Juliet Jobling-Purser

Juliet Jobling-Purser was a member of the famous English glassmaking company Jobling’s, who were granted the licence to manufacturer the famous Pyrex brand in the UK in the 1920s. Juliet got on her first pony at the age of four and was winning show jumping competitions before she became a teenager. She won the 1959 British Pony Cub Members Championship and was a two-time Irish Pony Club champion. She later became an international three-day eventer and, after competing at the 1966 World Championships, gave a good account of herself at the 1967 Burghley and 1968 Badminton Horse Trials. As a result, Jobling-Purser was selected to represent Ireland at the Mexico Olympics.

The Irish team equipped themselves well in Mexico and after the first day’s dressage were lying second to the Soviets. It was in the individual competition, however, that Jobling-Purser achieved one of the best results by an Irish eventer. She finished seventh despite a fall during the cross-country, following which she collapsed through exhaustion at the weigh-in.

Jobling-Purser, who also enjoyed hunting with the Kildare Hunt, amongst others, was selected for her second Olympics at München (Munich) in 1972, but did not compete as she and Bill Powell-Harris were the two of the six squad members left out of the final team of four. After her Olympic career, Jobling-Purser trained youngsters to ride, and her great-niece Martha Jobling-Purser became a talented eventer.