veterans Mary Chapot, Margie Engle, Leslie Howard, Anne Kursinski, Beezie Madden, Michael Matz, Melanie Smith Taylor and Katie Prudent (1980 Alternate Olympics), as well as Linda Allen, Jane Forbes Clark, Anthony D’Ambrosio, David Distler, Peter Doubleday, Danny Marks and former Olympic rider and current U.S. chef d’equipe Robert Ridland. Others in attendance included Olympic veterans McLain Ward, Lauren Hough, Will Simpson, Nick Skelton, Shane Sweetnam, and Mac Cone and Grand Prix riders Georgina Bloomberg, Carly Anthony, Heather Caristo-Williams, Jimmy Torano, Kelli Cruciotti-Vanderveen, Schuyler Riley, and Coco Fath.
Sponsors of the dinner included Robin Parsky, Beth Johnson, Charlie Jacobs, who sponsored the attendance of all Hall of Famers, and the Wheeler Family who sponsored the cocktail reception and open bar. Also sponsoring were the Hall of Fame’s corporate sponsors – Blenheim EquiSports, Charles Ancona, CMJ Sporthorse, Hampton Classic Horse Show, Kentucky Horse Park, LAURACEA, LEG Colorado Horse Shows, Markel Insurance, Palm Beach International Academy, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), Washington International Horse Show, and Wellington International. Table sponsors included John Madden Sales, Leslie Howard, Oliynyk Show Stables, Margaret Duprey and Laura Kraut.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame was organized to promote the sport of show jumping and to immortalize the legends of the men, women and horses who have made great contributions to the sport. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Plaques honoring those who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame can be seen at the Horse Park’s Rolex Stadium. Mementos and artifacts from the sport’s history are on display as part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame collection at the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Wheeler Museum at the Horse Park.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is sponsored by Blenheim EquiSports, Charles Ancona, CMJ Sporthorse, Hampton Classic Horse Show, Kentucky Horse Park, LAURACEA, LEG Colorado Horse Shows, Markel, Palm Beach International Academy, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), Washington International Horse Show and Wellington International.
For more information about the Show Jumping Hall of Fame, including the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, please visit the Show Jumping Hall of Fame website at www.ShowJumpingHallofFame.net.
Source: Press Release (edited) from Show Jumping Hall of Fame
Photo: © SHOF / KindMedia
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Categories: Awards, English, Jumper News USA
