Show Jumping Hall of Famers in attendance at
this year’s Induction Gala included
(front, l-r): Leslie Howard, Margie Engle, Beezie Madden, Anne Kursinski, Mary Chapot, Melanie Smith Taylor, Jane Forbes Clark; (rear, l-r): David Distler, Michael Matz, Peter Doubleday, Robert Ridland, Anthony D’Ambrosio, Katie Prudent, Linda Allen, Danny Marks © Kind Media
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame, organized to promote the sport of show jumping and to immortalize the legends of the men, women and horses who have made great contributions to the sport, was established in 1987 and formally opened in 1989.
The Hall of Fame is located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, where plaques honoring those who have been honored with induction into the Hall of Fame can be seen at the Horse Park’s Rolex Stadium and mementos and artifacts from the sport’s history are on display as part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame collection at the United States Hunter Jumper Association’s (USHJA) Wheeler Museum.
An Overview of the History of Show Jumping
By William Steinkraus
Show Jumping Hall of Fame class of 1987
Halls of fame, whether physical or virtual, exist to celebrate the accomplishments of certain individuals associated with some particular activity. In this case, the activity is show jumping, and those recognized by the Show Jumping Hall of Fame have played a variety of different roles in it, and in different eras. Younger people entering the sport and those who have never been exposed to it usually have no idea of where show jumping came from, how it evolved, or who contributed importantly to its historical development. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame at Lexington, KY was created to address this need, and these words attempt to provide context for the individual elected members’ plaques by furnishing some essential background facts.