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University of Nevada, Reno A War Born Sport: the Evolution of Horse Show Jumping A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and the Honors Program by Arielle Krause Dr. Erin Stiles, Thesis Advisor Dr. Linda Curcio, Thesis Advisor May, 2012 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA THE HONORS PROGRAM RENO We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by Arielle Krause entitled A War Born Sport: the Evolution of Horse Show Jumping be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of BACHELOR OF ARTS, ANTHROPOLOGY ______________________________________________ Erin Stiles, Ph. D., Thesis Advisor ______________________________________________ Linda Curcio, Ph. D., Thesis Advisor ______________________________________________ Tamara Valentine, Ph. D., Director, Honors Program May, 2012 i Abstract Horse show jumping is largely a sport without a known history. There is not an official written history of the sport, but some riders were taught aspects of oral history about the sport. The lack of knowledge about show jumping’s history has inspired this project. This project will use written records and oral history to prove that the evolution of the sport of show jumping had its genesis in cavalry training for war, specifically that the Prussian cavalry’s training methods in the mid-18th century were the catalyst that led to the development of horse show jumping, the establishment of the sport in the mid-19th century, and the development of the modern sport in the early 20th century. The project also includes a discussion of the contemporary sport and the sport’s future in the words of twelve participants in the sport. ii Acknowledgements This project has been a group effort. I would like to thank the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Honors Undergraduate Research Award for the funding that allowed the research process to run smoothly. I would like to thank my advisors, Dr. Erin Stiles and Dr. Linda Curcio, for their numerous hours of editing, and for remaining patient with me throughout the writing process. Furthermore, I would like to thank Dr. Stiles and Dr. Curcio for allowing me to pursue this project despite its breadth. I would like to thank Dr. Tamara Valentine for gracefully guiding me through the Honors thesis process. I would like to thank every single one of the interviewees who took part in this project: Chrysann Collatos, Carol Dean-Porter, Joe Fargis, Nick Karazissis, Amy Lambiase, Jessica Lanski, Rudy Leone, Denise Montagne, Lynn Mullins, Sarah Mullins, Melanie Smith Taylor, and Julie Winkel. All of them are individuals who have impacted my view of show jumping. Lastly, I would like to thank the friends and family who provided the emotional support, particularly my mom, Ileana, my step father, Ed, my boyfriend, Devin, my grandma, Lila, and the Meadow View Farms family, without which this project would not have been possible. iii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................i Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................................... iii List of Illustrations ...................................................................................................................................... v Preface ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 4 PART 1: THE HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF SHOW JUMPING .............................................. 12 Chapter 1: A Historical Look at Jumping Horses ...................................................................................... 13 Ancient Times ........................................................................................................................................ 13 Middle Ages ........................................................................................................................................... 15 Post-Middle Ages ................................................................................................................................... 16 16th and 17th Century Cavalry Training ........................................................................................... 16 The Art of War and Manége Equitation .......................................................................................... 17 16th and 17th Century European Cavalries ....................................................................................... 21 The Prussian Cavalry prior to Frederick the Great .......................................................................... 23 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 24 Chapter 2: Frederick the Great .................................................................................................................. 25 Frederick’s Succession and the Wars for Silesia .................................................................................... 25 The Failure of the Prussian Cavalry ....................................................................................................... 27 Improving the Prussian Cavalry ............................................................................................................. 28 The Prussian Cavalry’s Success ............................................................................................................. 29 Frederick’s Training Program ................................................................................................................ 30 Prussian Hussars .................................................................................................................................... 34 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 34 Chapter 3: The Geographical Spread of Frederick the Great’s Ideology .................................................. 36 Italy ........................................................................................................................................................ 38 France ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 Britain..................................................................................................................................................... 42 United States .......................................................................................................................................... 45 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 47 Chapter 4: From the Cavalry to the Modern Olympics: the Development of Show Jumping ................... 49 The Early Sport ...................................................................................................................................... 49 Show Jumping and the Early Modern Olympics .................................................................................... 50 Captain Federico Caprilli and the Forward Seat .................................................................................... 52 The Early International Shows ............................................................................................................... 55 Development of the Contemporary Sport in Great Britain and the United States .................................. 56 Contemporary Show Jumping in the United States ................................................................................ 59 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 62 PART 2: SHOW JUMPING TODAY ....................................................................................................... 64 Chapter 5: Living History: Show Jumping Past and Present ..................................................................... 65 Chrysann Collatos .................................................................................................................................. 67 Show Jumping and the Cavalry......................................................................................................