The Dudgeons - Lt Col. Hume Dudgeon OBE/MC & Major Ian Dudgeon MC

By Sylvia Stanier LVO and Caroline Stephens

Colonel Joe Hume Dudgeon was a remarkable man. He was born on the 19th March 1893 and was the son of Mr. Hume Dudgeon a partner of Dudgeon and sons the Stockbrokers.

He was brought up at the family home Merville , a fine Georgian home now part of University College Dublin. Educated at Harrow in England he joined the Royal Scots Grey Cavalry regiment just before World War I. He was awarded the Military Cross during that campaign and continued with the Regiment into the 1930’. He was the Equitation Officer at Sandhurst the Officers Training College for the British Army during which time his equally talented son Ian was born.

Retiring from the Army, Col. Dudgeon started the famous riding established at Merville in South Dublin. When World War II was declared in September 1939 Joe Dudgeon and later his son Ian went back to England. Col. Dudgeon was to form and command the Pack Transport Regiment and his son Ian joined the Royal Scot Greys, a regiment named after it’s grey horses.

Col. Dudgeon was posted to North Africa where he moved the troops to Tunisia where they ferry munitions to the front and bring back wounded. From there they crossed into Italy via Sicily and slowly moved to the mountainous centre of Italy providing incredible support for the wounded and bringing up supplies. He was to move his regiment all the way to Monte Casino – one of the worst battles of the Italian Campaign.

Major Ian Dudgeon, was involved in the Normandy campaign of 1944 and was awarded the Military Cross. Less than a fortnight after the Normandy landings, Ian Dudgeon was seriously wounded when getting out of his tank to check the proximity of German troops. He was shelled and both legs were badly broken.[1]

When Ian came home from war, he spent a considerable amount of time recovering from his injuries in Normandy. He spent six months in hospital in Basingstoke, where surgeons fought to save the most seriously injured leg. The resulting damage meant he had to adopt a new method of riding once he was allowed back on a horse.[2] As a result of his considerable injuries he adopted the way he rode, and became fascinated with the teachings of Caprilli, adapting the method to suit his injuries.

​After the war ended, Col. Joe came back to Ireland and resumed his civilian life. The riding establishment had now been kept going by his daughter Kay and Fraser McMaster (who had been his right hand man during his army years) and his wife Sybil Dudgeon.

Col. Joe retired to Melville and began constructing and indoor school. At this time he schooled his sport horses - a famous line – Sea Folk, Sea Spray and Sea Lark – all full brothers and sisters. Col. Joe Dudgeon was appointed the Three Day Event Trainer for the British Team in 1948 at the London Olympics. Up until the mid 1960s there was always a Dudgeon entry at Badminton.

Sea Forth was ridden and trained by Patsy Bennett, and won the Dressage class at the Royal International Horse Show in London. Sea Lark was second at the first 3 day event at Badminton and Sea Spray with Ian Dudgeon and was an International Show Jumper winning the International Championships at Ballsbridge in 1956 .

Despite his injuries, Ian Dudgeon represented Ireland at three Olympic Games. In 1952, he competed at Helsinki with the mare Hope and, four years later, rode in Stockholm on the Betty Parker-bred Copper Coin, which was later sold to America and won numerous medals as Grasshopper for Michael Page. His final Olympic outing was at the 1960 Games in Rome, where he took a catch ride on Eddie Boylan's Corrigneagh on the Irish team that finished sixth.[3]

Ian also won the Harewood (now Burghley) Horse Trials on “Charleville”, and was the best International Showjumper on “Go Lightly” at the Horse of the Year Show in 1950 and 1952. During his career Ian won a total of 11 championships at the RDS.

By this time the Dudgeon’s moved to the famous Burton Hall, which became the epicentre of excellence in terms of equestrianism in Ireland. Amongst those who studied there were Penny Morton (World XC Champion. Rodinazko was there for a while – a pupil of both Caprilli and Fillis and became Ian Dudgeon’s mentor. Col. Joe Dudgeon’s great friend – who he had convinced to move to Ireland, world renowned Classical Dressage Master, FEI International Judge and pupil of Decarpenty and Beudant – Schmit-Jensen spent time there – John Galvin sent many of his top horses there including Snowbound – who won the Gold Medal in Mexico.

Sylvia Stanier of course spent many years teaching and schooling many of the horses, and was particularly instrumental in schooling the Galvin’s horses in Dressage and working with the Dudgeons producing the top show jumping horses, all of whom went onto high level competition in the US and at the Olympics, one famously being ridden by William Steinkraus and others by John Galvin’s daughter Patricia. Nuno Oliveria visited there, with Schmit-Jensen with his pupils Nicole Bartle and Sylvia Stanier (also a pupil of Schmit-Jensen)

Many many world famous names, and minds crossed the gates of Burton Hall. It now lies forgotten in a large industrial estate at the Foothill of the Dublin mountains, but was for so long a centre of excellence. Lest we forget – unfortunately we have nothing in Ireland to rival this wonderful institution – indeed there were few places in the UK that could. Celebrating the memory of Col. Dudgeon, without who we’d never have met Einar Schmit-Jensen, his dear and accomplished student who became a master in her own right – Sylvia Stanier, and of course his son, Ian who was an incredible horseman in his own right. May they all rest in peace, may their stories and their teaching continue to inspire us.

[1] Irish Times

[2] Irish Times

[3] Irish Times