The Show Jumping Hall of Fame held its annual induction ceremony on Friday, April 3, during the $200,000 American Invitational during the The Longines Global Champions Tour in Miami. The three honored as the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame’s newest inductees were Major General Guy V. Henry Jr., Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr., and the horse I Love You, making a total of 84 horses, riders and officials who have been inducted into the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame since it was established in 1987.

The ceremony took place prior to the start of the American Invitational, with Chrystine Tauber and Mason Phelps presenting on behalf of the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame Board of Directors. Fitz Dixon’s daughter, Ellin, along with her husband Bruce and Karen Golding, who took care of Mr. Dixon’s horses for many years and is a Hall of Fame inductee herself, were present to take part in the ceremony on behalf of Mr. Dixon. Philip Richter, who along with his mother Judy was closely associated with I Love You and Norman Dello Joio, took part on their behalf.

Major General Guy V. Henry Jr.

Major General Guy V. Henry Jr. was a leader of equestrian sport for decades. An 1898 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a career Cavalry officer in the U.S. Army, Henry was director of equitation at the U.S. Military Academy, chief of the U.S. Cavalry, and commandant of the U.S. Cavalry School.

He was the first U.S. Army officer to attend the French Cavalry School at Saumur, and he developed the equitation curriculum at the Mounted Service School at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Henry organized the U.S. Team for the 1912 Olympic Games in Sweden, the first Olympics to include modern equestrian competition. He also competed in all three disciplines in those Games, winning a team bronze medal in the three-day event and helping the U.S. team to a fourth-placed finish in show jumping. Henry was director of equestrian activities at the 1932 Olympics and was chef d’equipe for the 1936 and 1948 U.S. Olympic equestrian teams. He also served as a judge at the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games as well as at other international competitions.

He was a director of both the American Horse Shows Association and the U.S. Equestrian Team in their formative years and also of the National Horse Show. He served as both vice-president and president of the FEI and remains the only American to have served as FEI president.

Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr.

Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. was an avid horseman and philanthropist who left an indelible mark in equestrian sports. A major supporter of the Devon Horse Show and USET, Dixon was the owner of some of show jumping’s greatest horses. Dixon was most identified with rider Michael Matz and the legendary show jumper, Jet Run.

Jet Run carried Matz to team and individual bronze medals at the 1978 World Championships and to team and individual gold medals at the 1979 Pan American Games. They also paired to win the 1981 World Cup Final in Birmingham, England, and were part of several winning Nations’ Cup teams.

At home, Jet Run carried Matz to many wins and was the American Grandprix Association Horse of the Year in 1981. Jet Run was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1996. Dixon was also the owner of Rhum IV, a Selle Francais ridden by Matz to several Grand Prix wins and as part of the U.S. silver medal team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Dixon was on the board of the Devon Horse Show (Pa.) and was closely associated with the American Gold Cup when it was held at Devon’s show grounds.

He helped raise funds to assure the future of Devon and its famed show grounds and in 1990 Devon’s main ring was renamed “The Dixon Oval” in his honor.  

Throughout his life Dixon, a member of the Jockey Club, was involved with the breeding of Thoroughbreds. Many of his horses went on to great success on the track.

Well known as owner or part-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, Flyers and Phillies, Dixon served as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, National Steeplechase and Hunt Association, and Horseman’s Benevolent and Protective Association as well as organizations such as the Fairmount Park Commission, Philadelphia Art Commission and Delaware River Port Authority. 

Dixon and his wife, Edith, had two children, a son George and a daughter Ellin, who made her own mark in dressage where she won the USDF Grand Prix National Championship in 1981 and was a member of the 1982 World Championship team and 1987 silver Medal Pan American Games team. She also served as USDF president.  

I Love You

I Love You, the striking bay Selle Français stallion, represented the United States in international competition throughout the 1980s, achieving outstanding success with rider Norman Dello Joio. I Love You carried Dello Joio to impressive wins both in the U.S. and internationally. The highlight of his career came in 1983 when he carried Dello Joio to the championship in the FEI World Cup Final in Vienna, Austria.

The following year, the duo narrowly missed becoming the first World Cup champions to successfully defend their title when they finished second by just one fault at the 1984 Final in Gothenburg, Sweden. I Love You’s successful career included winning several other major events including the du Maurier International at the Spruce Meadows Masters in Calgary, the President’s Cup at the Washington International Horse Show, the Grand Prix De Penn National at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, and the Dunhill World Cup Grand Prix at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto where he also carried Dello Joio to the horse show’s Leading Rider Award.

I Love You and Dello Joio were part of winning Nations’ Cup teams at Washington, New York, Toronto and Spruce Meadows. In 1984, I Love You and Dello Joio turned in consistently strong performances in the USET Olympic trials and were named as alternates to the talented team that went on to win the Gold Medal.

Following his retirement as an active competitor, I Love You became a distinguished breeding stallion in France, where he lived out the remainder of his days.

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum is located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. Further information is available online at ShowJumpingHallofFame.net.