Eddie Macken

Irish rider and trainer, Eddie Macken was an outstanding international show jumper in the 1970s. He rode Pelè to win the silver medal at the 1974 World Championships at Hickstead after a jump-off against Germany’s Hartwig Steenken.

Soon after the 1974 Worlds, Macken started what became a legendary permanent partnership with Boomerang, and between 1975-79 they won 32 major grands prix and Derbies and won prize money in excess of £250,000 (more than £1.5 million in present-day money). The pair also topped the world rankings three years in succession but are best remembered for winning four Hickstead Derbies in succession, something no other combination has done before or since. He was also a member of Ireland´s three successive Aga Khan Trophy-winning teams at the Nations Cup in Dublin 1977-79.

In 1978, Macken and Boomerang travelled to Aachen for the Worlds with great hopes of winning gold, but lost by half-a-point to another German rider, Gerd Wiltfang. Although he never won a European Championship gold medal, Macken did win individual silver on Kerrygold in 1977 and team bronze in 1979.

Macken was selected for the Montreal Olympics in 1976 but couldn’t go because he was deemed to be a professional at the time. He did, however, represent Ireland at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics but without notable success, Macken was later appointed technical manager of the Irish team and in 2004 became the team trainer. He continued riding for his country until 2010.

Eddie and his second wife Kathi moved to Canada in the early 2000s where they ran New Kells Farm in British Columbia, along with its 20 stables and indoor and outdoor equestrian schools.