a legend of the game with Sir Harry Lewellyn

As Horse & Hound celebrates its a hundred and fortieth anniversary, we’re trying again at a number of the largest equine superstars of our historical past and the title Foxhunter will all the time be synonymous with showjumping

When Sir Harry Lewellyn and his showjumper Foxhunter left for the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, it’s most likely truthful to say that almost all of the British public had by no means heard of them.

Every little thing modified after the three-man showjumping group took Britain’s solely gold medal of the Video games, and so they returned residence to a wave of adulation. Most of this was aimed toward Foxhunter, who jumped the profitable clear spherical and concurrently turned a nationwide equine hero.

Previously known as Eelskin

The showjumper greatest often known as Foxhunter was bred at Company Farm within the Norfolk village of Hethel by Knyvett Millard. A shiny bay with one white sock and a big, barely Roman-nosed head, he was initially named Eelskin.

His title was modified by Leicestershire farmer Norman Holmes, who purchased him as an unbroken four-year-old for £60 after being advised by Millard that he had bred a promising horse.

Foxhunter couldn’t have gone to a greater man. Norman Holmes was a fantastic producer and he introduced the 16.3hh teen on slowly till his potential was noticed by Sir Harry Llewellyn, a former high novice jockey who had completed second and fourth within the Grand Nationwide earlier than embarking on a distinguished army profession.

An uncommon seek for a showjumping star

Harry modified sports activities after World Struggle II, however he didn’t discover his showjumper Foxhunter by way of the standard methodology. He made a painstaking search of the information of each horse registered with the British Present Leaping Affiliation (now British Showjumping) earlier than selecting Foxhunter and persuading Norman Holmes to half with the gelding on the finish of his sixth yr for £1,500 (round £63,000 at present).

It was an impressed alternative, as from the beginning the pair couldn’t cease profitable. In a brief worldwide profession that lasted solely till 1956, amongst their main achievements was when Foxhunter entered the file books as the primary and solely horse to win three King George V Gold Cups.

Foxhunter was solely an eight-year-old when he and Harry had been chosen for the 1948 London Olympics. The showjumping was held at Wembley and 44 riders from 15 nations tackled a 16-fence course of fences as much as 1.60m. With team-mates Henry Nicoll (Kilgeddin) and Arthur Carr (Monty), Harry and Foxhunter took residence a bronze medal behind Mexico and Spain.

A second Olympics 

Foxhunter on the Worldwide Horse Present at White Metropolis in 1951.

Foxhunter and Harry then blazed a path all through the game at residence and overseas and 4 years later, they had been off to their second Olympics in Helsinki with excessive hopes.

All of it went unsuitable within the first spherical of the group competitors, however their comeback was in true Boy’s Personal Paper type. Harry and Foxhunter each had a sleep between the rounds and by the point they entered the ring for the second time, a four-fault spherical from Foxhunter could be sufficient for gold. Hopes weren’t excessive, however horse and rider confirmed full composure en path to a transparent and a spot in showjumping historical past.

Harry was all the time embarrassed by the press therapy after Helsinki, which made it look as if he had single-handedly received gold, saying: “Foxhunter carried out the least effectively of all of the horses, however we obtained all of the reward, a degree I made repeatedly to anybody who would pay attention.”

He later went on to put in writing in his autobiography: “I had did not heat up Foxhunter adequately earlier than spherical one. The group was mendacity solely sixth at midway and it was all my fault. I used to be shattered.”

In 1954, Harry determined to show his showjumping celebrity right into a hunter within the low season.

“We had two marvellous seasons looking. I might leap something on him – water, big rails – you actually might have enjoyable,” he stated.

Retirement beckoned

They mixed showjumping and looking till 1956. At Dublin that yr, Foxhunter received the primary and final courses on the present, after which he was instantly retired.

“He went out on the high,” stated Harry on the time.

Harry was by now grasp of the Monmouthshire hunt and continued looking Foxhunter, however he might inform that one thing wasn’t proper.

“He started tiring rapidly and I made a decision to depart him within the discipline earlier than the 1959-60 season,” he stated.

Foxhunter didn’t have a lot time left, as he died on 28 November 1959, aged 19. Such was his fame that his dying was reported in a Pathe newsreel.

“He had a ruptured artery to his kidneys and died in a short time,” defined Harry. “Shortly afterwards we selected his burial. I owned some land on Blorenge mountain and proper on the high are some rocks. Right here, we discovered a cavity into which we put a stainless-steel casket. On this was positioned a e-book I had written, Foxhunter in Footage, and his cover. His skeleton was preserved and went to the Royal Veterinary School.”

A becoming memorial

A memorial plaque over the grave excessive within the Welsh mountains between Abergavenny and Blaenavon now marks Foxhunter’s biggest achievements. The good horse’s title additionally lived on by way of the now world-famous sequence for novice showjumpers, the Welsh pony stud Harry arrange at his residence and a series of Foxhunter eating places and cafes he based.

Harry went on to carry a number of administrative posts on the British Present Leaping Affiliation and was chairman of the affiliation from 1967 to 1969. In 1968, he returned to the Olympics as chef d’equipe for the British showjumping group in Mexico Metropolis.

