Leonard King, CEO of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair has devoted a good part of his life not only to this Horse Show, but to the sport of show jumping.  This year, in front a sold out crowd, just before the Grand Prix of Devon begins, Mr. King will be honored for those efforts as he is inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame.

Mr. King, a native of the Philadelphia area, got his first horse at the age of twelve and ever since his life has been centered on equestrian pursuits.  In fact, Mr. King met his wife, Pat, while fox hunting. 

Throughout his career Mr. King has worked tirelessly to promote the sport of show jumping and achieved many milestones, among them:

• co-producing and managing the first ever televised American show jumping competition
• co-founding the American Gold Cup
• unifying the Grand Prix circuit, among the founders the American Grandprix Association, and serving as its first president from 1978-1999
• serving as the first North American to the FEI World Cup Committee, and co-producer and manager to the first World Cup final in the United States
• serving on the USET's Board of Directors and Chairman of its development committee

Mr. King was also one of the founding members of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1987, and served on its Board of Trustees and as Treasurer for more than 10 years.

Devon Horse Show and Country Fair Co-Manager, Peter Doubleday and newly elected Chairman of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame says,  "I am thrilled beyond measure to be able to have as one of my first inductees a great friend and the man who started it all, Leonard King." 

Truly Naughty By Nature

When a Hackney enters the show ring you know it! With their high stepping trot, powerful hind quarters and bright eyed intelligence, Hackneys have star quality like no other. The history of the Hackney dates back to the 1760's in England. This breed was favored for its fast paced trot and ability to carry a heavy man great distances at speeds of 16-17 mph. They were sought after for breeding in many European countries to improve their military stock. Crosses with Hackneys have contributed to breeds such as the Gelderlander, Dutch Warmblood, Friesian, Standardbred and American Saddlebred.

The Hackney horse was crossed with the Fell and Welsh ponies to create the Hackney pony. Few breeds have been utilized in as many disciplines. Under saddle Hackeys have been used in the military, trotting races, polo, dressage, hunter paces, trail riding, and even jumping. In 1910 a Hackney named Confidence jumped 7' 2" at the New York National Horse Show and 8'1" at a show in Syracuse, New York. Another Hackney named Sir Ashton jumped 8'2" at a horse show in Chicago and went on to win the New York National High Jump Competition in 1915. There are few jumpers today that can clear that height! They are also wonderful driving horses. Hackneys have made their mark in carriage driving, coaching and combined driving.

Rodney Hicks and The Spiderman

The Hackney has shown at Devon for over a hundred years and is featured on the Devon Horse Show logo. Long time competitor Janet Hicks feels a strong bond between Hackneys and Devon, "Our best promotion is to show off our wonderful ponies in front of the huge crowds here at Devon." Rodney Hicks stable will be bringing six ponies to Devon this year. 'Heartland Riverdance', the current World Champion Junior Exhibitor 14-17 Roadster Pony and reigning Canadian National Open Roadster Pony Champion, will be showing in the roadster pony section.

The roadster ponies are shown to a "bike" and their drivers wear colorful silks. This class, with its excitement and speed, is a definite crowd favorite! Others to watch are World Champion Harness Pony Mare 'Minute Maid', 'Truly Naughty By Nature' and 'The Dutchman'. They will be showing in the Harness Pony section. The Harness ponies are slightly smaller than the other divisions, must be 50" at the withers and are shown with a long tail and full mane.

Marjorie Kenney and Exhilarating

Reserve World Champion Ladies Hackney Pony 'Exhilarating' will compete in the amateur Hackney section with owner Marjorie Kenney.  Janet Hicks says of this duo "This bright star lights up the Dixon Oval." Trainer Rodney Hicks will show 'The Spiderman' in the Open Hackney Pony section, attempting to defend last year's Championship title for owner Edward Ochsenschlager.

Janet Hicks is sure that once people are introduced to Hackneys and learn the true nature of the breed they will become lifetime fans. She also feels that Devon is so important to the Hackneys, allowing them to gain exposure on such a grand scale. "Sitting behind a Hackney trotting down the rail at Devon, while the crowd applauds, is a feeling like no other" says Janet. "Devon and Hackneys... the two are meant to go together."

There is a reason that most of the horses used in the entertainment world are American Saddlebreds. They are one of the most willing and personable breeds and are known as friendly, intelligent and very people oriented.  Saddlebreds range in size from 15-17 hands and come in all colors. Their long, sloping pasterns give a spring to their stride, making them very comfortable to ride. The Saddlebred is both a wonderful family horse and sport horse competitor. They are used for endurance riding, trail riding, dressage, eventing, show jumping, and driving. They were also the type of horses used in the Civil War. The Saddlebreds showing here at Devon are among the best athletes in the Saddlebred show world. This division features a wide variety of classes: five gaited, three gated, fine harness, pleasure, park, country pleasure, western, hunter and pleasure driving.

A Saddlebred Rescue horse showing in a pleasure class

Minna Mintz, long time Saddlebred exhibitor here at Devon, says, " What makes a Saddlebred great is his amazing heart, athletic ability, and willingness." Mintz saw her first Saddlebred horse here at Devon when she was about fifteen years old. She fell in love with their beauty and elegance and found them to be very friendly and intelligent. "These horses love to show." Mintz showed her first gaited horse at Devon in 1976 where she won the Ladies Five Gaited class. She has been showing in or attending Devon ever since and, while her horses won't be competing this year, Mintz says she will be there for every class.

Saddlebreds have been the breed of choice for many famous and interesting people. Civil War General Robert E Lee, President Franklin D Roosevelt, Clark Gable, and World Heavy Weight boxing champion Joe Lewis all owned Saddlebreds. William Shatner and Carson Kressley have both competed in the Saddlebred classes here at Devon. 'Country Delight' of My Friend Flicka and 'Blaze King' of National Velvet were both Saddlebred stars of these television series. Saddlebreds were used in many movies such as Black Beauty, Gypsy Colt, and Giant.

Mintz feels that Devon is a very unique show, " There is no other show like it, where a horse can compete in front of such an enthusiastic crowd." She talks of the extensive preparation required on show day "A bath, mane and tail washed and fluffed, hooves polished, everything shined from horse to buggy to rider. Both horse and rider have trained the whole year to arrive at this moment."