Jump On It! Jump On It! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aintree

Aintree is a parish and village in Merseyside, some 10 km north of Liverpool. The village is best known for the Grand National, which has been organised yearly since 1839. Only during both World Wars the race was not held over there.

Ascot is a place in Berkshire where another horse racing event is organised every year. Contrary to the Grand National, the horse racing circuit in Ascot contains no obstacles at all - speed is the only thing that matters, horses and their jockeys don't have to negotiate tricky jumps.

Waregem is a city in Belgium. Steeplechase horse racing is organised every year near Waregem. The Waregem Koerse, as this event is called, contains a jump over the locally notorious Gaverbeek.

Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky. The Kentucky Derby, one of the most famous equestrian events, is organised in Louisville. The city has also gained the right to organise the World Championship cyclocross in 2013 (which traditionally is competed in Europe).

Answer: Red Rum

Red Rum was the first horse to win the Grand National three times. This bay gelding was foaled in 1965. When Red Rum entered the Grand National in 1973, he was recently cured of a nasty infection - perhaps because his owner had him trained in sea water.
The Grand National in 1973 knew a spectacular development. Red Rum and Crisp were the two favourites, but after the first circuit Crisp had already an enormous lead. However, Red Rum caught up and won with a narrow margin.
In 1974 Red Rum won the race again, and L'Escargot was the runner-up. In 1975 L'Escargot won in front of Red Rum. In 1976, Red Rum finished second yet again. In 1977, Red Rum made racing history by winning a third time.

Red Rum died in 1995 and was buried at the grounds of the Grand National. He has also a life size statue near the racing course.

Tipperary Tom won the Grand National in 1928.
Seabiscuit was an American racehorse who won several major races between 1936 and 1940.
Secretariat won the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes) in 1973.

Answer: Marion Coakes

All these women have won an individual Olympic medal at horsejumping, although none of them earned the Olympic gold.
The British Marion Coakes (born 1947 in Hampshire) won a silver medal in 1968. She also made it to the last round in the Team event 1968, where the British team finished eighth. Marion's major successes were obtained when riding Stroller, a pony born 1950.
In 1972 Ann Moore was another British silver medalist.
The Swiss Heidi Robbiani on the bronze medal in 1984.
The French Alexandra Ledermann finished third in 1996 and fourth in 2000.

Answer: German

Winkler was born in 1926 in Wuppertal, Germany. His Olympic career started at the Games in Melbourne in 1956, where he won both horse jumping events (the individual competition and the team competition). In Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964 he contributed to another Gold medal for the German team. Winkler also won a bronze medal in the team event in 1968, a fifth gold medal in the team event in 1972, and finally a silver medal in the team event in 1976.

Answer: Constant Van Langhendonck

The Olympic Games in Paris in 1900 offered the equestrian variants of Long Jump and High Jump. Van Langhendonck and his stead Extra Dry jumped over a distance of 6,10 m.
Count Trissino Giangiorgio was an Italian horsejumper who competed in 1900 both in the equestrian Long Jump (silver medal) and in the equestrian High Jump (gold medal, shared with the French Dominique Gardères).
Ludger Beerbaum (born 1963 in Detmold, Germany) and Rodrigo Pessoa (born 1972 in Paris, competing for Brazil) are two famous showjumpers. Pessoa won two bronze and one gold medal, Beerbaum won four gold medals.

Answer: Show Jumping

The typical Eventing competition starts with dressage. It continues with a Cross Country obstacle race, and concludes with Show Jumping. Horse Vaulting (which can be roughly described as gymnastics on horseback) doesn't make part of this competition.

Answer: Mark Todd

Mark Todd is the only New Zealander among these athletes. He won the Individual Mixed Three Day Event in Los Angeles in 1984, and also competed there in the Mixed Team Three Day Event.
In 1988 Mark Todd successfully defended his title in the Individual Mixed Three Day Event. He ended third in in the Team Mixed Three Day Event. Todd also entered the Mixed Jumping competitions (both individually and with his national team).
In 1992 Mark Todd won silver in the Team Mixed Three Day Event. In 2000 he won a bronze medal in the Individual Mixed Three Day Event.
Mark Boswell is a Canadian competitor in men's High Jump. He doesn't enter any equestrian competition at the Olympics.
Mark Peter Arie was a very successful American trap shooter. He won gold in the 1920 Olympics both in individual Trap Shooting as in the Team Trap Shooting.
Mark Anthony Phillips won the Team Three Day Event at the Munich Olympics in 1972. He is the former husband of Princess Anne of Great Britain.

Answer: Mary Gordon-Watson

All of these have won the World Championship, but only one of them is a female equestrian: Mary Gordon-Watson. This British woman also won Olympic gold for the team Three Day Event in 1972.
Bruce Davidson, an American, won three gold and two bronze medals on the World Championships, as well as two gold and two silver medals on the Olympics.
Blyth Tait, a New-Zealander, won four gold medals at the Eventing World Championships, and also one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the Olympics.
The German Michael Jung started eventing competition in 2003. His first success at the World Championship was a gold medal in 2010.

Answer: Badminton

Badminton, Gloucestershire is a city that gave its name to the eponymous sport. But it is also the venue of one the major eventing competitions: the Badminton Horse Trials, one of the three Grand Slam events.
Golf is a small village in Florida.
Polo is a small town in Illinois.
Rugby is a town in Warwickshire, UK, on the River Avon. This town gave its name to the ball sport developed at the local school.

Answer: Pippa Funnell

Pippa Funnell was born in Crowsborough, East Sussex in 1968. She started her eventing career in 1987. At the Olympics, she won two silver medals (2000 and 2004) and one bronze medal (2004). In the yearly CCI eventing competitions, she won Badminton three times and Burghley and Kentucky once.
Checcoli won Olympic gold in 1964. Guyon did likewise in 1968. Jan Jönsson took bronze at the Olympics in 1968.