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Fiona Baan

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Fiona Baan
A white woman with blond hair and light eyes
Fiona Baan, from a posthumous tribute published online in 2019
Born
Fiona Valerie Fulton

December 21, 1938
Scotland, U.K.
DiedJune 19, 1994
Chester, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationEquestrian sports administrator

Fiona Valerie Fulton Baan (December 21, 1938 – June 19, 1994) was a Scottish-born American equestrian sports administrator. She was the dressage and driving trainer, manager, and director of the United States Equestrian Team (USET) from 1976 to 1994.

Early life and education

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Fiona Fulton was born in Scotland, the daughter of James F. Fulton and Edith Agnes Chandler.[1] She became an accomplished horsewoman in the Cotswolds.[2]

Career

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Baan worked in the hotel industry as a young woman, and traveled internationally in that work. In 1966 became secretary with the United States Equestrian Team, based in New Jersey.[3][4] She competed in local horse shows in the 1960s and 1970s.[5]

Baan managed and directed the dressage and driving programs of the United States Equestrian Team from 1976 into 1994.[3][6][7] She prepared the athletes and horses for national and international events, including six Summer Olympic Games. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the American team she directed won a bronze medal in dressage.[2] She judged and organized competitions and training programs at the national and international levels.[8][9] She also taught dressage clinics.[10] Although ill, she continued working at the USET until the last weeks before her death in 1994.[11]

Personal life and legacy

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Fulton married Laszlo (Leslie Baan) in 1963, in New Jersey; they had a daughter, Natalie. Baan died in 1994, at the age of 55, from cancer, at her home in Chester, New Jersey.[2] One obituary called her "the grand dame of dressage."[11] The Fiona Baan “Pursuit of Excellence” Memorial Trophy is given annually at the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.[12] In 2008, she was posthumously inducted into the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame.[7][13]

References

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  1. ^ Birth year, death year, parents' names confirmed in the U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, via Ancestry.
  2. ^ a b c Saxon, Wolfgang (1994-06-22). "Fiona Baan, 55, Trainer for Equestrian Team". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  3. ^ a b "Equestrian Heaven: A Day in the Life of Hamilton Farm". The Courier-News. 1993-10-07. pp. 72, 75. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Stan, Dorothy (1979-01-18). "Gelding Aided After Fall". Bernardsville News. p. 17. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Mrs. Baan Takes Horse Show Event". The Courier-News. 1970-05-11. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-09-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Festival of Champions Opens Thursday/Dennis Lyons". The Courier-News. 1991-06-09. p. 47. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  7. ^ a b Hall of Fame Inductees: Fiona Baan, United States Dressage Federation.
  8. ^ "American Dressage Legends: Fiona Baan". 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  9. ^ Finocchio, Paula J. (1990-02-02). "Equestrian Seminar Features Best in U.S." The Orlando Sentinel. p. 27. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Newman, Arlene (1984-03-14). "Mastriano challenges for trainer of the year". Asbury Park Press. p. 54. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b Degutis, Nancy (1994-06-26). "USET's Baan devoted to true love until end". Daily Record. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-09-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Fiona Baan “Pursuit of Excellence” Memorial Trophy, United States Dressage Federation.
  13. ^ Creech, Ross (September 4, 2008). "United States Dressage Federation Announces Robert Dover and Fiona Baan as 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees". US Equestrian. Retrieved 2023-09-06.