Bruce Davidson (equestrian)
Encyclopedia
Bruce Oram Davidson (born December 31, 1949 in Rome, New York
) is an American
equestrian
who competes in the sport of eventing
. He grew up in a family uninterested in horses, but began to compete in Pony Club events after a family friend introduced him to horses. He began college at Iowa State University
, but left in his third year to train full-time with the United States Equestrian Team
. In 1974 he married, and his two children were born in 1976 and 1977. His son, Bruce Davidson, Jr., has followed in his footsteps to become a top eventing rider.
At 18, Davidson tried out for the United States eventing team and was accepted. He won his first medal as a member of the silver-medal-winning US team at the 1972 Summer Olympics
. After that, Davidson competed at the Olympics in 1976, 1984, 1988 and 1996, winning medals at most of them. He has also competed repeatedly at both the World Equestrian Games
and the Pan American Games
, winning medals at both, as well as winning repeatedly at the top-level Badminton Horse Trials
and Rolex Kentucky Three Day
events. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Davidson was a consistently top-level rider on both the American and international eventing scenes. He is also known for his horse breeding and training abilities.
when he was a child. A family friend introduced Davidson to horses, and he began attending Pony Club events. He bought, trained and sold horses until he found a championship horse in Irish Cap, the horse that took him to his first gold medal at the 1974 World Eventing Championship
. Davidson went to college at Iowa State University
with a veterinary
major, but left in his third year to train with the United States Equestrian Team
(USET).
In 1974, Davidson married Carol Hannum, a top rider and daughter of Nancy Hannum, who owns extensive property in Pennsylvania surrounding Davidson's Chesterland Farm. In 1976, Davidson's son, Bruce "Buck" Oram Davidson, Jr. was born, followed by a daughter, Nancy Fraser Davidson, in 1977. In 2006, Davidson's first grandson, Oram, was born to Nancy. Buck Davidson is also an internationally competitive event rider, competing in high-level events such as the Rolex Kentucky Three Day
along with his father.
In 2002, at a competition in Massachusetts
, Davidson's horse suffered a fall in what was considered a freak accident. The horse, High Scope, broke his neck and died instantly, while Davidson was taken to the intensive care unit at Massachusetts Memorial Hospital. After being treated for injuries, Davidson was released. In 2010, Davidson underwent surgery to repair herniated discs in his back, necessitating his sitting out that year's Rolex Three Day Event in Kentucky
.
.
Davidson won team eventing medals at Olympic Games
in 1972, 1976, 1984 and 1996, and also competed at the 1988 Games. In the 1972 Games
, at age 22, he took individual eighth, while the American team won silver. At the 1976 Summer Olympics
, the team won gold while Davidson came in tenth individually. In 1984
, Davidson, who finished 13th individually, was the lowest scoring member of the gold-medal-winning United States team. At the 1988 Games
, Davidson took 18th, while the American team did not finish the competition. In 1996
, Davidson did not compete as an individual, but the American team again took silver.
Outside of the Olympics, Davidson also competed repeatedly at the Eventing World Championships and the Pan-American Games. He took both an individual and a team gold at the 1974 World Championships, and another individual gold at the 1978 Championships. Davidson's victory at the 1974 Championships aboard Irish Cap made him the first American ever to win the event, and his win in 1978 aboard Might Tango
made him the first rider of any nationality to win back-to-back championships. In this event, the inexperienced Might Tango was Davidson's backup horse after Irish Cap went lame
, leading to a scenario which Sports Illustrated
likened to "a junior high school quarterback leading USC
to victory in the Rose Bowl
". Might Tango's inexperience led to increased tiredness and rumors that the activity made him go into shock
, but Davidson replied that the horse was just "very tired" and praised him for his stamina. The United States also took a team bronze at the 1978 championships. In 1990, Davidson took an individual bronze at the World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1998, Davidson competed at the World Equestrian Games in Rome
, where he took an individual 21st place, as well as helping the US to a team 4th.
At the 1975 Pan American Games
, he took both the individual and the team silver; he followed this up by an individual gold and a team silver at the 1995 Games
.
He has also ridden at the Badminton Horse Trials
, where he is one of only two Americans to win that event, and he also holds the honor of having the most wins at the Rolex Three Day Event with six victories. Through his 1974 World Championship victory, Davidson is credited with helping to create the Rolex event, as this victory allowed the US to host the 1978 World Championships. The 1978 event turned into an annual competition that eventually became the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day, which was the first and continues to be the only four-star eventing competition in the United States. Davidson has competed at the event almost every year since it began.
In 1993 and 1995, Davidson held the top place in the world eventing rankings compiled by the FEI
, and between 1980 and 1995, he was annually named the leading rider for the United States Eventing Association
.
' s 50 most influential horsemen of the 20th century. In 2009, Davidson was inducted to the United States Eventing Association
Hall of Fame, along with his horse Irish Cap.
