St. Lawrence University Athletics

One of the only four-time qualifiers for open competition in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association national championship show, Audrey Sparre was the 1978 IHSA Champion in Open Horsemanship over Fences.

Consistently among the high point riders in the region during her intercollegiate career, Audrey was the only open champion for the Saints prior to 2000 and at the time of induction is the only SLU rider to win an open over fences class at nationals. She was a member of the 1976 IHSA Cartier Cup team which was the second team in program history to win a national team title, and a key contributor to the 1977 team which repeated as national champions.

Audrey was the only SLU individual qualifier and was regional champion in both open on the flat and open over fences as a freshman and was the top open over fences rider in the region in 1976. She continued to dominate the open class in her junior year, again qualifying for nationals in both flat and fences competition and was regional high point rider as a senior in 1978.

Following graduation, Audrey went to work for Outward Bound USA. In later years she earned a master’s degree in family therapy. She is now the Vice President and Chief of Operations for Homes with Hope in Westport, CT. She has previously served as the director of a juvenile detention facility and worked for a number of years as a family therapist, casework and substance abuse counselor.

While horseback riding remains Audrey’s favorite contact sport and her professional career is a sustaining vocation, she cites the most significant and rewarding measure of her life as raising her daughter, Else, 25.