48 SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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Farewell to “Everyone’s Best Friend”
Whether Horses or Humans, Bruce Duchossois Loved Them All
By Darlene Ricker
I
magine walking into a five-star hotel, opening the door to a
lavish suite and being greeted by a horse (yes, a real one)
munching hay amidst a throng of partygoers. Or discovering
that the white-bearded guy in the red suit jollying up migrant
farm workers at their Christmas party is a wealthy man who
could have hired a dozen rent-a-Santas. How about learning that
someone has sent a private jet to bring your dying mother home
after massive surgery so she wouldn’t have to fly in a crowded
commercial airliner?
If you knew Bruce Duchossois, those were the types of surprises
in store for you.
Bruce died July 2, 2014, at his home in Wellington, Florida,
after a long battle with cancer. He left an indelible mark on the
equestrian world and on the lives of everyone and every animal
he touched.
“Bruce was the person who made you want to pay it forward,
“said Dianne Grod of Oceanside, California. “As a result, I have
done it and others have, too.” Just a few weeks before his passing,
Bruce contributed to a fund that helped prevent the imminent loss
of Dianne’s home. “The guy was dying, and he did this for me.
There was no way I could have gotten it done. ”
Vice president of the United States Equestrian Team (USET)
Foundation, Bruce was inducted this year into the National Show
Hunter Hall of Fame. In 2013, he received an Equestrian Aid
Foundation Luminary Award.
A supporter of high-performance equestrian sport in the
United States, Bruce owned top international horses in several
disciplines, among them eventing, show jumping and driving. As
an exhibitor in the Adult and Amateur-Owner Hunter divisions,
Bruce with his beloved Chumley, adopted from Danny and Ron’s
Rescue.
Bruce commissioned artist Walt Peterson to paint a portrait of Bruce riding Hello Kitty.
Photo courtesy of Walt Peterson, waltpetersonfineart.com
