Torrance Watkins (born July 30, 1949) is an American

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

and Olympic champion. Formerly known as Torrance Fleischmann, she won a team gold medal in

eventing Eventing (also known as three day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combine and compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. Thi ...

at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and finished 4th in the individual contest.

Early years

Watkins is the daughter of August and Torrance Watkins (Sr.); she has three brothers: Richardson, Thornton, and August Jr. Her family was full of horsemen, many of them foxhunters, and she began riding to the hounds at the age of four. She then lived in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

during her teenage years, and graduated from the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

International accomplishments

Watkins made her international debut in the 1970s, and her career spanned into the 1990s. Her two most famous horses include the

pinto Pinto is a Portuguese language, Portuguese, Spanish language, Spanish, Sephardi Jews, Jewish (Sephardic), and Italian language, Italian surname. It is a high-frequency surname in all List of countries and territories where Portuguese is an officia ...

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

Poltroon Poltroon was an event horse ridden by American rider Torrance Watkins Torrance Watkins (born July 30, 1949) is an American equestrian and Olympic champion. Formerly known as Torrance Fleischmann, she won a team gold medal in eventing at ...

, and the ex-racehorse Finvarra. Her accomplishments include:

1978

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

team silver

1979

* USCTA Leading Lady

1980

* USCTA Rider of the Year * USCTA Leading Lady * Qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but did not compete due to the U.S. Olympic Committee's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. She was one of 461 athletes to receive a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

instead. *

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...

Olympic Games, individual bronze, making her the first woman to win a medal in the sport * Winner of the Modified Advanced division at the

Rolex Kentucky Three Day The Kentucky Three-Day Event, currently the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event due to sponsorship, is an eventing competition held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Land Rover Kentucky is a CCI5*-L eventing competition. Five st ...

1982

team bronze

1983

* USCTA Leading Lady

1984

* USCTA Leading Lady * Los Angeles Olympic Games, team gold, fourth place individually, only US rider to have a double-clear cross-country and stadium round

1985

* USCTA Leading Lady

1986

* Part of the

USET The United States Equestrian Team (USET) refers to the American national teams in Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines of horse sport. US Equestrian, the governing body of horse sport in the United States, selects, trains and funds the teams. The O ...

team

2003

* First woman to be inducted into the US Eventing Hall of Fame

Other notable accomplishments

Watkins finished second at the

Burghley Horse Trials The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is an annual three-day event held at Burghley House near Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, currently in early September. Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is classified by the FEI as one of the six leading th ...

and fourth at the

Badminton Horse Trials The Badminton Horse Trials is a eventing, five-day event, one of only six annual Concours Complet International, Concours Complet International (CCI) Five Star events as classified by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, Fédér ...

. She is a licensed course designer, having designed such courses as the CDCTA 3-Day and Intermediate Horse Trials, and the GMHA Preliminary and Intermediate Horse Trial courses. She also organized the Over the Walls Horse Trials for five years at Great Meadowbrook Farm, which was a CIC*** World Cup qualifier in 2004 and was used as a selection trial for Canadian and U.S. Equestrian Teams for the Olympic and World Equestrian Games.

Personal life

Watkins married Charles Fleischmann in February 1981; she competed under his last name in the 1984 Olympics. In 1988 Watkins lost four of her champion horses, including Curragh and Poltroon in a horrific barn fire. She lost most of her competition ribbons, cups and trophies as well as her 1984 Olympic 3-day event medal. In June 1995, Watkins and her partner Erik Fleming purchased a property in

Hardwick, Massachusetts Hardwick is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, about west of the city of Worcester. It had a population of 2,667 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Hardwick, Gilbertville, Wheelwright and Old Furnace. Hist ...

, which they named Morningfield Farm. The couple later acquired three adjacent parcels of land. In 1998, they bought a farm which they called Great Meadowbrook.

Sources

US Eventing Hall of Fame Inductees

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Torrance 1949 births Living people American event riders Equestrians at the 1984 Summer Olympics American female equestrians Olympic gold medalists for the United States in equestrian Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Congressional Gold Medal recipients 21st-century American women