I wonder how many of you have heard of, or possibly remember, Foxhunter the champion show jumper?

Foxhunter was owned and ridden by Henry Morton Llewellyn, known as 'Harry'.


Sir Harry Llewellyn & Foxhunter
Harry Llewellyn & Foxhunter

Harry Llewellyn's contribution to British showjumping, first as a rider and later as an administrator, is inestimable. With his great horse, Foxhunter, he forged a famous partnership in the late 1940s and early 1950s, winning nearly every grand prix in Europe. Their total of 78 wins in the five years from 1947 included winning the King George V Gold Cup an unprecedented three times. A team bronze medal at the 1948 Olympic Games in London was followed by a team gold medal at the Helsinki Olympics four years later, which heralded a new era in British showjumping and helped to establish the sport in the public's imagination.

The gold medal won at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki was Great Britain's only gold medal. A nation found solace and comfort in being identified with not Harry M. Llewellyn, Foxhunter's rider, but with the horse itself.

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Foxhunter Memorial - The Blorenge

Following Foxhunter's death a memorial was erected on top of The Blorenge, a high hill overlooking Abergavenny, where the Llewellyn family had once owned land.

Foxhunter was born on my mother's birthday and won his Olympic gold medal in the year of my birth... other than that I have no ties with the dead animal, but I thought you might find this interesting.