David Broome

IT’S almost impossible to imagine it now, but in the 1960s and ’70s families sat down in front of their TVs in their millions to watch a young Welsh showjumper and his counterpart from Yorkshire take on and beat the rest of the world.

In those heady days of primetime showjumping on the BBC, everyone had heard of David Broome and Harvey Smith. They were national heroes whose exploits in and out of the ring made the sort of headlines now reserved for other sports.

The public adored David Broome. In 1960, he was only 20 when he was voted Sportsview Sports Personality of the Year. In 2007, he received a “National Treasure” award from Alan Titchmarsh’s ITV show and only seven years ago, ITV Wales broadcast a documentary on David’s life.

So what made this unassuming man such a legend? In the 1950s, showjumping was often confined to people from privileged backgrounds. Then along came David and Harvey. They are of a similar age – David turned 80 last month, while Harvey is just over a year older – and neither was from a “typical” equestrian family.

David McPherson Broome CBE was born in Cardiff, the son of Fred Broome and his Scottish wife, Millie. Although Fred was a greengrocer, his father had worked with horses.

“David was the ultimate professional, with nerves of steel”
MALCOLM PYRAH

“My grandfather was coachman to a vet in Pembroke and was in a cavalry regiment