© kovop58 / Shutterstock.com
Equestrian sports have been part of the Olympic Games for more than 100 years. Dressage, showjumping and eventing were first introduced in 1912 at the Stockholm Games. However, equestrian sports are nothing new. In fact, they made their debut in Olympia, Greece, at the Ancient Olympics, which began in 776 BC! This is the only Olympic sport that involves an animal and is one of a small number of sports where both men and women compete against each other on equal footing. Memorable moments Over the years, equestrian sports have produced some memorable and heroic moments. One of the most famous Olympic tales is that of Hans Günter Winkler and Halla in 1956. Born in March 1945, Halla was a steeplechase racehorse originally. She was then sent to be a military horse, but she rallied against the training and most people didn't see any future for her. Winkler, a renowned German showjumper, took her on and gave her more freedom in her training. His approach worked wonders. He realised dressage was too disciplined for Halla, so decided against training her for eventing. They went to the 1956 Olympics together in Stockholm, but as they completed their debut in the showjumping, Winkler experienced terrible groin pain as they went over the penultimate jump. He lost control and Halla slammed into the jump. Winkler fell unconscious and had to be carried off his horse. He was diagnosed as having suffered a hernia and the team doctor told him not to ride again, but he said he must. After having a painkilling injection, Winkler again rode Halla into the Olympic arena. Afterwards, he said it was as if Halla sensed something was wrong. He always described her as a "genius". She soared over every fence and Winkler defied the pain to win a gold medal on his trusty mare, whom everyone had lost faith in before the Games. Afterwards, he spoke of the close bond that developed between riders and their horses - sentiments that are echoed by all riders. "We become very close to these animals and I have great respect for what they do for us," he said in an interview. "They become part of our family." Britain's golden era The 1960s and '70s are generally considered to be a golden era for British showjumping. Many of the riders in those days were household names such as David Broome, Harvey Smith and Nick Skelton. Broome, of Cardiff, Wales, won the individual bronze showjumping medal in 1960 in Rome on Sunsalve. He also won the bronze in 1968 in Mexico on his most famous horse, Mister Softee. One of the most famous British showjumping partnerships, Marion Coakes and Stroller were legendary. Stroller was considerably smaller than his fellow competitors, but this didn't hold him back. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico; Coakes, a farmer's daughter from Hampshire, won a silver medal, thanks to Stroller's spectacular show jumping skills. Imported from Ireland, he was only a tiny 14.1 hh, compared with the gold medal winner, US rider Bill Steinhraus' horse, Snowbound, who was 16.1 hh. Stroller soared over the jumps with ease, even though he was 16 years old by this time. Coakes had ridden him since he was eight years old and her father thought he should retire. However, Stroller showed no signs of his age, as he powered to a silver medal victory. Modern-day Olympians While British show jumping's heyday began more than 50 years ago, today's modern equestrians in Team GB are enjoying massive success in this summer's Tokyo Olympics. The medals just seem to keep coming! The gold medal in individual show jumping went to Ben Maher and Explosion, while Team GB won the eventing gold, ending a 49-year drought. The three-day eventing team comprised of debutants Tom McEwen, Oliver Townend and Laura Collett. The last time the British equestrian team won the three-day eventing gold was back in 1972 at the Olympic Games in Munich. McEwen went on to win individual silver in eventing, while the British team won a bronze medal in the Grand Prix special dressage event. Charlotte Dujardin on Gio won a stunning individual bronze in the dressage, becoming the first British woman to win six Olympic medals. This means she has won three gold medals, one silver and two bronze over three Olympic appearances. Team GB's equestrian team is no stranger to success. In 2018, the British Eventing Team set a new world record at Tryon 2018, the World Equestrian Games, winning with an overall team score of 88.8. Triumphant team The eventing team's success was a tale of triumph over adversity. Collett, 31, suffered a near-fatal fall eight years ago. At the age of 23, she fell while competing at Tweseldown and was critically injured. She lost sight in her right eye, broke several ribs and suffered a punctured lung; yet she has battled back to be part of the Tokyo 2020 winning eventing team, riding London 52. McEwen, 30, on Toledo De Kerser, was on the European young rider eventing team in 2010 and again in 2011. Two years ago, he won the Etoiles de Pau championship, riding the same horse. Townend, 38, from Huddersfield, riding Ballaghmor Class, is the number one eventing rider, who rode in the European Eventing Championships at the age of only 13. He says the team wants to stay together to compete in the next Olympics in Paris in 2024. They have a definite rapport and have discussed what they can achieve together, so watch this space. Griggs Equestrian would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Team GB’s horses and riders. We wish the Jumping Team all the very best for the weekend. Go get ‘em, Team GB!We use cookies to make your experience better. To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.