Rodney Jenkins was one of the most celebrated equestrians of his time, a Hall of Fame show horse jumper who later had a successful career as a racehorse trainer.
- Died: December 5, 2024 (Who else died on December 5?)
- Details of death: Died in Glenwood, Maryland at the age of 80.
- We invite you to share condolences for Rodney Jenkins in our Guest Book.
Rodney Jenkins’ legacy
Jenkins grew up around horses. In his youth on a Virginia farm, he began riding at an early age, often being forced to learn the skills necessary to guide a horse through difficult conditions. Before long, he was creating his own backyard obstacle courses to navigate. By his teens, Jenkins had already developed elite level skills.
He began riding professionally in 1961, competing up and down the East Coast at 17 and eventually running his own horse barn. By the end of the decade, Jenkins was one of the most dominant competitors in the sport, beginning a run of success that would continue into the 1980s. He was a five-time American Gold Cup winner, including four in a row in the early 1970s. He was a three-time winner of both the Presidents Cup and the National Horse Show Grand Prix, helped secure 10 Nations Cup victories for U.S. equestrian teams.
Many of his best-known competitions came while riding Idle Dice, a horse that failed to become a racer but excelled in show jumping. Idle Dice became the first horse inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1987. Jenkins himself was inducted in 1999.
Jenkins is also in the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame. After leaving show jumping, he became a sought-after racehorse trainer, plus was the author of “Practical Horseman’s Book.”
Notable quote
“Good horses come from everywhere, but I think most good horses have good minds, too.” — interview with The Chronicle of the Horse, 2012
Tributes to Rodney Jenkins
Full obituary: The Washington Post
