Harry Freeman-Jackson was one of the founding members of Irish civilian three-day eventing, competing in the sport’s first appearance under Irish colours at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games and going on to become one of the most significant figures in Irish equestrian sport across four decades.

Born in Rawalpindi in the Punjab in 1910, he served during World War II in Belgium and France and was captured by the Germans at Dunkirk, held as a prisoner of war until the war’s end. He moved to Ireland in 1950 to take up the position of Master of the Duhallow Hunt, later developing a stud farm in Mallow, Co. Cork. He began competing at the Badminton Horse Trials from 1950, and along with Ian Hume Dudgeon approached Lord Killanin and Patrick Carroll with the proposal to enter an Irish team at Helsinki – a personal initiative that brought three-day eventing into the Irish Olympic programme for the first time.

Riding Cuchulain at Helsinki, he finished 27th individually as the Irish team completed the competition – one of only six teams to do so – finishing 6th overall. He subsequently competed at three more Olympic Games (Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964), becoming one of the most experienced Irish Olympic equestrians in history.