Outstanding Equestrians Honored for Accomplishments

Twelve Inducted into Culver Academies Horsemanship Hall of Fame

CULVER, INDIANA – World-renowned equestrians were honored for their accomplishments Sunday, Nov. 7, as members of the third class in the Culver Academies Horsemanship Hall of Fame.

            This year’s class of 12 inductees included late fox hunting enthusiast Harry Rhett ’31, Polo horse breeder and former rodeo rider Donn Davies ’35, Arlington Park racetrack owner Richard Louis Duchossois and family, horse show manager and equine attorney Rosemary Gordon ’74, 1988 Olympian Eric Brodnax ’82, late internationally acclaimed horseman William Haggard ’40, Hawaii Polo Inn President Michael Dailey ’71, late founder of the Culver Black Horse Troop Robert Rossow, late horse trainer and riding instructor Warren Wofford ’54, Mexican racetrack owner and stallion breeder Justo Fernandez ’59, ranch owner and quarter horse breeder Jud Little ’65, and the late Col. Clarence Whitney, a dedicated member of the horsemanship community at Culver for nearly 50 years.

            Chosen by a committee of Culver alumni, each inductee received a crystal horse sculpture, participated in a daylong series of events, and now has his photograph and biography permanently displayed in the Hall, located in the Academies’ Vaughn Equestrian Center.

Last year’s class included two-time Olympian and two-time Mexican national champion Jose Chedraui, leading Homer Davenport Arabian horse breeder Charles C. Craver III, renowned foxhound breeder Benjamin Hurt Hardaway III, champion horse owner Nelson Bunker Hunt, internationally-acclaimed equitation judge Col. Alfred R. Kitts, polo-world legend William Sinclaire, American Quarter Horse Association First Vice-President Frank Vessels III and Waggoner Ranch owner Albert “Bucky” Buckman Wharton III.  Faculty and staff inductees were the late Gen. Leigh Robinson Gignilliat, a former Culver Military Academy Superintendent and arguably the strongest advocate for the school’s prestigious Black Horse Troop, and Col. Gerald Jefferson Graham, who served as the school’s horsemanship director after a distinguished military career featuring a stint as Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s Aide De Camp.

            Alumni honorees from the inaugural class in 2002 included Mexican Olympian Jaime Azcarraga, Professional Polo Player Patrick Connors, Olympic and Pan American Games Equestrian Judge Captain John “Jack” Harold Fritz, founder of the Breeder’s Cup series of horse races and breeder of champion horses John R. Gaines, late Olympian Colonel Isaac Leonard Kitts, Steeplechaser Dinwiddie Lampton, Jr., Breeder’s Cup Winner Preston W. Madden, late Olympian Raul Nieto, late first American winner of the Amateur Steeplechase Jockey Event in England George Arthur Sloan II, member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Jonathan “Jack” W. Warner and three-time Olympian James C. Wofford.

            The Culver Academies have a long and distinguished equestrian history.  Founded in 1897, Culver’s horsemanship department offers beginning and experienced riders an opportunity to acquire not only physical strength and ability, but the broader qualities of patience, perseverance, grit, and courage - the true hallmarks of a horseman.  The Vaughn Equestrian Center features 120 stalls, the riders’ lounge, offices for instructors, and a 90- by 300-foot heated indoor riding arena with seating for 750 spectators.  This arena allows students to continue their riding classes throughout the winter months.

The Black Horse Troop has been one of Culver’s most recognizable programs for more than 100 years.  The Troop has ridden mounts in 13 Presidential Inaugural Parades, including 11 of the 12 since 1957.  It has escorted Queen Elizabeth II of England, the King and Queen of Denmark and the late Emperor Hirohito of Japan during several of their royal visits to the United States.

            “Character education is a key tenant of a Culver education.  Inductees into the Culver Horsemanship Hall of Fame exemplify through their incredible accomplishments in the equestrian field the key elements of character education we attempt to impart on our students,” said John N. Buxton, Head of Schools, the Culver Academies.