Leslie Burr
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Leslie Burr-Howard (born October 1, 1956) is an American
equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...
and an Olympic champion in showjumping. She won team gold at the
1984 Los Angeles Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...
and team silver at the
1996 Atlanta Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
, as well as team silver at the 1999 Winnipeg
Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...
.


Early life

Leslie Burr-Howard was born Leslie Michele Burr on October 1, 1956, in
Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...
. She competed in her first show when she was 6 years old. She won the 1972 ASPCA Maclay Finals as a junior rider.


Career

She won a gold medal in
show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...
with the American team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles riding Albany, and a silver medal in 1996 aboard the Dutch warmblood mare Extreme. Burr-Howard is also well known as the second of the three primary riders for the legendary showjumper Gem Twist. She helped the horse earn the AGA Horse of the Year title, which was for a third time, and was a record. In 1994, she represented the United States in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
for the
FEI World Equestrian Games The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and are administered by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive S ...
. She also rode
Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ''chari ...
and Gem Twist in the
United States Equestrian Team The United States Equestrian Team (USET) refers to the American national teams in Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines of horse sport. US Equestrian, the governing body of horse sport in the United States, selects, trains and funds the teams. The O ...
(USET) Show Jumping Championship at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions in
Gladstone, New Jersey Gladstone is an unincorporated community located within Peapack-Gladstone in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07934. There were 12 riders who contributed to the USET's win in the 1997 inaugural Samsung Nations' Cup Series, which culminated at
Spruce Meadows Spruce Meadows is a multi-purpose sports facility near Calgary, Alberta built by the Southern family which opened in 1975. The facility contains an equestrian show jumping complex that comprises . The current president and CEO of Spruce Me ...
,
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
, in Canada. Burr-Howard was one of the 12 riders. Burr-Howard won the richest Grand Prix event, the $1 Million CN International Grand Prix (formerly known as the du Maurier Limited International Grand Prix). In 1999, in
Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, Canada, Burr-Howard assisted USET in winning the team silver medal at the Pan American Games. In 2000, Burr-Howard competed in the USA East Coast World Cup League and come out on top. She also competed in the United States Equestrian Team Region 1 Show Jumping Championship, winning for a second consecutive time. She competed at the Royal Horse Show in
Toronto, Canada Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
and earned the Leading Rider award.


Honors

* 1983 American Grandprix Association Rider of the Year * 1986 American Horse Show Association Equestrian of the Year * 1997 Whitney Stone Cup by USET * 2018 Pennsylvania National Horse Show Hall of Fame


Personal

Burr-Howard currently splits her time between
Newtown, Connecticut Newtown ( ) is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Greater Danbury area as well as the New York metropolitan area. Newtown was founded in 1705, and later incorporated in 1711. As of the 2020 census, its p ...
and
Wellington, Florida Wellington is a village west of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and north of Miami. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area and the fifth largest municipality in Palm Beach County by population. As of the 2020 census, the village had a po ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burr Howard, Leslie 1956 births Living people People from Westport, Connecticut People from Newtown, Connecticut American female equestrians Olympic gold medalists for the United States in equestrian Equestrians at the 1984 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in equestrian Equestrians at the 1983 Pan American Games Equestrians at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in equestrian 20th-century American sportswomen