Carol Lavell, a renowned international dressage athlete, trainer, and instructor, passed away on March 27, 2023, at her home in Fairview, N.C., at age 79.

Lavell was a frequent U.S. Dressage Team member from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. With the Hanoverian gelding Gifted, Lavell led the U.S. team to team bronze at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The pair were part of the U.S. dressage teams for the inaugural FEI World Equestrian Games in Stockholm in 1990 and again four years later in The Hague, where the U.S. team won bronze. She was nominated for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1990 and 1992 and was the USEF Equestrian of the Year in 1992.

Although her long and successful partnership with Gifted is what Lavell is most remembered for in the dressage community, she was successful on the world stage with other horses as well. In 1987, she helped secure team silver at the Pan American Games with In the Black and team gold at the Santo Domingo 2003 Pan American Games with Much Ado.

Prior to pursuing a professional career as an equestrian, Lavell had earned a degree in Physics and taught high school science. Her background as an educator extended to her involvement in dressage, where she was a sought-after instructor and clinician.

Lavell supported initiatives to elevate the sport of dressage in the U.S. and give American dressage riders access to training opportunities. In 2009, she established the $25,000 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize, awarded annually through The Dressage Foundation to athletes aiming to reach the high-performance level. The Gifted Memorial Fund for Adult Amateurs provides grants to adult amateurs to pursue an extended training opportunity different from their normal training routine.

Lavell made significant contributions to equestrian sport as a rider, trainer, teacher, judge, and supporter, which will be remembered for years to come.