FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES APRIL 2014 27
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES JUNE 2012 3
By Dani Moritz
The world lost a beautiful young woman on December 21, 2013.
Seventeen-year-old Claire Davis died eight days after she was shot
by a student gunman at Arapahoe High School. Claire, who even
in her last moments demonstrated kindness and graciousness
by
asking the gunman why he intended on shooting, was a beautiful
soul and she will never be forgotten. To honor her and her family,
this is the story of Claire Davis.
T
hose who knew her describe her as a happy spirit,
someone who was thoughtful, courteous, genuine and
kind. She could light up the room. She loved to laugh and
smile. With no effort at all, Claire brightened the day of
everyone around her.
Claire was the kind of rider who enjoyed every moment, win or
lose, and who stood ringside to cheer for all of her friends, even
those competing against her. She took the time to make everyone
feel special, whether they were six years old and trotting over
ground poles or adult amateurs getting back in the ring.
Claire Davis was one-of-a-kind and she will forever hold a
special place in the hearts of so many lives she touched.
Claire’s parents, Desiree and Michael, explained that, because
of this, Claire was everyone’s best friend. “In so many of the
letters, even from adult women who knew her, people said that
they thought it was just them who had this special relationship with
Claire, but upon her death realized that everyone had a special
relationship with Claire,” Desiree said.
Claire was a social butterfly. When she wasn’t spending time
at the barn or practicing piano, she was with her friends enjoying
movies or at a concert with her dad. She loved comedies because,
as Michael explains, “Claire had a real passion for laughing and
having fun.” She enjoyed pop music, particularly Jackie Greene
and even, to her parents’ dismay, Justin Bieber. Although her
parents jokingly recalled, “She was growing out of Justin a little
bit, thank goodness!”
Education was also one of Claire’s passions. Claire enjoyed
school and already had offers to attend the University of Northern
Colorado and the University of Wyoming. She planned on studying
nursing and to continue riding in a school club.
“Claire was very studious,” said Desiree. “She never missed
an assignment. She was diligent, self-motivated. Her school
calendar is still in her backpack and it’s perfect. She would write
everything down and, if it was done, she color-coded each class
with a highlighter.”
Without a doubt, she would have continued to shine in college.
Of course, Claire’s greatest passion was her riding. She was
an accomplished hunter, jumper and equitation rider and an active
member of the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association.
But as her mother Desiree explained, you would never know
of her daughter’s many accomplishments, such as placing in the
top six in Colorado three years straight on three different horses,
unless you searched the CHJA archives. “Claire was never
boastful or chased points just for the sake of winning,” Desiree
said. “Instead, she mostly competed against herself, striving to
hone her talent as a rider, to jump higher, to hold that perfect
position. Gaining in confidence and skills is how Claire measured
her success, not by the color of her ribbon.”
When Claire Davis rode out of the ring during the Deborah L.
Donoghue Medal at what would become one of her last horse
shows, you would have thought she took the blue. The flat portion
of the class required the 13 riders to counter canter for several
minutes in each direction – a challenging feat for Claire and her
horse, Graphite Gran Grannus. Ironically, they didn’t take the
A bright smile.
Claire will always
be remembered for her beautiful smile
that lit up the room.
