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Bruce O. Davidson was born in Rome, New York on December 31st 1949. He was the third of four children born to his parents Francis and Annette. His father, a businessman, and his mother, a concert pianist turned fulltime housewife, neither had any real experience with or desire to be around horses. As a result, it was not until the family moved to Westport, Massachusetts did Bruce have the opportunity to realize his great passion for horses. Like any boy, Bruce frowned at the idea of moving and leaving all his friends behind. But this void of friendship was quickly filled with his newfound friendship in horses.
A friend of his parents, Bruce found a near surrogate father in Mr. Tuckerman, who showed Bruce the bond he could find with a horse. It was also Mr. Tuckerman who, knowing Bruce’s aptitude to lose things, painted everything, in his own colors of red and yellow, before his first trip to pony club so everyone would know who to return it to.
His parents were hard working and knew the value of money, they didn’t want to just give Bruce a pony, they wanted him to realize the work involved and the responsibility. So each summer Bruce would get a pony for next to nothing at the sales, he would train it and take care of it all summer and then sell it before going back to school in the fall. He would then use that money through out the year and then make sure he saved enough to get a better pony the next spring. He did this for years. It wasn’t until he finally made it to buying Irish Cap that he just couldn’t sell him. He knew that he had something really special. It was Irish Cap that Bruce says taught him everything he knows. And it was Irish Cap that gave Bruce his first World Championship Gold Medal in 1974.
Bruce left Iowa State University in his third year of pre-veterinary medicine to train with the USET, to his parents chagrin. Bruce knew he was never going back.
Bruce has been competing internationally since 1971. He won his first Olympic metal in 1972. He has won two Olympic team Gold medals, 1976 & 1984, and two Olympic team Silver medals, 1972 & 1996. Bruce was the first American to win a World Championship title, 1974, and in those days the winning individuals’ country was awarded the honor of hosting the next World Equestrian Games. So that is why the Kentucky Horse Park was constructed. He then defended his title in Kentucky, 1978, to become the first and only equestrian to ever win back-to-back titles. He was individual Bronze Metal winner at the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden in 1990. Bruce was the individual and team Gold Medalist at the 1995 Pam American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was the first American to ever win prestigious Bedminton CCI**** in England (1995). Bruce was the highest places rider in the World FEI rankings in 1993 and 1995; and he has been named the USCTA’s leading rider for all the years from 1980 – 1995.
Bruce has trained numerous horses, such as: Irish Cap, Might Tango, Beacon Charm, Dr. Peaches, JJ Babu, Pirate Lion, Regent Lion, Heyday, Eagle Lion, Squelch, Little Tricky, Jam. He has trained them from the beginning up through the international levels.
Highlights:
1972 Olympic Games, Munich, Germany
Team Silver medal – Plain Sailing
1974 World Three Day Event Championship, Burghley, England
Individual and Team Gold Medal – Irish Cap
1974 Badminton
3rd – Irish Cap
1975 Pan American Games, Mexico City, Mexico
Individual and Team Silver Medal – Golden Griffin
1976 Birth of first son, Bruce Oram Davidson, Jr (Buck)
Olympic Games, Montreal, Canada
Team Gold Medal– Irish Cap
1977 Birth of first daughter Nancy Fraser Davidson
1978 World Three Day Event Championships, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Individual Gold and Team Bronze medal – Might Tango (7 years old)
1980 United States boycotted the Moscow Olympics
1984 Olympic Games, Los Angeles, California, USA
Team Gold Medal – JJ Babu
1988 Olympic Games, Seoul, Korea – Dr. Peaches
1989 Rolex/Kentucky CCI*** Lexington, Kentucky, USA
1st Place
1990 World Equestrian Championships, Stockholm, Sweden
Individual Bronze medal – Pirate Lion
1992 USET Fall Championships, Fair Hill International CCI***, Fair Hill, Maryland
1st - Eagle Lion
1993 Rolex/Kentucky CCI***, Lexington, Kentucky
1st - Happy Talk
Essex CCI**, Gladstone, New Jersey
2nd – Heyday
Burghley CCI****, England
4th – Eagle Lion
North Georgia OCCN*
1st – Trans Am A Flirt
Blenheim CCI***
3rd - Squelch
1994 World 3-Day Event Championships, The Hague, The Netherlands – Eagle Lion
Blenheim Audi International CCI***, Blenheim, England
1st
Rolex Kentucky CCI***, Lexington, Kentucky
2nd – Regent Lion
Badminton CCI****, England
4th – Eagle Lion
1995 Badminton CCI****, England
1st - Eagle Lion
Checkmate CCI***, Canada
2nd – Devon and
3rd – Greek Fire
Pan American Games, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Individual Gold and Team Silver medal – Heyday
Essex CCI**, Gladstone, New Jersey
2nd – Trans Am A Flirt
Fair Hill International CCI***, Fair Hill, Maryland
5th – Trans Am A flirt and
8th – Happy Talk
1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Team Silver Medal - Heyday
1997 Blenheim CCI***, England
2nd
European Open Championships, Burghley, England
11th – Eagle Lion
Blenheim CCI***, England
2nd - Heyday
Punchestown CCI***, Ireland
1st - Squelch
1998 Badminton CCI****, England
3rd – Eagle Lion
Rolex Kentucky 3-Day CCI****, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
7th – Squelch and
8th - Heyday
2002 Rolex Kentucky CCI****
Little Tricky
Apparition
High Scope
2003 Rolex Kentucky CCI****
Arrow
Little Tricky
2004 Rolex Kentucky CCI****
Little Tricky
Students:
Steven Bradley – Winner of Burghley CCI**** 1993, Winner of Checkmate CCI*** 19991, 1992 & 1993, Winner of Kentucky CCI*** 1996, Member of 1992 US Olympic Team.
Phyllis Dawson – Member of 1988 US Olympic Team, winner of Checkmate CCI*** 1994
Jane Sleeper – Member of 1988 US Olympic Team
Stephanie Baer – 3rd at Checkmate CCI*** 1994
Graeme Thom – Member of Canadian equestrian team, competed in numerous CCI*** and CCI****s
Lesley Grant – Completed Rolex Kentucky CCI**** 2005, Member of Canadian Equestrian Team
Buck Davidson – Two-time USCTA young rider of the year. Short-listed for 2000 Olympic Games. Member of the 1999 Pan American team.
Sharon White - Completed Rolex Kentucky CCI**** on severl occations, always a top competitor.
Philip Dutton - Olympic gold medalist from Australia. Always a top placing rider in the competitions around the world.
Jane Cory
Gigi MacIntosh
Debbie Adams
Sheri LaBrun
Liza Horan
Mary Hazzard
Jan Smith
Sophie duPont
Maya Studamond
and Many more... The list is ever growing, add your name.
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