February 17, 2022 
Each week on #HallOfFameThursday, Horse Network recognizes members of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame with an inductee’s plaque, historical photos and, on the first Thursday of every month, an historic article on a major win by a Show Jumping Hall of Famer. This week, we recognize The Natural, Show Jumping Hall of Fame class of 2016.
The first show horse to have a million dollar price tag, The Natural achieved great success both in the U.S. and internationally.
The bay, Hanoverian gelding foaled in 1977 was ridden in the 1980s by Rodney Jenkins and Katharine Burdsall, and later by Alice Debany. His outstanding record included winning the FEI World Cup™ Finals and a team Gold Medal at the World Championships.
Known originally as Donald 158, he was imported from West Germany by Paula Inman. He won over $150,000, as well as a Grand Prix in Denmark, with Terry Rudd riding. Katie Monahan rode him at Lake Placid in 1984 and recognized him as a natural in the jumper ring. Inman changed his name to The Natural after watching the 1984 Robert Redford baseball movie of the same name.
Under new ownership of Sheldon Gordon (together first with Sale Johnson and then Rodney Jenkins), The Natural had a standout 1985 season. With Jenkins in the saddle, The Natural won five grand prix events, including the American Gold Cup at Devon. The Natural was then sold for the then-record sum of one million dollars to Paul Greenwood and he moved to Greenwood’s Old Salem Farm in North Salem, NY. Greenwood gave his ride to Katharine Burdsall, a Grand Prix rider who had won the ASPCA Maclay Final in 1975.
The Natural and Burdsall won their first Grand Prix together, the $30,000 Gold Coast Grand Prix, at the Palm Beach Polo Club in 1986. They were selected for the U.S. team for the 1986 World Championships in Aachen, Germany, and helped the U.S. win the team Gold Medal.
After returning to the States, they put together an amazing run, winning three of the country’s biggest Grand Prix events—the Hampton Classic, American Gold Cup and President’s Cup at the Washington International Horse Show. These three wins, all World Cup qualifiers, earned the pair a trip to the 1987 FEI World Cup™ Finals in Paris where they emerged as champions, dropping only one rail in the four rounds of jumping. They stayed in Europe following the World Cup and won the Lucerne Grand Prix in Switzerland and the International Jumping Masters of Germany.
The following year, The Natural and Burdsall were selected for the U.S. team for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. However, days before leaving, The Natural popped a splint, forcing him to miss the Games, undergo surgery and take a year off.
While The Natural was recovering, Burdsall retired from competition and Alice Debany took over his rehabilitation. The two would spend three years together, continuing the horse’s incredible career. In 1990, Debany and The Natural won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Spruce Meadows as well as Grand Prix at Detroit and the National Horse Show.
The Natural was officially retired in 1994 at the age of 17. He lived another 14 years at Old Salem Farm before being laid to rest on April 12, 2008.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit charity that relies solely on contributions to operate. If you liked this story, please consider supporting its efforts to preserve our sport’s history. Donations can be made online at www.ShowJumpingHallofFame.net.
