John Harty competed in the individual and team three-day eventing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, riding San Michele – a horse owned by Sir John Galvin – as part of an Irish team that finished 4th overall, just 13.87 points outside the bronze medal position.

From a distinguished equestrian family – his brother Eddie had competed at the 1960 Rome Olympics – Harty qualified as a barrister before the lure of the equestrian world proved irresistible.

San Michele was a Grade A show jumper who jumped two of the three clear rounds that were the foundation of Ireland’s show jumping phase, though the horse knocked two fences with false ground lines. The Irish team’s three clear show jumping rounds were a team performance – the only country to achieve this – that came agonisingly close to converting to a medal.

Ireland’s 4th place remains the highest achieved by an Irish team in the Olympic three-day event.