When he died in 1999, Harry Llewellyn’s ashes had been scattered across the grave of his outdated equine good friend.

“I feel he was the best jumper ever,” he stated after Foxhunter’s retirement. “In fact, each rider thinks his horse is the perfect however Foxhunter might do all the things. I by no means noticed one other horse that would examine to him.”

Foxhunter truth file

Identify: Foxhunter (previously Eelskin)

Breeder: Knyvett Millard

Born: 23 April 1940 (St George’s day)

Sire: Erehwemos (Someplace, spelled backwards), an HIS Premium thoroughbred stallion

Dam: Catcall, a Clydesdale/thoroughbred mare

Residing life with showjumper Foxhunter

In a 2014 interview for the Individuals’s Assortment of Wales, Harry Llewellyn’s 
son Roddy recalled the connection between Foxhunter, his father and the general public.

“My father understood horses. I feel most profitable aggressive horse individuals have that particular relationship and my father actually did with Foxhunter. Foxhunter was a unprecedented, distinctive horse. He was so quiet that he used to have his mane plaited mendacity down in a steady. I bear in mind as a toddler nearly with the ability to discuss to him; he was like an uncle to me and it was agony when he died.

“Busloads of youngsters came around Foxhunter. One little lady touched Foxhunter and he or she stared at her hand and stated: ‘I’ll by no means wash once more!’ He was a nationwide treasure. He appeared in any respect the county exhibits round England. He was led across the ring as a result of individuals simply wished to see him.”

Foxhunter’s showjumping legacy

The Foxhunter championship could also be one thing many British showjumpers dream of profitable, however the class had a low-key begin after Harry tried to think about a means to make use of up a number of the numerous trophies he and Foxhunter had received. The competitions ran for round 4 years in South Wales earlier than turning into a nationwide sequence in 1954.

“The category mushroomed greater than I ever thought it might. The fences had been set at 3ft 6in [around 1.10m] in spherical one and the concept was to draw extra looking individuals into showjumping,” stated Harry on the time.

Exeter using college proprietor Frances Stanbury received the primary Horse of the Yr Present last on Dreamboat, and since then the Foxhunter champions have included some high names.

Amongst them was Beethoven, who took the 1962 title as a four-year-old for Douglas Bunn and went on to win the World Championship. Pennywort, who received for Paula Graham in 1970, was the granddam of the incomparable Milton, whereas John Popely’s 1999 champion Luidam and Marius Claudius, winner the next yr with Robert Smith, each turned world-renowned stallions.

The 2001 champion Mondriaan fulfilled a long-held ambition for William Funnell by profitable the Hickstead Derby, and Sultan, who took the 2009 title for Bruce Menzies, helped Saudi Arabia to group bronze at London 2012.

If he had been alive at present, Harry Llewellyn could be proud. The champions might not have come from the looking discipline, however the class has turn out to be a becoming legacy for one of many biggest showjumping horses of all time.

Foxhunter’s story on the Helsinki Olympics

Within the days of the Helsinki Olympics, groups had been made up of three riders with all scores to depend. The British trio travelled there extra in hope than expectation. There have been 20 nations entered, and the group and particular person championships each occurred on the ultimate day of the Video games.

The primary spherical began at 8am, which meant a 5am begin for grooms and riders. The course was not thought of as daunting as that constructed for the 1948 London Video games however there have been loads of issues across the 13-fence monitor. The fences had been as much as 1.60m and all no less than 15ft lengthy, with the poles painted white and pure fillers. There have been few decorations and the one colored fence was an oxer of yellow planks.

Duggie Stewart and Aherlow led off for Britain with 12 faults. As the perfect rating at that stage was eight, this was thought of passable. Wilf White and Nizefela then jumped a superb spherical, with simply 4 faults on the gate. This left Britain joint second, one fence behind the Italian leaders.

Sensationally, Italy dropped out after third rider Lt Piero d’Inzeo was eradicated for not being prepared to leap. Nonetheless, issues didn’t go proper for Britain both.

Harry and Foxhunter jumped the primary 4 fences completely earlier than faulting on the plank parallel. Foxhunter then slowed into the double, which they by some means cleared. He jumped the next wall nearly from a standstill, leaving Harry clinging to his aspect. Harry struggled again into the saddle, however Foxhunter stopped on the subsequent fence and in addition lowered the gate to complete on 16.75 faults.

Harry blamed himself, as he had jumped solely three follow fences in an effort to maintain Foxhunter recent.

“As quickly as we entered the ring, Foxhunter began trying far and wide and appearing as if each fence hid the satan,” he stated.

The second spherical started at 3.15pm in entrance of 70,000 spectators and four-fault rounds from Duggie Stewart and Wilf White left Britain within the lead with one horse to leap.

It was all all the way down to Harry Llewellyn and Foxhunter and British supporters’ hearts had been of their mouths, nevertheless it was a distinct horse and rider this time. Foxhunter appeared to understand how a lot relied on him 
and cleared all the things simply to safe 
the gold medal.

Foxhunter info in numbers

• 78 worldwide wins
• 35 British Nations Cup groups
• 5 Prince of Wales Cups
• 4 profitable Aga Khan Cup appearances in Dublin
• 3 King George V Gold Cups
• 2 Olympic group medals

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