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Huaso - The horse with the world record high jump

2008-07-31 15:30:00 - by Horsetype

Highest obstacle ever jumped : Alberto Larraguibel and Huaso, jumping 8 feet 1.25 inches (2.47 meters).	Zoom

[HISTORY] It was born in 1933 in Chile and given the name Faithful. It was initially intended for the race track, but its restive and nervous temper did nothing but bring failure after failure. After 6 years of disappointing results, another career is considered for this standard Chilean thoroughbred.

It is Gaspar Lueje, captain in the Chilean army, who acquires it in the first quarter of 1940. This new owner hopes to make Faithful a dressage horse. Unfortunately, a serious accident occurred, wounding the horse which was going to preserve a slight limp of its left hind leg for the remainder of its life. This new handicap changed again Faithful's destiny. From now on, it would be trained to jump obstacles. Had we already forgotten his impetuous and unsubdued temper? Even in this new discipline, nobody succeeded in getting the full potential of Faithful, which proved too difficult to control.

One day, during free training, Faithful chose to jump the more than 6 feet (2 meters) high wall which delimited the training ground in which it was, rather than subject itself to he commands of its trainer! An equestrian Master of the army who saw the jump, decided to acquire this incredible chestnut horse with a goal in mind: train it for high jumps!

Faithful was then moved to the Army cavalry academy in Quillota, Chile, located some 74 miles (120 km) of Santiago. Once there, the horse was renamed Huaso, meaning cowboy. The formation of Huaso was entrusted to the captain Alberto Larraguibel. This is 1947 and Alberto Larraguibel is 28 years old.

Two years later, on February 5th, 1949, during an international event, Huaso, 16 years old, was brought by its rider in front of an obstacle 8 feet 1.25 inches (2.47 meters) high. The distance to the obstacle was badly evaluated and Huaso refused to jump. Larraguibel did not use his whip which would have made the horse only more nervous and made a second attempt. This time, the belly and the hind legs of Huaso touched the obstacle. There remained only one last chance… The couple was presented in front of the jump and Huaso flew away.

Alberto Larraguibel said later to have found the passage at the top very distressing. He remembered seeing the ground from approximately 12 feet (4 meters) high and to have had the feeling of a dive. The most subtle movement from him would have destabilized Huaso and made the couple fall, but Huaso and its rider succeeded, thus beating the world high jump record.

How this horse of 16 hands 1 inch managed to recover from the landing shock of such a high jump with a hind leg weakened? History does tell, but it is told that Huaso benefitted from a well deserved retirement and was never ridden again after its achievement. Huaso died naturally at 29 years old, on August 24th, 1961.

Alberto Larraguibel stopped competing in 1953 because of health problems, but remained involved in the equestrian world. He died on April 12th, 1995.

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