Show Jumping Hall Of Fame Inducts Laura Kraut And Sandsablaze
Story by Marty Bauman | Photos by Kind Media LLC
Four-time U.S. Olympian Laura Kraut and Sandsablaze, Buddy Brown’s 1976 Montreal Olympic mount, were inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame during an induction gala held Sunday, March 2 at the Wellington National Golf Club. The Hall of Fame also presented its International Award to four-time Canadian Olympian Mario Deslauriers, the youngest rider ever to win the FEI World Cup Final.
Additionally, the Hall of Fame welcomed Francisco “Pancho” Lopez, Katie Prudent’s longtime barn manager, who was inducted last year but was unable to attend, to receive his Hall of Fame blazer and give an acceptance speech. Before Kraut’s induction, she was introduced by Barbara Roux. Hockey Hall of Famer Gerry Cheevers was also in attendance to speak on what it means to be a hall of famer.
The gala also recognized 16 others in attendance who have previously been inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Olympic veterans Mary Chapot, Norman Dello Joio, Margie Engle, Leslie Howard, Anne Kursinski, Beezie Madden, Michael Matz, Melanie Smith Taylor and Katie Prudent, 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 Buddy Brown, who accepted the induction on behalf of his mount Sandsablaze, McLain Ward, Lauren Hough, Will Simpson, Nick Skelton and Mac Cone, and Grand Prix riders Carly Anthony, Molly Ashe Cawley, Heather Caristo-Williams, Lucy Deslauriers, Cathleen Driscoll, Elle Ehman, Lillie Keenan, Marilyn Little, Carlee McCutcheon, Brittni Raflowitz, Schuyler Riley, Callie Schott, Jimmy Torano and JJ Torano.
Dinner sponsors included the Wheeler family, who sponsored the cocktails and open bar; Charlie Jacobs, who sponsored the attendance of all the Hall of Famers; Robin Parsky; Beth Johnson; Double E LLC; the Deslauriers family; Friends of Pancho; and Schuyler Riley. Support was also provided by Jennifer Matts, Susan Garrett, Champion Floral Blankets and Ethel M Chocolates.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is sponsored by CMJ Sporthorse, the Hampton Classic Horse Show, the Kentucky Horse Park, Lauracea, LEG Colorado Horse Shows, Markel, Nilforushan Equisport Events, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, the United States Hunter Jumper Association, the Washington International Horse Show and Wellington International.
The Hall of Fame also honored last year’s Rider of the Year on the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, Elle Ehman.
Induction into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame is an honor bestowed annually upon select individuals whose accomplishments and contributions to the sport have set them apart and whose influence has had a significant impact on the sport of show jumping and the equestrian community.
With several decades’ worth of experience and an impressive résumé, Kraut has had an illustrious career representing the U.S. on the international stage. She has competed successfully in four Olympic Games (winning three medals), three World Equestrian Games (winning two medals), the 2023 Pan American Games (winning team gold), and many FEI World Cup and Nations Cup events.
Kraut’s first major team came in 1992 when she was named as alternate for the Barcelona Olympics. She made her Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000 with the all-female American team, then helped the U.S. win team gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. She returned to the podium in Tokyo and Paris, earning team silver medals at both events. Her 2024 podium appearance made her the oldest American to win a medal at the Olympics since 1952.
Kraut’s mother, Carol, encouraged her and her sister, Mary Elizabeth, to take their first riding lesson when Kraut was just three years old. Since then, Kraut has credited much of her success to her relationship with her horses and to Mary Elizabeth’s help with the organization and horse-care side. Based in both Florida and Great Britain, Kraut and her longtime partner Nick Skelton run a successful training business that focuses on developing prospective show jumpers, both riders and horses, to their full potential.
Sandsablaze had a storybook career that was never meant to be and may be unequaled in show jumping history. The chestnut Thoroughbred foaled in 1967 was meant to be a hunter and not a jumper. When he became a jumper, most thought of him as a backup and not a first stringer; but with rider Buddy Brown, he defied the odds and became one of the most dominant horses of the 1970s, going from the hunter and equitation ring to become a Grand Prix champion and a standout on U.S. teams in Nations Cups, two Pan American Games and the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
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. Visit www.showjumpinghalloffame.net to learn more.
