The Eight Time Olympian J. Michael Plumb J. Michael Plumb’s name is synonymous with three-day eventing. And winning. With over sixty years’ worth of Olympic, Pan American and World Championship medals to prove it, Plumb is without a doubt one of the most accomplished horsemen of the twentieth century. Paying tribute to father Charles Sr. and mother Mary, both avid equestrians who opened his eyes to the excitement of the horse world, he says he was riding before he could walk. Charles Sr. was a renowned foxhunter, steeplechase jockey and eventer in his own right, and Plumb was eager to follow in his father’s footsteps. He was quick to emulate the drive and commitment to excel that had served his father so well. It is this same drive and commitment to which he owes his decades of success. “Eventing was in its infancy back then, so I had a chance to grow with the sport. My father was my first coach and trainer, and he was a taskmaster. He drilled into me the importance of not only reaching but exceeding my goals. And to work very, very hard.” He also credits his parents with providing the many opportunities that kick-started his career. “They made sure I had the best trainers of the day, and that I always was in the right place at the right time,” which is exactly where he was in 1959. Creating a buzz at just 19 years old with an individual and team silver at the Pan American Games, he was destined to make the Olympic team the following year and the year after and the year after that. His final Olympic tour in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain, was his eighth, which to date has not been matched by any other U.S. equestrian competitor. Plumb has brought home an unprecedented three team silvers in three consecutive years, two team golds, and an individual silver. An individual and two team golds at the 1963 and 1967 Pan American Games, capped by winning team status at the World Championships in England in 1974 have collectively earned him a place of honor in both the U.S. Eventing Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, into which he was the first equestrian ever to be inducted. Today, Plumb is ensconced at JMP Farm in Southern Pines, where he now focuses on the next generation of eventers. With the conviction that he has more now to offer than ever, he instills in his students his long-established tradition of hard work and that need to strive for excellence. He also rides six to eight horses a day, a new hip notwithstanding. He says his philosophy is simple. “I teach by example. Whether I’m on the ground or on a horse, I insist that everything is done correctly; that there are no short cuts. For my beginner novice students, for instance, they must learn the fundamentals first — a good seat, good hands. That is what will get them to the next level.” For his advanced students, he encourages them to deepen their connection with their horses. “There’s a trust between horse and rider that has to be unshakable,” he stresses. Giving 100 percent to everything he does, it is typical of his fashion that he says that he can always do better. “Whether I’m riding or coaching I put in the absolute best, but I do a lot of thinking about how I can improve upon that. How I can make that little bit of difference that will reach that student or that horse or put the next lesson or training session over the top.” Even though he acknowledges there are some things that are not learned — an intangible, elusive quality, “a feeling” — he is adamant that that is not enough to go all the way. “Some people have great talent, but don’t amount to anything. It’s having a passion and commitment to do the work that will get you there. Once that’s established, the way I see it, my job is to provide the tools.” It is precisely his uncompromising pursuit of perfection that has led J. Michael Plumb to reach the highest heights, and what he now is so passionate to share with his students. It is what makes him J. Michael Plumb, after all. Looking back at his Olympic career, Plumb remarks upon his experience at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles partly because he won a team gold, but mainly because he was so proud of Blue Stone, a big gray Irish Sport Horse on whom he competed on behalf of Tim Clark, a prominent sponsor of the USET. “Blue Stone wasn’t fancy, but he was honest and true, and would jump through fire if you asked him to. Back in those days, we were able to bring the horses home with us to train, so I had him at Economy Farm for the season. When we got to Santa Anita, we were a distance from the main venue, so I missed much of the festivities, but to me it was business as usual, anyway. I don’t differentiate between events. It doesn’t matter to me if I’m competing at the highest level or at a local horse trial, I’m always trying to do my best.” PS
“It’s having a passion and commitment to do the work that will get you there.”
Photograph by Jeanne Paine PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2016
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