Davidson is also known for his success in finding and training the horses that he rides at the international level. Irish Cap was purchased at five years old, JJ Babu
and Dr. Peaches
as yearling
s and Might Tango as a two-year old ex-racehorse - all ended as championship horses. He is currently a Thoroughbred
breeder, and at his Chesterland Farm he says that "the ultimate in the sport is to breed, train and win, to carry the whole system right on through."
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
who competes in the sport of eventing
Eventing
Eventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...
. He grew up in a family uninterested in horses, but began to compete in Pony Club events after a family friend introduced him to horses. He began college at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
, but left in his third year to train full-time with the United States Equestrian Team
United States Equestrian Team
The United States Equestrian Team, or USET, was founded in 1950 at the Coates estate on van Beuren Road in Morristown, New Jersey, and is the international equestrian team for the United States...
. In 1974 he married, and his two children were born in 1976 and 1977. His son, Bruce Davidson, Jr., has followed in his footsteps to become a top eventing rider.
At 18, Davidson tried out for the United States eventing team and was accepted. He won his first medal as a member of the silver-medal-winning US team at the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
. After that, Davidson competed at the Olympics in 1976, 1984, 1988 and 1996, winning medals at most of them. He has also competed repeatedly at both the World Equestrian Games
World Equestrian Games
The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and administered by the Fédération Equestre Internationale . The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive Summer Olympic Games, since 1990...
and the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
, winning medals at both, as well as winning repeatedly at the top-level Badminton Horse Trials
Badminton Horse Trials
The Badminton Horse Trials is a three-day event, one of only six annual Concours Complet International Four Star **** events as classified by the Fédération Équestre Internationale , which takes place in April or May each year in the park of Badminton House, the seat of the Dukes of Beaufort in...
and Rolex Kentucky Three Day
Rolex Kentucky Three Day
The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is an eventing competition held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The Rolex Kentucky is a CCI**** eventing competition, and the only four-star show in the Western Hemisphere. Four stars is the highest level of competition, the same level of...
events. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Davidson was a consistently top-level rider on both the American and international eventing scenes. He is also known for his horse breeding and training abilities.
Personal life
In 1949, Davidson was born to Francis and Annette Davidson, the former a businessman and the latter a concert pianist. He was the third of four children, and had little opportunity to be around horses until his family moved to Westport, MassachusettsWestport, Massachusetts
Westport is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,532 at the 2010 census.The village of North Westport lies in the town.- History :...
when he was a child. A family friend introduced Davidson to horses, and he began attending Pony Club events. He bought, trained and sold horses until he found a championship horse in Irish Cap, the horse that took him to his first gold medal at the 1974 World Eventing Championship
Eventing World Championship
The Eventing World Championship, or the eventing competition in the World Equestrian Games , began in 1966. It includes both a team and individual competition for the best horses and riders in the sport of eventing...
. Davidson went to college at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
with a veterinary
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
major, but left in his third year to train with the United States Equestrian Team
United States Equestrian Team
The United States Equestrian Team, or USET, was founded in 1950 at the Coates estate on van Beuren Road in Morristown, New Jersey, and is the international equestrian team for the United States...
(USET).
In 1974, Davidson married Carol Hannum, a top rider and daughter of Nancy Hannum, who owns extensive property in Pennsylvania surrounding Davidson's Chesterland Farm. In 1976, Davidson's son, Bruce "Buck" Oram Davidson, Jr. was born, followed by a daughter, Nancy Fraser Davidson, in 1977. In 2006, Davidson's first grandson, Oram, was born to Nancy. Buck Davidson is also an internationally competitive event rider, competing in high-level events such as the Rolex Kentucky Three Day
Rolex Kentucky Three Day
The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is an eventing competition held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The Rolex Kentucky is a CCI**** eventing competition, and the only four-star show in the Western Hemisphere. Four stars is the highest level of competition, the same level of...
along with his father.
In 2002, at a competition in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Davidson's horse suffered a fall in what was considered a freak accident. The horse, High Scope, broke his neck and died instantly, while Davidson was taken to the intensive care unit at Massachusetts Memorial Hospital. After being treated for injuries, Davidson was released. In 2010, Davidson underwent surgery to repair herniated discs in his back, necessitating his sitting out that year's Rolex Three Day Event in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Competition
At 18, Davidson participated in a tryout for aspiring eventers run by Neil Ayer and Jack LeGoff, who were trying to build the United States team to an international level. He had talent, and according to LeGoff, "He didn't know which diagonal he was posting when he came to me. Two years later, he was riding in the Olympics." Davidson was chosen, and began training with the USET in a four-year, seven-day-a-week program in Gladstone, New JerseyGladstone, New Jersey
Gladstone is an unincorporated area within Peapack-Gladstone in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07934....
.
