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Clarence
"Honey" Craven 1904 - 2003
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USA
Equestrian Lifetime Achievement Honoree Clarence L. “Honey”
Craven, one of the horse world’s star figures, passed away
Wednesday, July 23, at age 98.
A
70-year associate of the National Horse Show, Craven was a staple,
serving in various roles including Ringmaster and Manager. In
1926 Craven was asked by W. Reginald Reeves, secretary to the
National Horse Show, to fill the Assistant to the Ringmaster position
at the show. A year later, he was promoted to Ringmaster, according
to Craven himself, when the current Ringmaster, Dutch White, unexpectedly
left the job. He quickly taught himself to sound the horn and
filled the role until 1958 when he began his 25-year tenure as
manager for the National Horse Show. Following the show’s
100th anniversary in 1983 he became the Manger Emeritus.
Craven
began his tenure at the Devon Horse Show in 1936. He started by
calling the classes and, since there was no public address system
then, he rode a polo pony to the ring, found out how long it would
be until the next class, and galloped up to the barns. He then
served as Ringmaster until taking over as manager and then was
named Manager Emeritus. Craven also served as Ringmaster at shows
that include Piping Rock on Long Island, Pin Oak in Texas, Eastern
States in Massachusetts and North Show in New York.
USA
Equestrian President, Alan F. Balch, commented, “Today, equestrian
sport lost not only a pioneer but a giant. “Honey” saw
our sport develop over nearly a century and will be remembered
forever for his guidance, his love of all horses, his innovation
in management, and perhaps, above all, his warmth, friendship,
and inspiration to all those who loved horses with him.”
Funeral
services will take place Saturday, July 26th. There will be a
visitation from 9-10 a.m. and the service begins at 10:30 a.m.
at St. Margaret’s Church in Madison, CT.
Mr.
Craven is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Mr. & Mrs.
Henry O. Robinson II, grand children, Henry O. Robinson, III,
Lawrence Preston Robinson, Elizabeth Robinson Baldwin and great
grandchildren Hannah Aileen Baldwin and William Augustus Baldwin.
USA
Equestrian Inc., as the National Equestrian Federation of the
U.S., is the regulatory body for the Olympic and World Championship
sports of dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, reining, show
jumping, and vaulting, as well as 19 other breeds and disciplines
of equestrian competition. As
the country's largest multi-breed organization, the Federation
has over 80,000 members and recognizes more than 2,800 competitions
nationwide each year. It governs all aspects of competition, including
educating and licensing all judges, stewards, and technical delegates
who officiate at these shows.
VISION STATEMENT
The vision of USA Equestrian is to provide leadership for equestrian
sport in the United States of America, promoting the pursuit of
excellence from the grass roots to the Olympic Games, based on
a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its
horses, and embracing this vision, to be the best national equestrian
federation in the world.
www.equestrian.org
.
