Taylor, Melanie Smith (1949—)

American equestrian in show jumping. Name variations: Melanie Ainsworth Smith. Born Melanie Ainsworth Smith in Litchfield, Connecticut, on September 23, 1949; married Lee Taylor (a polo player), in 1985.

Was the first American Grandprix Association Rider of the Year (1978); won the World Cup (1982); was on the first American equestrian team to win an Olympic gold medal in team jumping (1984); after retiring from competition, became a television commentator for equestrian events.

Melanie Smith Taylor, who up until 1985 won her titles under her maiden name of Melanie Ainsworth Smith, was fascinated by dressage, the 16th-century European art of training horses in precise movement in preparation for war. Women had not always been allowed to compete in this ancient sport and were restricted from Olympic equestrian competition until 1952. By the time Taylor began to com pete in the 1970s, however, women were a familiar sight on the course. When she was first on the American Grandprix Association (AGA) tour in 1976, Taylor rode Radnor II and Val de Loire, the horse she rode while on the team that won the gold medal in 1979 in the Pan Ameri can Games.

An amazing partnership began, however, when Taylor mounted Calypso, a Dutch bay gelding. In 1979, she won the International Jumping Derby, and in 1980 was second in the World Cup final. That same year, she and Calypso won the Grand Prix of Paris and took the individual bronze medal at the Rotterdam Show Jumping Festival. Horse and rider continued in 1982, taking the American Invitational, the World Cup final, and the American Gold Cup. In 1983, Taylor was on the U.S. team that won the Nations Cup and World Cup. In 1984, she and Calypso rested up for the Olympics. The American team consisted of Leslie Burr on Albany, Joe Fargis on Touch of Class, Conrad Homfeld on Abdullah, and Melanie Taylor on Calypso. "My goal always had been to win the team gold medal over the individual gold," she said.

Though the individual event was very important to me, my dream had been realized in the team phase of the 1984 Olympics. August 7 was a day I will remember always. Calypso put in the round of his life on sheer heart and determination. We anchored the team with a clear performance in the first round, which brought us from the back to the front of the pack, going into the second round. The brilliant rides from my teammates kept us from needing to ride again. We already had won the gold medal.

For the first time in history, an American equestrian team won the gold medal in team jumping. The victory was decisive, due in part to Melanie Smith Taylor's clear round on Calypso.

sources:

Markel, Robert, Nancy Brooks, and Susan Markel. For the Record. Women in Sports. NY: World Almanac, 1985.

Taylor, Melanie Smith. "Luck with a Lucky Boy," in Riding for America: The United States Equestrian Team. Edited by Nancy Jaffer. NY: Doubleday, 1990, pp. 24–29.

Karin Loewen Haag , Athens, Georgia