Coker Farm Celebrates Legend Judy Richter

“This is hard,” US Olympic Bronze show jumping medalist Norman Dello Joio whispered before saying good-bye to trainer of champions, mentor to hopefuls, and legend Judy (nee Hofmann) Richter (June 22, 1939 – November 30, 2022) during a celebration of her life on a sunny afternoon after Mother’s Day in a grass field at Coker Farm in Bedford, NY.

Recalling how he would come up the driveway to find her lunging horses over big jumps he said, “Judy always gave a horse the freedom to jump well. She did that for people, too.” Speaking to her a final time, he added, “Nothing will diminish the goodness and simplicity of your efforts.”

Those who benefited from a life touched by her were given freedom to reminisce, cry, and laugh. For no one save but Judy Richter could, even in grief, inspire stories as laced with loyalty and horses as they were peppered in ribaldry and cuss words.?

With a dollop of satire her English-teacher-turned-riding-instructor could have appreciated, Sarah Kernochan reflected on how Judy came up with an idea to grant Sarah’s mother (a rider before polio struck) her wish to ride one more time: “She lashed Mom in the saddle – yes, I know how that sounds now – on the most bombproof and - just to be sure - sedated horse in the barn. Maybe a little too sure, because thank god (groom) Miguel pulled that horse’s head up when it started nodding out and before its knees buckled, with Mom still tied on. Judy dashed over and untied her and, while it wasn’t a very long ride, she did grant Mom’s wish. Judy always kept her promises.”

Richard Ten Dyke reflected on a champion who made champions and her ability to build confidence and give encouragement. “She remains with us in how she touched us, and we are the better for it,” he said, recalling how Judy would tell a tense competitor, “Just ride. You and your horse know what to do.”

Shaina Humphrey called her, “The original texter, with Post-It notes reading, ‘Fix hose. Barn flooding.’ And she critiqued my replies in red pen and signed JHR.” ?Recounting how the horsewoman once told her being in a coma (after a prior brush with death) was like a “one week vacation that went nowhere,” and cost her the sense of smell but, Shaina warmly mused, may have contributed to her success rescuing incontinent Golden Retrievers: “Judy got into heaven no problem. She proved her faith by saving animals and people.”

Her sons, Hans and Philip, proved themselves as brothers and as family. Referring to the readings – Robert Frost’s Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening and The Road Less Traveled - delivered earlier in the service by Judy’s granddaughters Maxine and Margot Richter, Hans spoke directly his mother: “You always said the world is best viewed through the ears of a horse. You took the road less traveled and that has made all the difference.”

Philip Richter began by thanking the team that created the digital Save The Date announcement released on social media and especially for selecting a 1984 photo of Judy galloping (“Helmetless,” he wryly noted) her favorite horse, Johnny’s Pocket, a foxhunter she found in Michigan: “This is a subtle work of art. It quietly embodies her.

“So if you’re going to celebrate a legend, make them tears of joy. Two months before she died, she walked the course and set the jumps with me at Old Salem Farm.” Now, on the kind of perfect spring day made for riding, he reflected how this service followed Mother’s Day. “Always honor yours if you’re lucky enough to still have her. I can’t do that anymore. But if you can, do it.”

With voice cracking, he closed the reflections with U2’s Kite: “I’m not afraid to die/I’m not afraid to live/and when I’m flat on my back/I hope to feel like I did.”