Richard Meade

Richard Meade
Richard Meade c. 1974
Personal information
Full name	Richard John Hannay Meade
Nationality	United Kingdom
Discipline	Eventing
Born	(1938-12-04)4 December 1938 Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales
Died	8 January 2015(2015-01-08) (aged 76)
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Equestrian Olympic Games 1968 Mexico City Team eventing 1972 Munich Team eventing 1972 Munich Individual eventing World Championships 1966 Burghley Individual eventing 1970 Punchestown Team eventing 1970 Punchestown Individual eventing 1974 Burghley Team eventing 1982 Luhmühlen Team eventing European Championships 1965 Moscow Team eventing 1967 Punchestown Team eventing 1971 Burghley Team eventing 1973 Kiev Team eventing 1981 Horsens Team eventing

Richard John Hannay Meade, OBE (4 December 1938 – 8 January 2015) was Britain's most successful equestrian Olympian. He was a triple Olympic gold medalist and the first British rider to win an individual Olympic title. He also won five World Championship medals, including team golds in 1970 and 1982.

Meade was born in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales. His parents, John and Phyllis (née Watts) were joint masters of the Curre Hounds at Itton and set up Britain's first Connemara stud. He was educated at Lancing College and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read Engineering and was a member of the Hawks' Club. He served in the 11th Hussars and briefly worked in the City of London before embarking on a life committed to the equestrian sphere.

Throughout his eventing career Meade was the outstanding rider of his time and the lynchpin of British teams for 21 years. In 1964, he won the Burghley Horse Trials on Barberry. Meade was a member of Britain's gold medal winning team at both the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics, and also won the individual gold in 1972. He also competed in the 1964 and 1976 Olympics, as well as the substitute competition in Fontainbleau during the partial boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Meade also won two World Championship gold medals and three silver medals, as well as three European Championship gold medals and two bronze medals. He twice won the Badminton Horse Trials, in 1970 on The Poacher and in 1982 on Speculator III.