Sean Daly

Sean Daly had a long career in the Irish Army, rising to the rank of colonel. Furthermore, he was heavily involved with the Army Equitation School at McKee Camp, Dublin, where he became commanding officer. Having a passion for horses as a teenager, Daly became an excellent show jumper. He competed at the 1960 Roma (Rome) Olympics on his Irish-bred gelding Loch Garman. While they had no success at the Games, the pair went on to enjoy success across Ireland. In 1961, Daly was in the Irish team that won the Nations Cup at Nice,

After retiring as a competitive rider Daly was appointed chef d’equipe to the Irish showjumping team and helped develop some top-class horses and riders like Eddie Macken and Paul Darragh, as Ireland became one of the world’s top show jumping nations. In 1977 Daly played a key role in Ireland winning the prestigious Aga Khan Trophy at the Dublin Horse Show for the first of three successive years.

Daly’s son Robert was a well-known trader of USA sporting horses. He was also a show jumping commentator on Irish radio. Sean died in 1987 at the age of 54.