ShowBiz Feature
Hap Hansen With 99 Grand Prix wins to his credit, Hap stands among the
most elite riders in the history of this sport and is an excel- lent representation of the west coast. In addition to his long list of Grand Prix victories that place him among the top five winners all-time, Hap is also a veteran of twelve FEI World Cup Finals and two dozen Nations’ Cups. He has won the FEI World Cup USA West Coast League seven times and earned a dozen leading rider titles at top shows from Spruce Meadows to Harrisburg. Hap placed in the top ten at the FEI World Cup Final twice,
and was the top placing U.S. rider at the 1988 Final in Gothen- burg, Sweden and the 1985 Final in Berlin. He won the 1982 Rolex Crown of Excellence and was hon-
ored as the American Grandprix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year in 1990. His victories span three decades and nearly every continent, making him one of America’s most accom- plished show jumping riders. He was named the National Grand Prix League Western Con- ference Rider of the Year in both 1991 and 1992 and the AHSA honored him with its Equestrian of the Year Award in 1994. He was awarded the California Professional Horsemen’s Asso- ciation (CPHA) Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997, and has been named the Pacific Coast Rider of the Year seven times. In addition to being a dominant force on the West Coast
Grand Prix circuit, Hap has represented the U.S. Internationally many times including at shows at Hickstead, Arnhem, Aachen and Spruce Meadows. He has been the North American Show Jumping Champion at Spruce Meadows three times, and is a member of the Spruce Million Dollar Club, an honor limited to the few riders who have won over $1 Million in prize money at Spruce Meadows shows. Hap’s success in the show jumping arena also extends beyond
his personal show ring wins. He has served as chef d’equipe for over a dozen Zone 10 Gold Medal teams at the North American Young Riders Championships and Harrisburg Prix de States. Larry Langer Larry is best known as the President and CEO of Langer Equestrian Group, one of the country’s top horse show man- agement companies. Leading the many shows produced by LEG is the Los Angeles National, a show created by Langer that culminates the West Coast’s “A” circuit with Champion- ships, Medal Finals, and the LA National Grand Prix (CSI-W). His success in horse show management is predicated on a life-
time spent riding, training, and teaching. Milestones and achievements include being voted as the most influential person on the West Coast horse show industry in the past 25 years by a Horses Magazine reader’s poll (1988), and receiving the California Professional Horsemen’s Associa- tion’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2008). He also served as the Show Jumping Competition Manager of the 1996 Olym- pics (Atlanta) and of the 1992 FEI World Cup Finals (Del Mar, CA). For more than 25 years he has served on the USEF Jumper Committee, most recently as Co-Chairman. He was influential in a complete evaluation and re-write of the jumper rules, and he was part of a small group who redesigned the jumper judges’ clinics. He also holds both jumper judge and steward licenses with the USEF and the FEI. Larry has served on various boards and committees includ-
ing the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Board of Directors since its inception, the USEF Board of Directors, and as president of the National Hunter Jumper Council, the precursor to the USHJA on whose board he currently serves. In addition, Larry serves on the USEF Competition Management, Planning, and Legislative Committees and has served as either president or chairman of every major organization in California. Addition- ally, he and his management team have served as the Compe- tition Management for the North American Junior & Young Rider Championships three times, most recently in 2008, at Colorado. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum was estab-
lished in 1987 and formally opened in 1989. It was organized to promote the sport of show jumping and to immortalize the legends of the men, women and horses that have made great contributions to the sport. Hap and Larry join several other west coast personalities previously inducted in the Show Jump- ing Hall of Fame:
Jimmy Williams, Kathy Kusner, Barbara Worth Oakford, J. Russell Stewart, Sr. and Marcia "Mousie" Williams
Plaques honoring those who have been honored with induc-
tion into the Hall of Fame can be seen at the Horse Park's Rolex Stadium, at the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Kentucky. For more information about the Show Jumping Hall of Fame, please visit the Show Jumping Hall of Fame website at www.
showjumpinghalloffame.net.
Hap Hansen
Jane Clark
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Larry Langer
Gabor Foltenyi
Photo © James Leslie Parker
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