Horses Came First, Second and Last

Louis Jean 'Jack' Le Goff (1931-2009) was a French equestrian, best known as the coach of the American three-day eventing team from 1970 to 1984. He coached the team to multiple international championships, winning 18 international medals, including several in the Olympics.  Le Goff is known for having a large impact on the American eventing world, and the era in which he coached has been called the golden era for American equestrianism.  Prior to becoming an American coach, Le Goff served in the French Army and competed in three-day eventing for France. He rode in the 1960 Summer Olympics, winning a team bronze medal, and the 1964 Summer Olympics, where he did not win a medal. He subsequently acted as the coach for the French national team, winning multiple regional and international medals.  After retiring as the American coach, he acted as a consultant to the United States Equestrian Team (USET) for finding new riders, helped to coach the Canadian national team, and served as the director for the USET Training Center. He also served the Federation Equestre Internationale as an eventing judge, committee member and Olympic appeals judge. Jo Whitehouse retired in 2015 from the position of CEO of the United States Eventing Association, which she held for over twenty years.

Foreword by David O'ConnorPreface
Acknowledgements



Part 1: The Learning Years



1. Twenty Kilos is All!
2. A Horseman is Born
3. Making the Team!
4. And Off to War I went
5. Women and a Changing Sport



Part 2: The Coaching Years



6. The Best Laid Plans
7. Coming to America
8. I Meet the Queen and the US Team Becomes 'A Threat to be Reckoned With'
9. The System
10. 1975 Pan Am Games
11. The Road to Montreal
12. Might Tango
13. Badminton and Burghley and the Olympic Games - Oh My!
14. Luhmuhlen and Los Angeles
15. A new and Different Role



Part 3: The FEI Years



16. Judging
17. The FEI Three-Day Eventing Committee



Part 4: The Le Goff Philosophy



18. On Dressage
19. On Conditioning the Event Horse
20. On Preparing for Cross-Country
21. On Show Jumping
22. On the Riders
23. On Cross-Country Courses



Part 5: The Past and The Future



24. The Crossing of the Desert: The US Three-Day Event Team 1984-1996
25. Where the Sport is Going
26. What it Means to be a Coach, What it Means to be Disciplined



Afterword: Retirement, This Time for Good
Appendix 1: The Circle of Champions
Appendix 2: Lifetime Achievement Record of Jack Le Goff
Appendix 3: Development of the Olympic Eventing Format
Index