Famous Showjumpers of times gone by..

little_rou said:
I had just joined pony club, with my fat irish mare bought out of Melton Mowbray sales - the posh kids used to call her the thelwell, so I particularly enjoyed the parts where he talked about buying horses out of local markets, that really didnt look like much and making them into winners :)
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A lot of top horses back then were bought at the sales or 'found' in farmer's fields.

Can you imagine today's top SJers trawling the sale yards and riding out to hounds to see what they could pick up and turn around?

All pupose bred nowadays to do a particular job.
 
Sadly am old enough to remember Pat. She was my heroine, although I only remember her riding Flannagan. I had her book, 'Jump for Joy' which was my bible as a kid. I continued reading it every now and again up until last year when it 'got lost':rolleyes: I am going out on a limb here and saying Prince Hal (a T/B off the tracks) was a bay, although in full agreement Flannagan was a chestnut and Tosca a grey.

Does anyone remember little Dundrum and Tommy Wade? and Johnny Kidd (oh how I fancied him - I suspect I was about 12!) and Grey Owl.

Peter Robeson (who always seemed to ride in continental reins) with a chestnut which actually seemed quite well schooled (Grebe?).

Apparently when Harvey Smith was offered the ride on Matty Brown and was told him name, he said "I don't care if its called Shitty Green as long as it jumps". Oh and the 'V' sign - I remember watching Hickstead on tele when he did that.
 
Wildfire ridden by David Broome If I remember the horse came from the army and cost £25 a bay that could really operate.
Also a show hack Catherson ??? which then turned to show jumping.!
I remember seeing and competing against Stroller in Devon before he measured out.
 
This is a great trip down memory lane!!! My mum aslways tells me the story about when she was told to ******* off by Harvey Smith!!!! They were at some show up in Yorkshire, she was on a pony that was a kicker, it had a ribbon in its tail but Harvey didn't take any notice, rode up behind her, she kicked out and my poor mum was told off!!!! I think she was fairly young at the time, and probably so was he!!!
 
Smitty said:
Sadly am old enough to remember Pat. She was my heroine, although I only remember her riding Flannagan. I had her book, 'Jump for Joy' which was my bible as a kid. I continued reading it every now and again up until last year when it 'got lost':rolleyes: I am going out on a limb here and saying Prince Hal (a T/B off the tracks) was a bay, although in full agreement Flannagan was a chestnut and Tosca a grey.

Does anyone remember little Dundrum and Tommy Wade? and Johnny Kidd (oh how I fancied him - I suspect I was about 12!) and Grey Owl.

Peter Robeson (who always seemed to ride in continental reins) with a chestnut which actually seemed quite well schooled (Grebe?).
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Sorry, Hal was definitely a chestnut, almost a liver one and was incredibly handsome.

Dundrum was brilliant, a real star and Johnny Kidd was definitely playboy material! ;)

Yes, Peter always rode with white plaited reins and the chesnut would have been Firecrest I think.

proudwilliam said:
Wildfire ridden by David Broome If I remember the horse came from the army and cost £25 a bay that could really operate.
Also a show hack Catherson ??? which then turned to show jumping.!
I remember seeing and competing against Stroller in Devon before he measured out.
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Think you mean Lucky Strike which was ridden by Malcolm Pyrah I think.

JoG said:
You absolute STAR!! It was dawn palethorpe and I have found the book on eBay :D:D:D

HUGE choccy cake for your help :D
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I love choccy cake, thank you! :)
 
Wow, real blast from the past, I remember all of them. I remember seeing Stroller at the HOYS at Wembley, when you were able to walk around the stables and see all the horses and ponies. He really looked tiny amongst the other showjumpers, but had a horses head.
My first pony was a section A bred by Harry Llewellyn at his Foxhunter stud.
Does anyone remember Nautical, ridden by Hugh Wiley, he had the most amazing tail that whirled round as he jumped.
 
Smitty said:
Apparently when Harvey Smith was offered the ride on Matty Brown and was told him name, he said "I don't care if its called Shitty Green as long as it jumps". Oh and the 'V' sign - I remember watching Hickstead on tele when he did that.
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I was at Hickstead when he did that. Cloe Bunn came to our yard for pony camp a few weeks later. Lets just say she didn't have the easiest time of it. :o
 
What a brilliant thread! I am sitting here nodding my head at all the names and getting all sentimental!

Does anyone remember the horse Marion Mould had after Stroller? April Love, we had her at stud where I worked and I felt so sorry for MM, she was the most miserable, nastiest mare I have ever had the misfortune to meet!!

Don't think anyone has mentioned the great Boomerang, although in terms of this thread maybe that wasn't so long ago!

