David Broome

From his early days on a dairy farm to the giddy heights of the Olympics, David Broome is one of Britain’s finest ever showjumpers. Penny Richardson charts his career

- Penny Richardson

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.

“My grandfather was coachman to a vet in Pembroke and was in a cavalry regiment during World War I. Father inherited his love of horses and there was always a horse or two around,” remembers David. “My parents were real grafters. Father had a greengrocer’s shop in Cardiff and, in World War II, he also worked for the fire service at Cardiff docks. He used to go to the wholesalers every morning, buy the goods, then go to his other job while Mother ran the shop.”