THE recent passing of Jim White severed the last link between the formation of the SJAI and the present day. It was a fateful day back in 1954 (now 66 years ago) when a group of show jumping enthusiasts, all men, met at the Ballymascanlon Hotel in Dundalk to set up a national body to control the then growing sport of showjumping. Previously county shows and gymkhanas had been run under local rules, often drawn in such a way to favour local interests.

There had been both a southern and northern show jumping body but this was the first attempt to form a national body. The first chairman was Col. Hume Dudgeon and of those gartered, Jim White was the last surviving member.