Philip Bowden-Smith

Philip Bowden-Smith was an all-round horseman. He was equally at home playing polo, show jumping, competing in three-day-events, riding with the hunt, or taking part in point-to-point races. He was also an excellent bloodstock breeder.

At the 1924 Olympics, Bowden-Smith competed in both the eventing and show jumping competition, and in the individual jumping event finished fourth on his mount Billy Boy, missing out on a bronze medal by just 0.5 of a point. At Berlin 12 years later, he was captain of the Great Britain eventing team that won the bronze medal, although he did not compete.

The son of Colonel Edmund Bowden-Smith, Philip, affectionately known as “Bogey”, attended Military College before being commissioned into the 19th (Queen Alexandra’s Own) Hussars in 1910. He fought in both World Wars and between 1949-59 was colonel of The Queen’s Royal Lancers and retired with the rank of brigadier. Honoured with the CBE, he was at one time an instructor at the Cavalry School, and was also the senior instructor at the Army’s Equitation School at Weedon. After the war Bowden-Smith was an aide-de-camp to King George VI.

In the 1930s Bowden-Smith was a show jumping judge at the Olympia Royal Tournament, and was also the Northern divisional member of the County Polo Association. He was also a good standard golfer with a single-figure handicap, and regularly played in the Cavalry Club Championship.