Fiona Valerie Fulton Baan (December 21, 1938 – June 19, 1994) was a Scottish-born American equestrian sports administrator. She was the dressage and driving trainer, manager, and director of the United States Equestrian Team (USET) from 1976 to 1994.
Fiona Baan | |
|---|---|
 Fiona Baan, from a posthumous tribute published online in 2019 | |
| Born | Fiona Valerie Fulton December 21, 1938 Scotland, U.K. |
| Died | June 19, 1994 Chester, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Equestrian sports administrator |
Early life and education
editFiona Fulton was born in Scotland, the daughter of James F. Fulton and Edith Agnes Chandler.[1] She became an accomplished horsewoman in the Cotswolds.[2]
Career
editBaan worked in the hotel industry as a young woman, and traveled internationally in that work. In 1966 became secretary with the United States Equestrian Team, based in New Jersey.[3][4] She competed in local horse shows in the 1960s and 1970s.[5]
Baan managed and directed the dressage and driving programs of the United States Equestrian Team from 1976 into 1994.[3][6][7] She prepared the athletes and horses for national and international events, including six Summer Olympic Games. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the American team she directed won a bronze medal in dressage.[2] She judged and organized competitions and training programs at the national and international levels.[8][9] She also taught dressage clinics.[10] Although ill, she continued working at the USET until the last weeks before her death in 1994.[11]
Personal life and legacy
editFulton married Laszlo (Leslie Baan) in 1963, in New Jersey; they had a daughter, Natalie. Baan died in 1994, at the age of 55, from cancer, at her home in Chester, New Jersey.[2] One obituary called her "the grand dame of dressage."[11] The Fiona Baan “Pursuit of Excellence” Memorial Trophy is given annually at the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.[12] In 2008, she was posthumously inducted into the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame.[7][13]
References
edit- ^ Birth year, death year, parents' names confirmed in the U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, via Ancestry.
- ^ a b c Saxon, Wolfgang (1994-06-22). "Fiona Baan, 55, Trainer for Equestrian Team". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ a b "Equestrian Heaven: A Day in the Life of Hamilton Farm". The Courier-News. 1993-10-07. pp. 72, 75. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stan, Dorothy (1979-01-18). "Gelding Aided After Fall". Bernardsville News. p. 17. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mrs. Baan Takes Horse Show Event". The Courier-News. 1970-05-11. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-09-06 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Festival of Champions Opens Thursday/Dennis Lyons". The Courier-News. 1991-06-09. p. 47. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ a b Hall of Fame Inductees: Fiona Baan, United States Dressage Federation.
- ^ "American Dressage Legends: Fiona Baan". 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ Finocchio, Paula J. (1990-02-02). "Equestrian Seminar Features Best in U.S." The Orlando Sentinel. p. 27. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newman, Arlene (1984-03-14). "Mastriano challenges for trainer of the year". Asbury Park Press. p. 54. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Degutis, Nancy (1994-06-26). "USET's Baan devoted to true love until end". Daily Record. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Fiona Baan “Pursuit of Excellence” Memorial Trophy, United States Dressage Federation.
- ^ Creech, Ross (September 4, 2008). "United States Dressage Federation Announces Robert Dover and Fiona Baan as 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees". US Equestrian. Retrieved 2023-09-06.