Major General Guy V Henry, Jr (2001)
In recognition of his life-long promotion of equestrian sport in the United States. He organized the US team for the first Olympic Games to include equestrian sport, and competed as a team member in all three disciplines. General Henry was the Director of Equestrian Activities for the 1932 Olympic Games. He has been the only American president of the FEI. He helped to define and circulate the first rules for dressage in the US.
Induction Speech:
Major General Guy V Henry, Jr. was a giant among men, although he was only 5'6" tall and slight of build. He was born in 1875 and died at the age of 92 in 1967. In 1912, Henry organized the U.S. Team for the first Olympic Games to include modern equestrian competition. He also competed in all three disciplines in that games, winning a team bronze medal in the "Military" event, which was the precursor to the three-day even. He was very active in the FEI, serving as both president and vice president. To date, he is the only American to have served as president of the FEI. Henry was an aide in the White House to President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905. He received a citation from President Harry Truman for 50 years of active duty. Read more
Although some people thought he was stern because of his military demeanor, he was adored by his three grandchildren, with whom I spoke over the telephone. They described him as having a very gentle side.
Henry began his equestrian career at a time when participation in International equestrian competition, including the Olympic Games, was limited to military officers (and thus also to men only). He went on to judge at the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games as well as at other international - level competitions. He judged his last horse show at the age of 85 in Pebble Beach, CA, a three-day event. He directed the equestrian activities at the 1932 Olympics and was chef d'equipe for the 1936 and 1948 U.S. Olympic equestrian team.
Henry, an 1894 graduate of U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, was a career Cavalry officer in the U.S. Army. Among his career highlights were stints as director of equitation at the U.S. Military Academy, as chief of the U.S. Cavalry, and as commandant of the U.S. Cavalry School. He was the first U.S. Army officer to attend the French Cavalry School at Saumur, and he used his new found knowledge in developing the equitation curriculum at the Mounted Service School at Fort Riley, KS.
Through his life, Henry helped to define and circulate the first rules for dressage competition in the U.S. also; he served as a director of both the AHSA and the USET in their formative years. His contributions to the equestrian world still resonate today. Like many of you, I wish I could have known such a remarkable man.
Samuel J. Barish
USDF President
