Legendary horseman Eugene "Gene" Mische, the founder of Stadium Jumping, Inc., passed away on Friday evening, following a long, hard fought battle with cancer.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 26, 1931, Mische, more than any horseman in history, changed the face of horse sports in the United States.
He was 79 years old.
Mische recently celebrated over 60 years in the equestrian industry and over the course of his stellar career managed the most prestigious shows in America including the Budweiser American Invitational, American Grand Prix Association National Jumper Championship, New Albany Classic, Lake Placid and I Love New York Shows, Charlotte Jumper Classic, the American Gold Cup, USEF National Jumper Championships, and the National Horse Show. Other Stadium Jumping Inc. productions included the Olympic Games Show Jumping Team Selection Trials in 2000 and 2004, and the World Equestrian Games Show Jumping Team Selection Trials in 2002 and 2006.
Mische's crowning achievement was the creation of the largest and longest consecutively running sporting event in the world, the Winter Equestrian Festival, still going strong in Wellington, Florida.
Mische was instrumental in bringing international caliber sport to this nation. In 1980, Mische was part of the five-member Organizing Committee that brought the first World Cup to the U.S. In 1989, Mische and Stadium Jumping, Inc. produced the second Volvo World Cup ever held in the U.S., this time hosting it in Tampa. In 2002, Mische produced the first-ever outdoor Nations' Cup, hosting it at the Internationale Arena in Wellington, Florida.
Mische was the founding president of the Wellington Equestrian Alliance and was deeply involved in a host of equestrian related issues that ranged from the creation of the Wellington Equestrian Preserve Area in the Village's Comprehensive Plan, to ensuring that the Village's codes and regulations help protect and enhance the equestrian community.
Mische was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 2000 and was also awarded the Jimmy Williams Lifetime Achievement Award from the United States Equestrian Federation, an award he was most proud of, "because it was voted on by my peers," he said.
"I hope when they judge me, they look at the overall contributions I've made and Stadium Jumping has made to the sport and to the industry," Mische said in a conversation with PhelpsSports.com last year. "I think there are so many contributions that we've made to the sport over the years. I'd be happy to be remembered for any one of them. I feel that I've been blessed to be a part of this great sport and was able to do what I did."
Photo © James Leslie Parker/PMG Media
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