Davidson won team eventing medals at Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in 1972, 1976, 1984 and 1996, and also competed at the 1988 Games. In the 1972 Games
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
, at age 22, he took individual eighth, while the American team won silver. At the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
, the team won gold while Davidson came in tenth individually. In 1984
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
, Davidson, who finished 13th individually, was the lowest scoring member of the gold-medal-winning United States team. At the 1988 Games
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
, Davidson took 18th, while the American team did not finish the competition. In 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, Davidson did not compete as an individual, but the American team again took silver.
Outside of the Olympics, Davidson also competed repeatedly at the Eventing World Championships and the Pan-American Games. He took both an individual and a team gold at the 1974 World Championships, and another individual gold at the 1978 Championships. Davidson's victory at the 1974 Championships aboard Irish Cap made him the first American ever to win the event, and his win in 1978 aboard Might Tango
Might Tango
Might Tango was a top eventing horse trained and ridden by American Bruce Davidson.*Lived: 1971-1995*Color: Gray*Breeding: American Thoroughbred*Breeding: by Mighty Mine, out of Betango*Rider: Bruce Davidson...
made him the first rider of any nationality to win back-to-back championships. In this event, the inexperienced Might Tango was Davidson's backup horse after Irish Cap went lame
Lameness (equine)
Lameness in horses and other equidae is a term used to refer to any number of conditions where the animal fails to travel in a regular and sound manner on all four feet...
, leading to a scenario which Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
likened to "a junior high school quarterback leading USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
to victory in the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
". Might Tango's inexperience led to increased tiredness and rumors that the activity made him go into shock
Acute stress reaction
Acute stress reaction is a psychological condition arising in response to a terrifying or traumatic event...
, but Davidson replied that the horse was just "very tired" and praised him for his stamina. The United States also took a team bronze at the 1978 championships. In 1990, Davidson took an individual bronze at the World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1998, Davidson competed at the World Equestrian Games in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he took an individual 21st place, as well as helping the US to a team 4th.
At the 1975 Pan American Games
1975 Pan American Games
The 7th Pan American Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the 2nd Pan American Games were held there...
, he took both the individual and the team silver; he followed this up by an individual gold and a team silver at the 1995 Games
1995 Pan American Games
The 12th Pan American Games were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from March 12 to March 26, 1995. After 44 years, this was the Pan American Games first return to the country that hosted the first Games, in 1951.-Overview:...
.
He has also ridden at the Badminton Horse Trials
Badminton Horse Trials
The Badminton Horse Trials is a three-day event, one of only six annual Concours Complet International Four Star **** events as classified by the Fédération Équestre Internationale , which takes place in April or May each year in the park of Badminton House, the seat of the Dukes of Beaufort in...
, where he is one of only two Americans to win that event, and he also holds the honor of having the most wins at the Rolex Three Day Event with six victories. Through his 1974 World Championship victory, Davidson is credited with helping to create the Rolex event, as this victory allowed the US to host the 1978 World Championships. The 1978 event turned into an annual competition that eventually became the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day, which was the first and continues to be the only four-star eventing competition in the United States. Davidson has competed at the event almost every year since it began.
In 1993 and 1995, Davidson held the top place in the world eventing rankings compiled by the FEI
International Federation for Equestrian Sports
The Fédération Équestre Internationale or in English, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, is the international governing body of equestrian sports. It recognizes ten international disciplines...
, and between 1980 and 1995, he was annually named the leading rider for the United States Eventing Association
United States Combined Training Association
The United States Combined Training Association was the governing body for the sport of combined training, more commonly known as eventing, in the United States of America prior to the formation of the United States Eventing Association. The USCTA was formed in 1959, to promote the sport of...
.
Other
In 2002, Davidson was named one of equine magazine Chronicle of the HorseUnited States Eventing Association
This article is about the U. S. Eventing Association. For the United States Energy Association, see The United States Eventing Association is the organization responsible for organizing, promoting and adjudicating equestrian eventing within the United States of America...
Hall of Fame, along with his horse Irish Cap.
Davidson is also known for his success in finding and training the horses that he rides at the international level. Irish Cap was purchased at five years old, JJ Babu
JJ Babu
JJ Babu was a horse that excelled in the sport of eventing, under American rider Bruce Davidson.*Lived: 1974-April 1989*Sex: Gelding*Color: Bay*Markings: Small star...
and Dr. Peaches
Dr. Peaches
Dr. Peaches was a horse ridden by American Bruce Davidson in the sport of eventing.*Foaled: 1976*Sex: Gelding*Color: Bay*Markings: Star, snip*Breed: American Thoroughbred...
as yearling
Yearling (horse)
A yearling is a young horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. Yearlings are comparable in development to a very early adolescent, they are not fully mature physically, and while they may be in the earliest stages of sexual maturity, they are considered too young to be breeding...
s and Might Tango as a two-year old ex-racehorse - all ended as championship horses. He is currently a Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
breeder, and at his Chesterland Farm he says that "the ultimate in the sport is to breed, train and win, to carry the whole system right on through."