Pat Smythe facts for kids
Smythe in 1954
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| Personal information | |||||||||||
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| Born | 22 November 1928 East Sheen, London, UK |
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| Died | 27 February 1996 (aged 67) Miserden, Gloucestershire, England |
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| Height | 170 cm | ||||||||||
| Weight | 67 kg | ||||||||||
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| Sport | Equestrian | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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Pat Smythe was a famous British show jumper. Her full name was Patricia Rosemary Smythe. She was born on November 22, 1928, and passed away on February 27, 1996, at 67 years old. Pat competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics. She won a bronze medal with her team in the 1956 Olympics.
Pat also held important roles in the British Show Jumping Association. She was its president from 1983 to 1986. Later, she served as vice-president from 1987 until her death in 1996. Besides her riding career, Pat Smythe wrote many books about horses, especially for young readers.
Contents
Pat Smythe's Early Life
Pat Smythe was the youngest of three children. Her older brothers were Dicky and Ronald. Sadly, Dicky died from pneumonia when he was only four years old. Pat's parents were Eric Hamilton Smythe and Frances Monica Curtoys.
Pat was born in East Sheen, London. When she was 10, her family moved to the beautiful Cotswolds countryside. Later, she attended Talbot Heath School in Bournemouth as a boarder.
When Pat was five, she became very ill with diphtheria. She recovered fully, but she had to learn to walk again. Pat faced many challenges throughout her life. Her father passed away when she was a teenager. Her mother died in a car accident when Pat was 23.
Growing Up During World War II
World War II caused families to be separated. In early 1940, Pat's father went to Biskra in Algeria to help with his arthritis. Her mother stayed in London, working for the Red Cross.
Pat's mother later went to France to find her father. They met in Aix-les-Bains and managed to escape from France. They left on the very last boat from Bordeaux just before the Germans took over the city.
For her safety, Pat was sent to the Cotswolds with her pony, Pixie. Her brother was evacuated to Newquay in Cornwall, where his school had moved. One day, while trying to manage some horses in the road, Pat met the King. She didn't know who he was and told his driver, Shut up! Can't you see I'm trying to get these horses out of the road!
In early 1941, Pat and her parents moved to a house in the Cotswolds. Her parents worked hard, and their house became a guesthouse. After her father's death in 1949, Pat and her mother moved again to Miserden in the Cotswolds.
Pat's Ponies and Horses
Pat Smythe's first ride was on a small pony named Bubbles. He belonged to her brother, but Pat learned to ride on him. She eventually grew too big for Bubbles. After that, her parents bought her a pony named Pixie, who was a mix of Dartmoor and Arab breeds. Pixie later had a foal, a filly named Vicky.
Pat's mother often received polo ponies from a family friend, Johnny Traill. She would train them for polo playing. As Pat got older, she also helped school and break in these ponies.
First Show Jumping Horse: Finality
Pat's first real experience with show jumping came when she moved to the Cotswolds. She rode a horse named Finality. They had some success at local horse shows called gymkhanas. Finality also suffered several injuries.
Eventually, Pat and Finality were good enough to compete in her first International Show. In 1947, she was asked to join the British team. Other team members included Colonel Harry Llewellyn, Ruby Holland-Martin, Toby Robeson, and Brian Butler. However, Pat's partnership with Finality did not last. Finality had been lent to the family by Johnny Traill. Due to money problems, Finality had to be sold.
Carmena and Leona
After Finality, Pat got a grey mare named Carmena. Carmena was a very talented and successful horse. However, Pat admitted she never felt the same strong connection with Carmena as she did with Finality.
Soon after Carmena, Pat got another mare named Leona. Leona was a good horse for Pat. But after her mother's death, money became very tight. Leona was the most valuable horse at the time, so she had to be sold.
Prince Hal and Tosca
In 1949, Pat bought her cheapest horse, Prince Hal. He was an ex-racehorse and was first named Fourtowns.
Tosca was Pat's next horse. She was born in 1945. Tosca became Pat's most successful partner after Finality. They won many medals and major show jumping prizes. Pat often competed with Tosca abroad. After Tosca retired from show jumping in the mid-1950s, she had several foals. These included Lucia, Favourita, Flamenca, Laurella, Prince Igor, Chocolate Soldier, Melba, Sir John, and one more.
Lucia, one of Tosca's foals, also had a few foals herself. These were Titania, Caruso, and Queen of Hearts.
Later Show Jumping Horses
Later in her career, Pat rode other successful show jumping horses. These included Flanagan, on whom she won the bronze medal in the Team Jumping event at the 1956 Olympic games in Stockholm. Other horses were Brigadoon, Scorchin, Mr Pollard, Ocean Foam, and Telebrae.
Later Life and Family
After the 1960 Summer Olympics, Pat married her childhood friend, Sam Koechlin. She then became known as Patricia Koechlin-Smythe. Because Sam was Swiss, Pat moved to Switzerland. It was there that she wrote many of her books, including several pony books for children.
Sam passed away in 1986. After his death, Pat moved back to the Cotswolds. Pat Smythe died from a heart disease at the age of 67. She had faced various health challenges from bad falls during her show jumping career. She developed osteoporosis and had several leg surgeries, including both hips being replaced. Pat had two daughters.
Pat Smythe's Books
Pat Smythe was a very active writer. By the age of 30, she had already published 11 books.
Biographies
- Flanagan My Friend
- Jumping Around the World
- Leaping Life's Fences
- Tosca and Lucia
- Florian's Farmyard
Non-Fictional Books
- Bred to Jump
- Horses And Places
Fictional Books
Three Jays Series
- Three Jays Against The Clock (1958)
- Three Jays on Holiday (1958)
- Three Jays Go To Town (1959)
- Three Jays Over The Border (1960)
- Three Jays Go To Rome (1960)
- Three Jays Lend A Hand (1961)
Adventure Series
- A Swiss Adventure (1970)
- A Spanish Adventure (1971)
- A Cotswold Adventure (1973)
