Britain: An official handbook > 1966

5I4
Riding
Show Jumping
Boxing
BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
occupier of any licensed greyhound track on the 104 ‘betting days’. Ten per
cent of the money staked on the totalisators must be paid to the Government;
up to 6 per cent may be deducted for operational expenses before successful
backers are paid. The ‘copyright’ in tote odds granted to the Horserace
Totalisator Board in respect of horse-racing also applies to the occupiers of
licensed greyhound tracks on which totalisators are operated.
Interest in the art of horsemanship continues to increase rapidly, and many
more people have learned to enjoy riding as a pastime since the end of the
second world war than at any time since the advent of the motor car. There
are some 1,200 riding schools in Britain, many of a high standard, and about
50 new schools are opened each year; membership of the British Horse
Society has risen to about 12,000; there are some 180 riding clubs with
varied membership; and the Pony Club (open to young people up to the
age of seventeen years) now has an overall membership of about 77,000
members. There are over 900 branches of the Pony Club throughout the world,
of which 250 are attached to hunts in Britain, and the remainder are overseas.
The British Horse Society, as the national equestrian federation of Great
Britain, is the authority on all matters relating to horses and ponies, including
breeding, training, riding, show jumping and dressage, and is responsible for
preparing equestrian teams for the Olympic Games and all international
events. The Society is also the parent body of the Pony Club and the riding
clubs, and organises and provides tests, lectures, demonstrations, courses and
examinations to promote horsemanship and horsemastership.
Horse trials of all kinds are held throughout Britain during the spring and
summer. The three-day trials held each year—in April at Badminton Park,
Gloucestershire, and in September at Burghley House, Lincolnshire are
among the outstanding equestrian events of the year. These trials include
dressage, cross-country riding, and show jumping; some 25 one-day trials
on similar lines are held annually.
Show jumping competitions are held each year at over 1,000 shows. The
main events take place during the Royal International Horse Show (held at
the White City, London, under the auspices of the British Horse Society
towards the end of July)—the outstanding contest being the individual
jumping championship for the King George V Gold Cup. Jumping competi¬
tions are also a feature of the Horse of the Year Show, which takes place in
October at Wembley and is acknowledged to be one of the finest indoor
horse shows in the world. The total membership of the British Show Jumping
Association has risen to over 6,000. The number of horses and ponies registered
is approximately 4,5°° and over ,£140,000 is distributed annually in prize
money.
The selection of British riders and horses taking part in international
competitions (whose successes have materially contributed to the increased
popularity of show jumping) is the responsibility of the executive committee
of the Association.
Boxing as an English sport probably originated in Saxon times. Its modern
form, and the one that has been adopted in many overseas countries, dates
from 1865 when the Marquess of Queensberry drew up a set of rules which
eliminated much of the brutality that had hitherto characterised prize fighting,
and made the basis of the sport a trial of strength and skill.
Nowadays, many boys learn to box at school and in boys’ clubs, and there
are various amateur boxing competitions carried out according to the rules