I also thought the roster for '76 was starting to look less “pure amateur”.
Do you remember what Olympics Rodney Jenkins rode in? I think he rode in the first one after the rule change IIRC.
Someone referenced an article earlier in the thread, from 1987, where RJ is quoted as being excited about finally being able to ride in the next OG. That would imply that '88 was the first.
Which would mean that '84 was still amatuer, and looking at the list of US, British and German riders that competed in that games you have to ponder what the exact definition of an amatuer was.
Wow, I had no idea it was only 20 years ago, I was sure it was earlier. Thanks.
So, if Rodney Jenkins competed in 1988, was he an individual? The silver medal team is listed as Joe Fargis, Greg Best, Lisa Jacquin and Anne Kursinski and Greg Best got the silver for individual. Who did RJ ride?
I’m also surprised that in the write up for his induction into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame, it doesn’t mention that he represented the US in the Olympics, although it does mention the Pam Am Games. link below…
http://www.showjumpinghalloffame.net/news/sjhf6.shtml
Not meaing to start anything, just wondering
I don’t think he ever rode in the Olympics.
See biography here:
http://www.virginiasportsman.com/Rodney.pdf
This site apparently lists every athlete in every modern Olympiad–Rodney Jenkins is not listed:
Rodney never rode in the Olympics. And at least from '76 on, pros were riding on the teams, just not being very upfront about it, but everyone in the industry knew. I am not sure when the rule changed (1984?) but in 1980, Conrad, Norman, Terry and Katie were chosen for the team that did not get to go, and all were professionals, making their living training and teaching. 1984, Conrad, Joe, and Leslie had their own businesses. Melanie worked for a private farm, didn’t teach or have outside customers. I think it was glossed over in this country because of what the competition across the pond was able to do with their state funding. If we had TRULY only sent amateurs, we would not have been competitive, period. And the Europeans were no more innocent of ducking the rule than we were. The Schockemohles have been horse dealers for as long as I can remember, although Alwin also had a “day” job…
Maybe I was thinking of the Pan Am games? My memory is not what it used to be.
As I said on the earlier post, a BIG DEAL was made when Rodney (and Harry deLeyer) got to ride on the Nations Cup team at “indoors”. I remember that more than the PanAms.
I’m showing my age also, because I actually remember Avery Brundage’s rule over the Olympics. He was adamant that no athlete who took money for performing his sport could play. But Brundage retired as IOC president in 1972. And amateur enforcement immediately started to slip.
As I recall, and I’m sure someone can correct me if I’m wrong, prize money in the ring was credited to the horse, not the rider. So it was possible for an amateur to own his/her horse, win prize money, and still be an amateur. With the USET as strong as it was then, with Team horses, with working student programs, and with many trust fund babies, husbands and wives, who got family support, it was only those riders who took money for training (horse or riders) or as pay for riding who got caught in the amateur system.
After the amateur system went away, the USET went down the tubes. JMHO
[QUOTE=Janet;3442759]
As I said on the earlier post, a BIG DEAL was made when Rodney (and Harry deLeyer) got to ride on the Nations Cup team at “indoors”. I remember that more than the PanAms.[/QUOTE]
Oh my! I remember Harry so well. I took lessons from him and was always afraid of incurring his wrath! (Which I did more than once!)… Maybe that is why I only ride dressage now? 
I am surprised he (and Snowman) are not listed in the Show Jumping Hall of Fame:(
Showing my age, I suppose…:winkgrin:
Snowman was inducted in 1992.
OK, finally found what I was referencing. I had to go on Internet Movie Database and look up the movie Miracle to figure out what I was talking about…
Miracle, by the way, is a great movie about a whole bunch of egos and making an unbeatable team out of them. When I saw the ‘Dream Team’, I wondered if the coaches watched the movie and followed Herb Brooks’ example. Apparently they didn’t and this is why (at least I believe) the US team lost so horribly.
Anyway…In Wikipedia, it states that while the Russian Hockey team (undefeated for the last 4 Olympics) was technically amateurs…they really weren’t:
“Though classed as amateur, Soviet players essentially played professionally (the players were active-duty in the Red Army) in a well-developed league with excellent training facilities.”
This was the most likely reason for the change - those behind the ‘iron curtain’ were being classed as amateurs, but were not really amateur players. With the support of the government, they also had a leg up on the competition that did not have any support from their government.
It was in the late 60s that I and many British riders were “forced” to admit we were pro’s.
Thus many of them did not do the Olympics,for some it was heartbreaking.
Very frustrating to watch other countries flouting the rules.
Looking at the lists of riders posted here on this thread,yes we were buying and selling wheeling and dealing with many of them.
Also trained a few of these riders.
[QUOTE=lauriep;3444220]
Snowman was inducted in 1992.[/QUOTE]
WOW! Thank you! I missed that. What a grand old man, he was a real sweetheart! We had a summer house down the road from Hollandia Farm. Great trip down memory lane and sorry for the off topic…
For skating, they actually have stopped using the word “amateur” and have replaced it with “eligible.” It now has to do with what you enter. They had to do this not only or even primarily because of the Soviet state system, but because athletes were staying in just long enough to go to the Olympics and then bolting for the pro ranks where they could start making money. The ISU finally ruled that you could make money under certain situations (including endorsements) to keep people on their side longer.
Ballroom dance is actually going through the pro vs am growing pains right now, with the added fun that there are TWO amateur divisions–Amateur, governed by USADance (the USOC member), who CAN make money teaching, and Pro/Am student Amateurs, governed by the NDCA rules (who cannot make ANY money in any way related to teaching or performing dance.)
I have always been confused by what is pro and what is amateur in horses, but this is probably becuase the first Olys I remember much about were the '88 games. So there’s never been a real separation for me.
For what it’s worth
I worked for BD in 1984. His entry form for the Games listed him as a farmer, saying he raised beef cattle - I think there were 3 steers turned out in one of the fields at Chesterland at the time. I’m fairly certain that was not the source of his livelihood that year! :rolleyes::lol:
Dang. I thought I saw somewhere that BD’s real world job back then was “managing his family’s investments.” Oh, wait; do you reckon they invested in eventing? :winkgrin:
