Tampa, Fl -- March 1, 2000 --- Show jumping legends Rodney Jenkins, Johnny Bell, Franklin Fearing "Fuddy" Wing Jr., and two horses, Democrat and Sinjon, will be inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame at the Budweiser American Invitational, to be held April 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. These new inductees join 34 previously enshrined members of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame.

Rodney Jenkins, selected by general election, retired as the winningest rider in the history of U.S. show jumping. Jenkins dominated the American show ring in the 1960s, '70s and through most of the '80s. Jenkins accumulated more than 70 grand prix victories in his illustrious career, and his longevity is what separates him from many other great equestrians. Some of his great partners included Idle Dice, Gustavus, Playback, Aerobic, Coastline, Number One Spy, Czar and The Natural.

In 1987, after three decades in the ring, Jenkins had his best year ever. He won the American Grandprix Association Rider of the Year award and two Silver Medals at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis. He also received the 1987 American Horse Shows Association Horseman of the Year award.

For Jenkins, riding for the USET on the Pan Am Team was an experience he'll remember always. "Sure there was a lot of pressure, but if you've been showing for 30-odd years like I have, it's good to have that lift again," he said. "With all the money I've won with horses, these two pieces of silver mean as much as all the money."

Jenkins, who won many of the country's most prestigious Grand Prix classes multiple times (including the American Gold Cup five times, President's Cup three times and the National Horse Show Grand Prix three times) has never been one to take credit for what he's accomplished. "The horse makes the rider-I don't care how good you are," he once said. "My philosophy is people don't make horses. They manage the horse and direct the horse, but the horse makes the people."

Jenkins was also a master in the hunter ring, especially in the 1960s. In the early '70s when Grand Prix show jumping was in its infancy, Jenkins switched focus and concentrated on jumpers. In the late 1980s he once again shifted focus, this time to race horses, first steeplechasers then flat horses. And although Jenkins, an AHSA R-rated judge, still trains a few show riders, he spends most of his horse show time presiding over hunter and hunter breeding classes.

Johnny Bell, elected by the Veterans Committee, is also being honored this year. Bell was one of the most colorful and popular open jumper riders in the 1950s and '60s. He was perhaps best known for his partnership with the big grey jumper McLain Street, named after the street in Mt. Kisco, NY, where Bell lived. The horse was owned by Ben Duffy, chairman of BDD & O, who had also managed the Eisenhower presidential campaign.

The son of a horse trader in Westchester County, NY, Bell came by his success the old-fashioned way-he earned it, working hard and long. Bell was more than 40 years old when he started showing McLain Street. Though one of the older riders on the circuit, he was also one of the most successful, winning consistently with McLain Street at most of the major shows, including the National Horse Show.

In 1961 alone, Bell won no fewer than 17 jumper championships. McLain Street was named the AHSA Horse of the Year for three straight years, and he won the Professional Horseman's Association championship in 1960 and '61. In 1964, Bell was recognized as the AHSA Horseman of the Year.

Bell has an unusual and memorable riding style, somewhat resembling the style seen in old English hunting prints. In addition to McLain Street, other top horses he showed included Prince River, Stray S and Long Leave for Fred Blum. He also started the famous Trader Bedford.

The Veterans Committee also elected the combination of Franklin Fearing "Fuddy" Wing Jr. and Democrat to the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. There's no telling what this pair might have accomplished if World War II hadn't interrupted their careers in their prime.

Wing, a West Point (NY) graduate, trained under Harry D. Chamberlin at Ft. Riley, KS. With his equally famous partner, Democrat, the pair qualified for the 1940 Olympics, but were unable to compete when the Games were cancelled due to the war in Europe.

Wing 's show jumping accomplishments were well known before and after the war. In all, he rode on 18 Nations Cup teams from 1937-49 and in 1948 became the first American ever to win the Grand Prix of Aachen (Germany) riding Totilla.

At the 1948 Olympics, Wing and Democrat were part of a three-way tie for the individual Silver Medal at the end of the first round. However, in the jump-off, they had 4 faults and the slowest time and settled for fourth.

Wing remained in the Army until he retired in 1960, and a year later he became executive vice president and treasurer of the U.S. Equestrian Team, and helped establish the Team's headquarters at its current location in Gladstone, NJ. He remained in this role with the USET until 1965, but continued to serve on the USET Board of Directors until 1975 and then on the National Advisory Council until 1983.

