Farewell to Julie Richards’ 2004 Olympic Partner Jacob Two Two

Heaven must have just posted the short list for its 2016 Olympic team because it has recruited yet another of our brightest old eventing stars.

Julie Richards had to make the tough call on her team bronze medal winning 2004 Olympic partner Jacob Two Two yesterday. The Canadian-bred OTTB was 28 and happily retired at Julie’s parents’ farm in Newnan, Georgia. Our hearts go out to Julie and all those whose lives this special horse touched.

“Jake” was a slight horse — just 15.2 or 15.3 hands — a phenomenal, catty jumper and considered by many to be one of the great American cross country horses of our time. He frolicked around courses with an expression of sheer joy on his face “like a kid on Christmas morning,” to quote from memory Jimmy Wofford in his 2004 Rolex preview for The Chronicle of the Horse.

Developed through the two-star level by Glynis Schultz and campaigned by Abigail Lufkin and Karen O’Connor as well, Jake met his match in Julie, whose lithe, gutsy cross country style melded perfectly with his own. While he could be a bit cheeky in the dressage, he was a true prodigy when it came time to run and jump.

Even after retiring from the upper levels Jake was happiest when in work. He was a giving tree of a horse, an Olympic veteran turned teacher who enjoyed showing young riders the ropes. Phillip Dutton’s stepdaughter Lee Lee competed him through Prelim in his late teens, a testament to his incredible toughness and longevity.

I am lucky to count myself among his pupils. I had the opportunity to further delay his retirement after he’d come home from his stint with Lee Lee in 2009 or 2010. I was at Julie’s farm for a lesson and squealed upon spotting him in his paddock. Having been Julie’s working student years before, she knew how much I admired him and generously offered me the ride.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and even today I find myself replaying the sensation of his spring-loaded jump over and over again in my mind.

Photo courtesy of Leslie Wylie.

Photo courtesy of Leslie Wylie.

We spent as much time playing around as we did indulging anything serious. Jake always had a mischievous glint in his eye and I happily signed on as his partner in crime. Julie just laughed when she heard about our latest party tricks, including but not limited to show-boating around courses without a bridle. Never without the saddle, though, as I surely would have bounced off!

The last time he entered a startbox, I may as well have been riding a 3-year-old the way he was bucking and rearing and carrying on. “Let me at it!” was his attitude toward both cross country and life.

Godspeed, Jacob Two Two. You’ll be missed.