Lis Hartel (March 14, 1921 – February 12, 2009) was an Olympic equestrian competitor from

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

.OBITUARIES / PASSINGS / Lis Hartel - Los Angeles Times
/ref> At the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, Hartel was one of four women who were the first to compete in modern

equestrian sports Equestrian sports are sports that use horses as a main part of the sport. This usually takes the form of the rider being on the horse's back, or the horses pulling some sort of horse-drawn vehicle. General * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

, also including Ida von Nagel, representing

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

; Elsa Christophersen, from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

; and Marjorie Haines, from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Hartel became the first female equestrian to win a medal in individual

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

History

Lis Holst was born on 14 March 1921 to

equestrians Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

Ejnar Peter Holst and Else Harriet Holst (née Schmidt), in the coastal town of

Hellerup Hellerup () is a very affluent district of Gentofte Municipality in the suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. The most urban part of the district is centred on Strandvejen and is bordered by Østerbro to the south and the Øresund to the east. It compr ...

, just north of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. She was originally trained in

by her mother, Else Holst, but began to be coached by Danish Olympic trainer Gunnar Andersen when she became nationally competitive. She began in

at an early age alongside her sister, Tove Holst (later Jorck-Jorckston), but also competed 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 ...

as a teenager. By 1934, at the age of 13, Lis was competing extensively in dressage and show jumping competitions. She married Poul Finn Hartel on 23 March 1941; and, in 1942, their first daughter, Pernille "Pia" Hartel (later Siesbye), was born. Lis Hartel became the Danish

champion in 1943 and 1944.100 greatest Olympic moments: Rider blazes trail for polio victims , The Sunday Times
/ref> In September 1944, at age 23 and pregnant with her second child, Lis contracted

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

, which permanently paralyzed her below the knees, as well as affecting her arms and hands.Fields of Courage: The Bravest Chapters in Sport - Max Davidson - Google Books
/ref> Despite contracting polio while pregnant at the time, she bore a healthy daughter, Anne Hartel (later Værnet), in 1945.Reflections on Glory
/ref> Hartel was determined to continue her equestrian career despite medical advice otherwise, and in 1947 she finished second at the Scandinavian championships, although she had to be helped onto her horse when she rode.Lis Hartel, 87; equestrian won silver medals despite paralysis - The Boston Globe
/ref> Dressage at the Olympics was open only to commissioned military officers until 1952, and in that year Hartel was one of the first women to compete against men in an equestrian sport at the Olympics. Her silver medal in 1952 for Individual Dressage was the first by any woman in any individual sport when in direct competition with men at the Olympics, and she was also the Danish champion in dressage that year. She continued to be Danish champion in dressage in 1953, 1954, 1956 and 1959. In 1956, she also won another silver medal, this time at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia (the Equestrian Games of those Olympics were held in Stockholm because of Australian quarantine laws for horses).1956 Stockholm Equestrian Games , Olympics at Sports-Reference.com
/ref> After retiring from competitive riding, Hartel gave demonstrations, raising money for polio sufferers and supporting therapeutic riding for people with disabilities. The Lis Hartel Foundation in the Netherlands, named after her, offers such riding opportunities. In 1992 Hartel was inducted into Denmark's Hall of Fame, and in 2005 she was named one of Denmark's top 10 athletes of all time.

Horse

Lis Hartel primarily rode Jubilee, a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

/ Oldenburg cross mare owned by the Holst family, during the Olympic Games. The mare was bred in

in 1941 by Otto Viller Petersen, and was sired by the

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

Rockwood out of an imported Oldenburg mare of unknown pedigree. The mare was also not immediately a

prospect, based on her conformation, per Lis Hartel's daughter, Pernille Hartel-Siesbye: "Jubilee was neither noble nor beautiful, and she had a very long back. Later when being trained and well-muscled she looked better, but in the stable she remained a rather ordinary looking horse. Visitors who came to see the horse in the stall were often very surprised, and asked if this was really Jubilee."

Notes

References

External links

Brief Bio for Lis Hartel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartel, Lis 1921 births 2009 deaths Danish female equestrians Danish dressage riders Equestrians at the 1952 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1956 Summer Olympics Olympic equestrians for Denmark Olympic silver medalists for Denmark Olympic medalists in equestrian Danish sportswomen Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Gentofte Municipality