I met Caroline Bradley several times as she was a friend of my then employer.. lovely person and a great loss.. I well remember her winning Hickstead on Marius and the mad victory circuit they did.

Great days.
 
Another one nodding in memory of all these names. Stroller was my hero and I remember April Love and was it Marius who was Marion Moulds next great horse?
Mr Softee's four white socks is as clear as yesterday too. :D

Vibart who bucked when he jumped was another I loved to watch. :D

Mta. Not Darius but Marius. lol
 
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What about Ted Williams & Pegasus......another flying grey at the same time or maybe just before Ted Edgar & Uncle Max.

What about some foreign riders.....d'Inzeo brothers and The Rock? Hans Winkler and Halle? Any others?
 
Marius was Caroline Bradley's. She also rode Milton until her very sad passing away. New Yorker I also remember.
Peter Robeson took Firecrest to an Olympics (can't remember which one, might have been Rome)
Oh, memory lane.
 
rebchico said:
It's Otto!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE4NWT6h1mM
his tribute vid :) sound quality not too great but it made me cry! :P
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My all time favourite horse and still is to this day. I always dreamed that I would meet him and had posters on my wall.

What a lovely video and I am blubbing! A wonderful horse with one of the worlds most genuine riders.

RIP It's Otto. Love you x
 
Goya said:
I'm old enough to remember Pat Smythe, Wilf White, Harry Llewellyn, Dawn Palethorpe, a young Alan Oliver and David Broome . . . ah those were the days .

Sadly, so am I. In my heyday it was Harvey Smith, Caroline Bradley, David broome, Peter Robeson and Derek Rickets was an up and coming young rider!
My claim to fame is that I was lucky enough to become friendly with Harvey Smith's groom at the time and used to help her at British Timken Show every year. She also sent me a postcard from Mexico (I think it was mexico) Olympics.
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Same here, when I was young me parents used to go to Butlins at Filey for the same week every year. Why? because the Butlins qualifiers were held there. Top class GB showjumpers on their international horses in a field in Yorkshire for free. My parents got a quiet week and I got the best lessons ever just from watching.
 
Think you mean Lucky Strike which was ridden by Malcolm Pyrah I think.
Lucky Strike was a show hack as was Harveys horse The Sea Hawk who was only 15.3 and didn't start jumping until quite late on. What about Warpaint? and Harvester, O'Malley and Doncella.

Is it beyond the wit of man to put together some DVDs of all these great horses and riders???????
 
I used to love watching Tigre, the lovely grey.

I used to show jump alongside Harvey Smith, Stephen Hadley, etc... in classes where they were bringing on youngsters. I was jumping my 14.1 Arab in B and C classes back then.

My greatest claim to fame..... Harvey Smith and his sons helping tow our old Landrover and trailer out of the mud at some show or other! This was back in the early 80's, mind you. Sad eh!!! :D:D:D
 
Doncella said:
Think you mean Lucky Strike which was ridden by Malcolm Pyrah I think.
Lucky Strike was a show hack as was Harveys horse The Sea Hawk who was only 15.3 and didn't start jumping until quite late on. What about Warpaint? and Harvester, O'Malley and Doncella.

Is it beyond the wit of man to put together some DVDs of all these great horses and riders???????
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They have the Great Event Horses and Great Dressage Horses so they should do Great Showjumpers aswell! Showjumping doesn't seem to have the same magic now.
 
I remember the hay days of Caroline Bradley, David Broome, Harvey Smith, Ted and Liz Edgar, Malcom Pyrah, Eddie macken, John and Michael Whitaker ...

Tigre, Marius, Pennwood Forgemill, Philco, Boomerang, Ryan's Son, Anglezarke ...

and many many others
 
Ladyinred said:
What a brilliant thread! I am sitting here nodding my head at all the names and getting all sentimental!

Does anyone remember the horse Marion Mould had after Stroller? April Love, we had her at stud where I worked and I felt so sorry for MM, she was the most miserable, nastiest mare I have ever had the misfortune to meet!!


Great days.
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I'm sure April Love as Anne Moore's as was Psalm. Marion Mould had Elizabeth Ann (or Arden) after Stroller. April Love was a grey mare.
 
i read someplace that stroller was 15 hh and that the night before the olympic final he had a problem with a tooth, even so he got silver would he have won gold but for the tooth thing, we'll never know........ they say that when milton cantered you could hardly hear a footfall - he was so light on his feet........i remember dundrum i think he was small as well........ while on the subject of small horses my modern day hero is flipper d'elle 15 3 hh selle francais bred by france's top horse breeder who sold him at 3 years old because he thought he was too small to attract mares at stud who became a great international performer, oops! he covered around 200 mares last year.
 
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