The Horse-Craziest of Them All: Goodbye to Eventing Pioneer Jimmy Wofford

We’re deeply saddened to share the news that Jimmy Wofford, five-star winner, Olympian, leading equestrian intellect, and consummate horseman, has died at the age of 78 following a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. His extraordinary, forward-thinking and wide-reaching vision for the sport of eventing has helped to shape it in innumerable ways over the last number of decades, and his passing leaves an enormous void in our industry.

The youngest son of an Olympic show jumper and U.S. cavalryman, Jimmy was, perhaps, predestined to be a horseman himself. Certainly, it was a deep-rooted love that coursed through the family, almost all of whom were involved with riding or breeding horses to the uppermost levels. It was Jimmy’s father, Colonel John Wofford, who was one the founding fathers of the U.S. Equestrian Team in its modern iteration, taking equestrian sport from a purely military activity to a civilian one and heralding a new age for the industry. Jimmy’s mother, for her part, was a crucial figure in the founding of the United States Eventing Association (USEA), then the United States Combined Training Association (USCTA), and Jimmy would grow up to be one of its greatest stars.

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*Article written by: Tilly Berendt *