Legendary Olympic SJ trainer dies
17 January 2002
Legendary US show jumping team coach and author Bert de Nemethy has died at the age of 90
Bert de Nemethy, a former Hungarian cavalry officer and riding instructor at the Royal Hungarian Cavalry School in Budapest, who went on to become one of the most highly prized Olympic trainers, has died after a brief illness.
He moved from Hungary to the US in 1951, taking over the training of the show jumping squad in 1955, retiring nearly 20 years ago.
The US teams which he trained won the silver medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics and the 1972 Munich Olympics, as well as the gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1959.
Top show jumpers who came under his guidance include such greats as William Steinkraus and Frank Chapon, who won 72 international grands prix and more than 400 international classes around the world.
Bert de Nemethy also designed the course at the 1984 Olympic Games in LosAngeles.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
His training philosophy were outlined in his book “The de Nemethy Method”, which was acclaimed as the bible of training for top show jumpers throughout the world.
It is expected that he will be buried in a family plot in Hungaryand a memorial service will be held on Tuesday 22 January at Selby Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.
Read tribute to Bert de Nemethy in Horse & Hound magazine issue 31 January 2002,p>
- Click here to read HHO’s tribute to Olympic dressage trainer, Franz Rochowansky.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
