The Year in Horses: 1994

1994

• The second edition of the FEI World Equestrian Games were
  held this year in The Hague, Netherlands. Germany was again a force to be reckoned with,
  easily taking home the most medals: 16 to France’s six. Germany also
  won seven of the 13 gold medals awarded at those games.
• After the ’94 WEG, the U.S. made a bid for the 2002 games,
  hoping that Gladstone, New Jersey would be given the opportunity after
  successfully hosting the 1993 World Pair Combined Driving Championships at the
  site. Spoiler alert: it didn’t happen, and North America would have to wait until
  2010 to see the games on home soil.
• A new film version of Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel Black Beauty
  was released this July. Two famous Hollywood horses starred in this film: Docs
  Keepin Time, who played the title character, and Hightower, who played his
  friend Ginger. Both horses later shared a scene in The Horse Whisperer.
  Although well-liked by critics and horse lovers, 1994’s Black Beauty was a bit
  of a flop at the box office.
• Equine Affaire made its debut in Dayton, Ohio this year. The
  three-day convention featured clinics with top trainers including John Lyons,
  Richard Shrake, Hilda Gurney and Susan Harris. The event was a hit and
  eventually expanded to locations in California and Massachusetts. The Ohio and
  Massachusetts events are still going strong in 2011.

In the Pages of Horse Illustrated
Horse tripping, a cruel event that takes place
at some underground rodeos, became national news in 1994 when a bill was
introduced in California to ban it. Exposes on Hard Copy and 20/20 drew
attention to the cruelty, and we covered the topic in July 1994. Fortunately,
California Governor Pete Wilson signed the bill into law in August of 1994.
Several other states have also banned horse tripping.

Today, Chester Weber is synonymous with the sport of Combined
Driving in America. In February 1994, we identified him as “the youngest driver
at Gladstone” in our write up of 1993’s World Pair Combined Driving
Championship, held at the United States Equestrian Team’s headquarters in New
Jersey.

Riding instructors everywhere found themselves
cringing in the early 1990s when midriff-baring fashion spilled over from
street clothes to riding clothes. Low-rise breeches hadn’t even become the
standard, so shirts must have just become shorter. Today’s Horse Illustrated editorial content features
100% fewer bellybuttons than the July 1994 issue did, guaranteed.

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