Major General Guy Vernor Henry Jr. (January 28, 1875 – November 29, 1967) was a senior officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and a noted

horse rider The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

who competed for the United States in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

Early life

Guy V. Henry Jr. was born into the military life. Son of

Guy Vernor Henry Guy Vernor Henry (March 9, 1839 – October 27, 1899) was an American military officer and Medal of Honor recipient who served as military governor of Puerto Rico. Biography Henry was born in Fort Smith, Indian Territory (now Arkansas), the ...

, he went on to graduate from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

in 1898, and distinguished his military career by earning the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

in 1899 during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. Henry went on to study at the

Saumur Cavalry School Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur sta ...

in France and used the knowledge he gained there to change the treatment and training of United States Cavalry horses. This included starting horses not by "breaking" them using the traditional western methods, but by training them on the longe, then slowly teaching them to accept the weight of a human on their back. He also brought

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

methods from both the French and German schools, with a great deal of influence from Baucher, and as senior instructor of equitation at the Mounted Service School at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

he insisted in teaching new recruits to properly use the

aids The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

and promoted the European methods. Henry helped to institute the high level of horsemanship at Fort Riley, helping to develop

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adju ...

and veterinary programs which were to become required courses for cavalry lieutenants. He also got rid of the harsh

curb bit A curb bit is a type of bit (horse), bit used for equestrianism, riding horses that uses lever action. It includes the pelham bit and the double bridle, Weymouth curb along with the traditional "curb bit" used mainly by western riding, Western ri ...

used by the Cavalry, known as the Shoemaker bit, and replaced it with either the

snaffle bit A snaffle bit is the most common type of bit used while riding horses. It consists of a mouthpiece and two rings. The mouthpieces may be jointed. A snaffle gives direct pressure on the horse's mouth and has no leveraging shank. A bridle util ...

or the

double bridle A double bridle, also called a full bridle or Weymouth bridle,Gurney, Hilda. "Double Bridle Pros and Cons." ''Practical Horseman'' Sept. 2007. is a bridle that has two bits and four reins (sometimes called "double reins"). One bit is the '' brado ...

Olympic equestrian career

Henry competed in all three Olympic equestrian disciplines –

eventing Eventing (also known as three-day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where the same horse and rider combination compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This ...

, and

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

– for the United States during his years in the army. His most distinguished Olympic results occurred at the

1912 Olympic Games The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, where he won the bronze medal in the team eventing competition, finished 11th in the individual event, 4th in the team jumping competition, and 13th in the individual dressage competition, riding

Chiswell Chiswell , sometimes , is a small village at the southern end of Chesil Beach, in Underhill, on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. It is the oldest settlement on the island, having formerly been known as Chesilton. The small bay at Chiswell is ...

. Henry later served at Chef dÉquipe for the United States Teams from 1936 to 1948, was chairman on the Olympic Equestrian Committee from 1930 to 1960, and director of equestrian events at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

in Los Angeles.

Other achievements

* Commandant of Cadets at

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

(1916–1918) * Commanding General 15th Division (1918−1919) * Graduate, Army War College, 1921 * Honors Graduate, School of the Line, 1922 * Graduate, General Staff School, 1923 * Commander of

Fort Myer Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army Military base, post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and ...

, Virginia (1927–1930) * Succeeded Herbert B. Crosby as

Chief of Cavalry Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

, United States Army (1930–1934) * Commandant of the US Army Cavalry School and Commander of

(1935–1938) * Commander of the

Seventh Corps Area The Seventh Corps Area was a Corps area, effectively a military district, of the United States Army active from 1920 to 1941. It initially was responsible for army forces in Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (but not Jefferson Barracks), North Dakota, S ...

(1938–1939) * Chairman of the US section of the Permanent Joint Defense Board with Canada (1948–1954) * Judge at horse shows at the international level * Director of the US Equestrian Team * Director of the American Horse Shows Association * Director of New York's National Horse Show Association * President of the

Fédération Équestre Internationale The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (, FEI) is the international governing body of equestrian sports. The FEI came into being following the Olympic Congress in Lausanne (SUI) in 1921 from May 28 to May 30. It's headquarters are ...

, the only American to be placed in that position (1931–1935)

Decorations

References

External links

* *
Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Guy 1875 births 1967 deaths 19th-century United States Army personnel United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel Military personnel from Nebraska Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American dressage riders Equestrians at the 1912 Summer Olympics American event riders Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in equestrian American male equestrians Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star American show jumping riders United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni Commandants of the Corps of Cadets of the United States Military Academy Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics United States Army generals of World War II American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army War College alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni 20th-century American sportsmen