In addition, Wing was a board member of the U.S. Combined Training Association, the U.S. Pony Clubs and the Virginia Horse Show Association. He also served on the AHSA Events and AHSA Dressage committees, and was chairman of the latter. Wing died in Bellevue, WA, on July 6, 1994, at age 88.

Democrat, a brown Thoroughbred gelding (Gordon Russell--Princess Bon), was foaled at Ft. Robinson, NE, in 1933 and shipped as a 4-year old to the U.S. Cavalry school at Ft. Riley, KS, where early on he showed his jumping prowess. At age 8 his career was put on hold and he remained at Ft. Riley until the war concluded.

Wing and Democrat rekindled their success after the war, as related above, before the gelding qualified for the 1952 Olympic Team with Capt. John Russell. There, Democrat finished 24th individually and helped the infant USET win the team Bronze.

His career ended on a glorious note. After he returned from Europe, Democrat, now paired with Hall of Famer William C. Steinkraus, won all eight individual classes they entered on the 1952 fall indoor circuit, jumping approximately 150 jumps faultlessly. They also shared in several team victories including winning the Nations Cup in Toronto.

Democrat was retired to Morven Stud near Charlottesville, VA, home of then USET President Whitney Stone and died there at the age of 24 in 1957.

The brilliant 1960s show jumper Sinjon was also selected for induction by general election. This bay Thoroughbred (Vino Puro-Helen Abrigail) foaled in 1951 stood a scant 16 hands. He began his sport horse career on the racetrack, but compiled only a mediocre record before Harry De Leyer (of Snowman fame) transformed him into a jumper.

Sinjon was a sensation at the 1957 National Horse Show and then his owner, Eileen Dineen, loaned him to the USET the following year. But when it seemed the USET might lose him, he was purchased by Walter Devereux and loaned permanently to the Team.

Sinjon appeared on no fewer than 19 winning Nations' Cup teams between 1959 and 1966, carrying three riders during his career-George Morris in 1959 and '60, Kathy Kusner in '61 and Bill Steinkraus from 1962-66. With Morris in the irons, Sinjon was a solid member of the 1960 Olympic team in Rome, placing fourth in the Individual Competition, and helping the USET win the team Silver Medal.

With Steinkraus, Sinjon earned a team Gold Medal at the 1963 Pan American Games, won the Grand Prix of Harrisburg that fall and the George V Gold Cup in London. In 1964 he added the Grand Prix of Toronto to his resume. Sinjon was a clear selection for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, but was sidelined with an injury sustained in training.

Despite recovering from this injury, ordinary wear and tear and advancing age eventually affected Sinjon's remarkable abilities in the late 1960s and he was formally retired in 1970 in a ceremony held at the National Horse Show. Sinjon spent his final years on Steinkraus's Connecticut farm, where he died in his sleep at age 25.

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum, formally opened in 1989, was organized to promote the sport of show jumping and to immortalize the legends of the men, women and horses who have made great contributions to the sport. The focus of this noble institution is to encourage broader interest and participation in show jumping, as well as to educate devoted equestrians and novice horse lovers alike, by sharing the sport's legends, lore and landmark achievements.

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame, Inc. is headed by such dedicated officers as George H. Morris, Jane Forbes Clark, Eugene R. Mische, Elizabeth Busch Burke, and Leonard A. King, Jr. The building is located in Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida behind the Nairobi Village and we invite you to visit soon.

Since 1987, the Show Jumping Hall of Fame has inducted William C. Steinkraus, Bertalan deNemethy, and Idle Dice (1987); Patrick Butler and August A. Busch, Jr. (1988); David Kelley, Jimmy Williams, Ben O'Meara and Frances Rowe (1989); Arthur McCashin, Kathy Kusner, Brigadier General Harry D. Chamberlin and San Lucas (1990); Adolph Mogavero, Whitney Stone, Morton "Cappy" Smith and Pat Dixon (1991); Eleonora "Eleo" Sears, Mary Mairs Chapot, Barbara Worth Oakford and Snowman (1992); Dr. Robert C. Rost and Joe Green (1993); Frank Chapot and Gordon Wright (1994); Mickey Walsh and Trail Guide (1995); Pamela Carruthers, Jet Run and Dick Donnelly with Heatherbloom (1996); and Robert "Bobby" Egan with Sun Beau and Edward "Ned" King (1997), Melanie Smith Taylor, Johnny Bell and Fred Wettach, Jr. (1998).

For further information about the Show Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum, please call (508) 698-6810 or email to Classicomm@aol.com.