Bonnie Stedt, a lifelong member of the eventing community, passed away on September 5, Boyd Martin shared on his social media recently. Bonnie, an active competitor until 2016 and in possession of an eternally curious mind about the event horse and the sport, was also involved with breeding horses at her Fox Race Farm and helped form crucial cornerstones in Boyd’s career by taking on an ownership role.
“Along with her generous group of friends in Millbrook, she pushed me to find top horses, build syndicates, and chase the biggest goals—Olympics, World Equestrian Games, Pan Ams,” Boyd wrote in his tribute. “That Millbrook crew shaped my career, no question.”
Bonnie served as the Vice President of the Millbrook Hunt, but before she immersed herself fully in horses, she built a successful career as an executive businesswoman, often credited with being a glass ceiling breaker.
“Originally from Southern California, [Bonnie] began her business management career at I Magnins luxury department store in San Francisco in 1967,” the USEA wrote in their In Memoriam piece. “By the early 1970’s, she began career pathing up the ladder at Filene’s department store in Boston, Massachusetts. She was promoted often, ultimately to Vice President, Stores, and to the position of Senior Vice President, Personnel and Labor Relations.” She would go on to lead HR at American Express as its Executive Vice President for nearly a decade and a half.
“I’ll never forget the day I met Bonnie Stedt,” Boyd wrote. “Silva and I were brand-new to the U.S. and teaching a clinic at Fitch’s Corner Farm in Millbrook, NY. In one of the groups was a big Irish chestnut named Clancy Himself, ridden by a lady named Bonnie. The horse immediately caught my eye. He was clearing the training-level jumps by a good four feet and just about jumping Bonnie out of the tack. She asked me to hop on, and I was happy to give him a spin. Bonnie grabbed my attention just as quickly as the horse. She was loud, funny, and completely unapologetic. We hit it off straightaway. I had no idea then how big a role she’d play in my career as a friend and an incredible supporter.”
Boyd continued:
“A while later, after she’d sent a couple of horses for us to train, one of my working students recognized her name from a college case study about an American Express strike in South Korea. Turns out Bonnie had been Executive Vice President of HR for AmEx in New York. When the strike hit, she flew over, discovered some ugly workplace discrimination, and in 48 hours fired 32 people and got the office back on track. After hearing that story I nicknamed her ‘Machine Gun Bonnie,’ and it stuck.
Over the years she owned or co-owned a whole lineup of top horses with us: Neville Bardos, Otis Barbotiere, Shamwari, Luke 140, Trading Aces, Ray Price, Pancho Villa, Cagney Herself, Mac Himself, Fonz Himself, Quinn Himself, Miss Lulu Herself, Zoom, and plenty of homebreds from her Fox Race farm. When we lost the barn at True Prospect in the 2011 fire, Bonnie was one of the first to show up at our door, driving hours just to help in one of our darkest moments. Along with her generous group of friends in Millbrook, she pushed me to find top horses, build syndicates, and chase the biggest goals—Olympics, World Equestrian Games, Pan Ams. That Millbrook crew shaped my career, no question.
Bonnie passed away in her sleep at her home in Aiken, South Carolina. I’ll miss her terribly, but I’m glad she’s no longer in pain. She was one of a kind, tough as nails, straight-shooting, and incredibly generous. The sport, and my life, are better because of her.”
The EN team sends our gratitude for Bonnie’s everlasting love of the sport and to her family and loved ones for their loss.
