This week show jumping fans have been discussing whether the member of jump crew standing in the track of the Nations Cup course interfered with Cian O’Connor’s round during the FEI European Championships (Germany). In the discussion, it came up that 22 years ago U.S. show jumper Susie Hutchison faced a dramatic encounter with jump crew on course—coincidentally also at the 11th fence on course.
In the early 1990s, Susie Hutchison and Samsung Woodstock were a force to be reckoned with. Their many grand prix wins helped earn Hutchison 1992 Chronicle of the Horse Show Jumping Horseman of the Year honors, and there’s one round in particular she’ll never forget.
Hutchison’s trip to the 1993 Volvo FEI World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden, started out well. But in the third round she ran into some unexpected trouble, as reported in the April 30, 1993 issue of the Chronicle:
The 17 fences for the final day’s first round course created a labyrinth of jumps and plants. The difficulty of navigating through the maze might be a legitimate excuse for the jump crew members who botched Hutchison and Samsung Woodstock’s round. Sitting in fourth place, the 14-year-old Westphalian made a serpentine down the centerline through the jungle to fences 9, 10 and 11. As the pair swung right to fence 11, they were greeted by two warm bodies standing directly in front of the fence.
“The line came up so fast, by the time I turned and realized there was a tall person on one side and a shorter guy on the other, I didn’t really have time to think. They were directly in front of the gate,” said Hutchison, 1992 champion of the American Grandprix Association. “I didn’t know what to do—I have a tendency to just go no matter what. They didn’t move and luckily [Woodstock] was smart enough to stop. I just turned around and just jumped it. I was really proud of him for coming back and doing it.”
The two finished clear and Hutchison, in her fourth World Cup performance in Gothenbug, left the ring with a smile of bewilderment and good sportsmanship. A fidgety Chapot and booing crowd were ready to take vocal action, but the jury’s decision not to penalize her was met with great approval. The predominantly Swedish crowd, that affectionately refer to Hutchison as the Swedish Indian because of her bridle without a headstall, gave a welcoming chant as she entered the ring for the last round.
Check out the video of that round here:
ADVERTISEMENT
“In my heart I knew he’d jumped a fabulous round,” recalled Hutchison. “Robert Ridland was there, and he and Frank Chapot were already running toward the jury when I was leaving the ring—plus I had the audience on my side. I think there would have been a riot if they’d made a different decision.”
Woodstock pulled a single rail in the final round, finishing overall fourth in that year’s World Cup Final. Two other U.S. riders finished in the top five that year: Michael Matz and Rhum IV claimed third, and Beezie Patton (now Madden) finished fifth with French Rapture.
Woodstock was a crowd favorite because of his unconventional tack: he competed in just a bit with reins attached to it, thanks to trainer Jimmy Williams who helped Hutchison turn the tough horse into a winning ride.
“Jimmy Williams was noted for having odd bridles,” said Hutchison. “Any bridle probably would have worked. This one drew attention to him and to Jimmy, and he went well in it.”
Hutchison and Woodstock went on to represent the United States at the 1994 World Championships the following year in The Hague, the Netherlands. They were on track for a clear round in the Nations Cup when Woodstock bowed a tendon during the last line on course. Hutchison rehabbed him and he returned to competition, winning the grand prix at the Los Angeles National in 1997.
Hutchison referred to “Woody” as her horse of a lifetime, and after he retired he lived in her backyard in Temecula, Calif., until his death in 2006. He’s buried on her farm.
