The Show Jumping Hall of Fame announced today that Francisco “Pancho” Lopez, longtime barn manager for Katie Monahan Prudent and then Elise Haas, and Cedric, Laura Kraut’s gold medal Olympic mount, are this year’s inductees.

They will be formally inducted during the Hall of Fame’s Induction Gala on Sunday, March 3, at The Wanderers Club in Wellington, Florida. At the induction, the Hall of Fame will also present its second annual International Award to Olympic, World Cup and world champion Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil.

Induction into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame is an honor bestowed annually upon individuals whose contributions to the sport have set them apart and whose influence has had a significant impact on the sport of show jumping and the equestrian community. It is because of their talents, efforts, accomplishments, and what they have brought to the sport, that the Election Committee, comprising some of the nation’s top riders, trainers and officials, elected Lopez and Cedric as the class of 2023.

Francisco “Pancho” Lopez

Born and raised in Mascota, Mexico, Lopez joined his father in Los Angeles as a teenager. On one of his first days in the U.S., he walked several race horses at the Del Mar racetrack, where his family worked, and immediately fell in love with working with them. He took his first grooming job at age 15 at Blakiston Ranch, not far from Los Angeles. He moved on to work for grand prix rider Jimmy Kohn five years later, and then joined George Morris at Hunterdon (New Jersey) where he worked for six years.   

At Hunterdon Lopez met Prudent, and he became Prudent’s barn manager and coordinated everything to keep the horses and the business in top shape. Lopez was at the forefront of the care of Prudent’s horses, including The Jones Boy (second-placed finisher in the inaugural FEI World Cup Final [Sweden] in 1979), Noren (1982 American Grandprix Association Horse of the Year), The Governor (1986 AGA Horse of the Year), Amadia (team gold medalist in the 1986 FEI World Championships [Germany]) and Special Envoy (1986 AGA Horse of the Year).

Starting in 1996, Lopez worked at Willowcreek Ranch in Rancho Santa Fe, California. He spent many years working with Elise Haas, whose family then established the Francisco ‘Pancho’ Lopez Scholarship at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (California) in his honor. The honor was most fitting as Lopez had started veterinary school when he was young but was not able to complete it due to family obligations.

Lopez had a remarkable feel for each horse and always knew when something wasn’t right. He was always ready to share the benefits of his experience with others and passed on his knowledge to countless grooms and barn managers. He has also shared his more than 50 years’ worth of knowledge with riders and horses as a clinician, joining Prudent and other top professionals in educational settings.

Cedric

The “once in a lifetime” partner for Kraut, Cedric is a small gray Holsteiner gelding born in 1998, who became a stalwart on the U.S. Equestrian Team. He was originally brought to the U.S. by Peter Wetherill and Happy Hill Farm. After Wetherill died in 2010, his brother, Cortie, assumed ownership with Kraut before Margaret Duprey of Cherry Knoll Farm became Cedric’s final owner in 2012 to help keep him in Kraut’s barn.   

Cedric made his Fédération Equestre Internationale debut in 2006, and despite his 15.2-hand height and many quirks, he quickly became a powerhouse on the international show jumping circuit. His partnership with Kraut spanned 11 years, producing 81 clear and 45 double-clear rounds in major competitions of $100,000 or more. Most notably, the pair helped the U.S. win a team gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong. 

Cedric’s successful career also included riding on the U.S. team at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games (Kentucky) and numerous Nations Cup appearances, including Aachen (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Dublin, La Baule (France), Rome, Rotterdam (the Netherlands), St. Gallen (Switzerland) and Wellington. He and Kraut also won the grand prix at four Longines Global Champions Tour events, and they were the first horse-and-rider combination to win back-to-back events, claiming top honors in 2010 at Chantilly (France) and then Valkenswaard (the Netherlands) just two weeks later. Cedric and Kraut also won LGCT events in Lausanne (Switzerland) in 2012 and Wiesbaden (Germany) in 2013.

A naturally careful and competitive horse, Cedric was one of the nation’s leading money winners, amassing well over $2 million in prize money. He was honored as The Chronicle of the Horse’s Show Jumping Horse of the Year in 2010. Cedric was formally retired at age 19 in a ceremony in Wellington in 2017.

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame was organized to promote the sport of show jumping and to immortalize the legends of the men, women and horses who have made great contributions to the sport. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Plaques honoring those who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame can be seen at the Horse Park’s Rolex Stadium. Mementos and artifacts from the sport’s history are on display as part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame collection at the United States Hunter Jumper Association Wheeler Museum at the Horse Park.    

For more information about the Show Jumping Hall of Fame, including the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, please visit the Show Jumping Hall of Fame website at www.ShowJumpingHallofFame.net.