How the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Found Its Permanent Home in Lexington, Kentucky
by David Graver
August 2026
Originally published in Douglas Elliman Equestrian Fall 2026.
In Tampa, circa March 1985, at a board meeting for the American Grand Prix Association (AGA), some of the most important names in show jumping agreed that the equestrian sport deserved its own Hall of Fame. Present at that early discussion were Gene Mische, Leonard King, Frank Chapot, Larry Langer, Dr. Robert Rost, Peter Doubleday and David Distler, as well as Jane Clark, the current chairman of the board of the Baseball Hall of Fame, which her family founded. Those at the gathering asked Clark if she could spearhead the movement on behalf of show jumping—and she accepted, drawing upon her resources to compose bylaws and policies.
By 1987, the Show Jumping Hall of Fame was a legal entity and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Later that year, the Hall of Fame hosted its inaugural election to establish the first class of inductees. The results: William Steinkraus, a highly awarded participant of five Olympic Games; Bertalan de Némethy, an influential show jumping coach for the United States Equestrian Team; and the legendary thoroughbred Idle Dice, who won over $400,000 (the equivalent of several million today).
It wasn’t until 1989 that the Show Jumping Hall of Fame found its first physical home. “There were several different places discussed—such as Gladstone, New Jersey, the home of the U.S. Equestrian team, and Middleburg, Virginia,” explains Marty Bauman, the Executive Director of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame since 1990. Bauman, who was in the AGA board meeting in 1985, has remained a steadfast champion of the organization since its earliest days.
“Elizabeth Busch Burke was on the board of the AGA, and she offered to give us a home in Busch Gardens in Tampa,” Bauman continues. “Our thinking was, it may not be a location known for horses, but it would offer us great exposure to many thousands of people each year.” Busch Burke, one of the country’s most generous equestrian supporters, also allowed them to open in the gardens for free.
Today, the Show Jumping Hall of Fame resides in Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park. “We felt that we really should consider being in a place that was more of a horse location, particularly for our sport, but one that also attracted a lot of people,” Bauman says. “We knew that the World Equestrian Games would be coming to the Kentucky Horse Park in 2010.” As Executive Director, Bauman was tasked with bringing it to fruition.
In preparation for the World Equestrian Games, the Kentucky Horse Park erected a new facility, which was eventually named Rolex Stadium. Bauman visited the horse park and toured the stadium when it was complete but not yet open. “I called the executive director, John Nicholson, who was also a friend of mine, and I asked for a meeting under the seating, where the concession stands are,” he says. “When he met me there, I said, ‘John, congratulations on this stadium, it’s magnificent. But see all these empty walls here, what are your plans for them?’” Nicholson did not yet have a vision—so Bauman proposed all the Show Jumping Hall of Fame plaques. They shook hands on the spot and the inductee plaques remain there to this day.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame board members were still looking for a platform to host the sport’s artifacts and historical ephemera. The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) was also headquartered in Lexington—and happened to have a new building. Two board members were involved with USHJA and learned that the Wheeler Museum was in development. After a pitch process, the Show Jumping Hall of Fame’s museum was approved for inclusion.
Items in the museum currently include USET equipment from the 1950s and ‘60s, Steinkraus’ trunk, jacket and Olympic team bag, the gold Olympic medals won by Joe Fargis and Conrad Homfeld and the Star in Motion jump from the 1984 Olympics. Exhibitions are curated by the Wheeler Museum’s Denise Quirk, who has been involved in the sport for decades.
A participant does not have to have been a rider to be inducted—the person could have been an official, a veterinarian or an owner. Initially, all that’s required is 15 years of dedication at the international grand prix level (or the equivalent at the time). For a horse to be considered, it also must have competed at this level. A nominating committee is appointed by the President of the Hall of Fame every three years, and some 130 electors later vote.
Bauman believes the best way people can support the sport—and the Hall of Fame—is by learning its history. “I am very much a traditionalist. I believe in history, and every single person in our sport today is standing on somebody’s shoulders. There are people who did so much to develop the sport, to help build it. Courses did not always look like they look today. Fences did not always look like they look today. We had women winning big events in this country in the ‘50s and early ‘60s, but they weren’t allowed on an Olympic team until 1964. I want people to have an understanding of it all.”
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