Multiple sources were reporting on Saturday evening that Harrison had passed away in Wellington, Florida after taking a medical leave of absence from his position as CEO of CSX Corp.
Harrison was a well known figure in the business world, and acted as both CEO of Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway during his decades long career. In 2002, he was named Railroader of the Year by Railway Age, and CEO of the Year in 2007 by the Globe & Mail.
In the equestrian world, Harrison was a widely known, admired and respected figure who was instrumental in the development of top show jumping sport in North America. CN has been a major sponsor of show jumping, most notably at Spruce Meadows where the CN International Grand Prix is part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.
It was the interest that Harrison’s daughter, Cayce Harrison had in riding as a child that led to the eventual formation of Double H Farm, a top level, international show jumping stable that has provided Olympic level horses for Rodrigo Pessoa, McLain Ward, and Harrison’s son in law, Quentin Judge. Double H Farm owns the current Longines FEI World Cup champion horse under Ward, HH Azur.
The HH horses have made their mark in show jumping throughout the last 15 years, and are prevalent in the sport at the top levels. While in recent years Cayce Harrison has operated Double H Farm from its two locations in Wellington, Florida and Ridgefield, Connecticut, Hunter Harrison was a constant and omnipresent figure in his show jumping operation, where he enjoyed taking part in the sport as a supportive owner and sponsor.
Our condolences and sympathy are with Cayce Harrison, Judge, Harrison’s wife Jeannine, and the many close friends and family members of one of the equestrian community’s most influential and memorable figures.
