Final farewell to Olympic dressage rider who ‘brought pride and honour to her country’
Obituary
Carol Lavell, the US Olympic team dressage rider and eight-time national champion died on 27 March, aged 79.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Mrs Lavell became best known for her remarkable relationship with the 17.3hh Hanoverian gelding whom she named Gifted. She bought the Garibaldi II son as a four-year-old from Germany, and the pair went on to help put US dressage on the map.
In 1990 Mrs Lavell and Gifted were 11th at the World Championships in Stockholm, and in 1991 they became the first American combination to win the grand prix at the international dressage show at Goodwood, UK.
The pair were part of the bronze medal-winning team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, alongside Robert Dover and Lectron, Charlotte Bredahl and Monsieur, and Michael Poulin and Graf George. This was team USA’s first Olympic dressage medal in 16 years.
Two years later, Mrs Lavell and Gifted were on the team that won bronze at the 1994 World Championships. They rode at the 1992 and 1993 World Cup finals, and in 1997 Gifted became the first horse to be inducted into the US Dressage Federation’s (USDA) hall of fame.
Mrs Lavell’s other notable rides included In The Black, with whom she was on the silver medal-winning team at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indiana, USA. In 2003 she and Much Ado were on the team that won gold at the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic.
She was passionate about giving back to the sport and formed the $25,000 Carol Lavell advanced dressage prize for amateur riders through the Dressage Foundation, in honour of her mother and father, May and Gordon Cadwgan.
Charlotte Bredahl said she was “so proud” to be Mrs Lavell’s teammate at the Barcelona Games and described her as “instrumental” in helping secure a medal.
“I have so many fond memories of Barcelona and also the time we spent training in Germany together,” she said.
Hallye Griffin, director of FEI Sport for USEF, said Mrs Lavell was an “inspiration for so many in the dressage community”.
“In addition to her success on the world stage with Gifted, Carol gave selflessly of her time and knowledge to advance the sport and help other American dressage riders achieve their goals,” she said.
“We are so grateful for the legacy of horsemanship and training that she leaves behind through her many students and the educational initiatives she established during her lifetime. We will miss her and extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends.”
A USDF spokesman said the organisation was saddened to learn of Mrs Lavell’s passing.
“Carol achieved high marks in all phases of dressage; an Olympian, rider, competitor, trainer, teacher, judge – and with her legendary horse Gifted, brought pride and honour to our country through her performance on the 1992 US Olympic team,” he said.
Mrs Lavell was predeceased by her husband Tom.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.