Equestrian at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Mail coach

The four-in-hand mail coach driving was one of five equestrian competitions held in late May and early June 1900 at the International Horse Show in Paris. The event was part of the Exposition Universelle, and later classified as part of the 1900 Summer Olympics. There were 31 entrants listed for the event; all 28 of them are known by name (three entered twice each).^[1] The event was won by the team of Georges Nagelmackers (one of the competitors who entered twice) of Belgium. The teams of Léon Thome and Jean de Neuflize, both of France, were classified in second and third place respectively.^[2][3]

Equestrian mail coach at the Games of the II Olympiad
Baron Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt at the equestrian mail coach competition
Venue	7th arrondissement of Paris
Date	2 June
Competitors	28 from 6 nations
Medalists
Georges Nagelmackers  Belgium Léon Thome  France Jean de Neuflize  France

Sources prior to 1996 often did not list this event as Olympic. The IOC website currently has affirmed a total of 95 medal events, after accepting, as it appears, the recommendation of Olympic historian Bill Mallon regarding events that should be considered "Olympic". These additional events include the mail coach event.^[4][5] (Mallon and de Wael had included this event in their Olympic lists.)

Background

No equestrian events were held at the first modern Olympics in 1896. Five events, including this one, were featured in 1900. Only the show jumping competition would ever be held again after that; this was the only appearance of the mail coach event.^[6]

Competition format

The contestants drove mail coaches drawn by four horses each, with the winners determined by a jury. Many of the coaches were driven by their owners. The event took place at the small Place de Breteuil, which was unable to accommodate all 31 coaches simultaneously.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Round
Saturday, 2 June 1900	14:00	Final

Results

Very little is known about the results of the event.

Rank	Driver	Nation
	Georges Nagelmackers	Belgium
	Léon Thome	France
	Jean de Neuflize	France
4	Philippe Vernes	France
5–31	Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt[a]	Belgium
	Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt[a]	Belgium
	Georges Nagelmackers	Belgium
	Vladimir Nikolayevich Orlov	Russian Empire
	Charles Eugène Amable de Veauce	France
	Luis Antonio de Guadalmina	Spain
	Élie de Polyakov	Russian Empire
	Octave Gallice	France
	Jacques la Caze	France
	Jacques la Caze	France
	James Hennessy	France
	Gaston Saint-Paul de Sinçay	Belgium
	Adrien de Noailles	France
	Jacques de Waru	France
	Bertrand Chanu	France
	Geoffroy d'Andigné	France
	Jacques d'Arlincourt	France
	Georges Chaudoir	Belgium
	Louis du Douet de Graville	France
	Max Guilleaume	Germany
	Paul Lambert	Belgium
	Ferdinand de Lariboisière	France
	Hermann Mandl	Austria
	Orban	Belgium
	Georges Pauwels	Belgium
	Paul de Saint-Léger	France
	Georges de Zogheb	Austria

Notes

1. One of Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt's coaches was driven by Count de La Mazelière.^[3]

References

1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Equestrianism at the 1900 Paris Summer Games: Mixed Four-In-Hand Competition". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
2. "Exposition universelle internationale de 1900" (in French). Ministére du commerce, de 'industrie, des postes et des télégraphes. 1900. pp. 291–292. Retrieved 4 February 2022 – via LA84 Digital Library.
3. "Big display of coaches". The New York Herald. Paris. 3 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 16 February 2022 – via Gallica.
4. "Paris 1900". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
5. Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4064-1.
6. "Four-In-Hand Competition, Open". Olympedia. Retrieved 3 March 2021.

Sources

• International Olympic Committee medal winners database
• De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Equestrian 1900". Accessed 19 January 2006. Available electronically at Archived 16 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
• Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.