Dundrum is considered by some as the top show jumper of the 1900s — yes, the whole century.

The halfbred son of Thoroughbred Little Heaven and a Connemara mare competed at the top levels of the sport from 1957-1967 with Irish rider Tommy Wade.

Again and again, they did the impossible, including clearing a 7-foot-2 Puissance wall during a power outage, according to one show jumping expert and equestrian correspondent.

Dundrum and Wade amassed a huge following in Ireland, turning those who knew nothing about show jumping into fans of the sport.

Yet there’s no comprehensive history of their accomplishments online.

We’ve summarized some of their feats from two sources who chronicled many of their rides.

Dundrum’s Height

Many numbers have been thrown around for Dundrum’s height.

In 2013, during an interview as part of Wade’s induction into Ireland’s Show Jumping Hall of Fame, he said Dundrum was exactly 15-1 and 1/2 hands. He would know.

7-foot-2 Puissance Wall at Wembley, England

Author Frank Waters is one who believes Dundrum was the top show jumper of the 20th century.

Waters was a show jumper himself in the mid-1900s in the UK. He went on to be an announcer and TV broadcaster. He captured one of Dundrum’s biggest moments in his book, “The Golden Age of Show Jumping: Volume 1.”

Waters recalled seeing Dundrum and Wade compete in the Puissance class at the UK’s Horse of the Year Show in 1961 in Wembley, England. The class had many of Europe’s top horses and riders, and the wall stood at about 5-foot-6 tall at the start of the class.

Waters said Dundrum and Wade made it to the third jump-off. The round had a big triple spread and the Puissance wall, set at 7-foot-2 for this round.

Waters was standing by the entrance gate, and the horses jumped the wall coming at him.

Dundrum and Wade were up first.

Waters said the crowd of 18,000 was dead silent as the pair entered the arena.

Dundrum cantered around the ring and over the spread and then to the other end.

As the two made the turn toward the wall, those at the gate lost sight of them.

Waters couldn’t tell where they were until the crowd suddenly gasped and Dundrum’s two little front legs climbed over the wall.

Dundrum caught a brick coming over the top, Waters said. The brick moved, but it did not fall.

As Dundrum landed, the audience erupted, and Wade threw his hat high in the air.

In the electric celebration that ensued, the other riders decided that they would not ride, Waters said, giving the trophy to the small horse “with the heart of a lion.”

Waters called himself “honored to have this incredible memory and to have been a part of that very special night.”

Let’s break down the math a bit. A horse 15-1 1/2 hands is 61 1/2 inches tall at the withers.

A 7-foot-2 Puissance wall is 86 inches high. The fence was more than 2 feet higher than the horse. And Dundrum was carrying a rider and a saddle. It’s really quite remarkable when you think about it.

How Wade and Dundrum Met

Dundrum’s early life was a little more humble, according to equestrian correspondent Michael Slavin in his book “Showjumping Legends: Ireland 1868-1998.”

The gelding was serving as a cart horse in 1955, transporting packages from the rail station to Tierney’s Shop in Dundrum, when he decided he had had enough, ran off, destroyed the cart, and wound up in a field 3 miles away.

James Wade, father of Tommy and two other children, ran a farming and agricultural contract business in Boherlahan, near the town of Dundrum, at the time. He supported his children’s interest in show jumping, Slavin said.

The father was impressed by Dundrum’s jail break and decided to buy him for 15 pounds, plus a replacement pony, thinking the spunky horse could make a good jumper, Slavin said.

James Wade made a safe bet there.

Slavin said Dundrum’s sire, Little Heaven, was creating a dynasty of jumping sires in Ireland from his crosses in the Connemara line.

And Dundrum’s dam was no slouch, either.

Her name was Evergood, and the Wades bought her later. She also competed successfully, though on a lesser scale.

Other Highlights

Slavin captured other highlights of Dundrum’s career.

In 1961, Dundrum and Wade won a total of five major competitions in Dublin and the Horse of the Year Show in Wembley, plus received a Sports Star of the Year award.

Their success continued throughout 1962.

Slavin said Dundrum and Wade made history again in the Horse of the Year show’s Puissance class in 1962 with a two-way jump-off with famed show jumper Seamus Hayes on Goodbye. Hayes faulted, leaving Dundrum’s fate in his own hands. Wade and Dundrum cleared the 6-11 wall this time and received another raucous response from the crowd.

Slavin said Dundrum’s legendary feats included winning a Puissance class in Ostend, Belgium, over a 7-2 wall during a power outage, and the horse was depicted the next day in Belgium papers as having sprouted wings. Slavin doesn’t provide a year or more details for that win.

Expectations for Dundrum were high in 1963 at Ireland’s biggest show, the Royal Dublin Show, whose biggest draw is an international Nations Cup event, with the Aga Khan Trophy as its prize.

More than 124,000 spectators showed up to watch the event, up from 10,000 the previous year, Slavin said.

Ireland’s team was up against top teams from Britain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

Wade and Dundrum went last of Ireland’s four entries in each round.

They put in a “superb” clear round in the first round to put Ireland in second place, Slavin said.

Ireland was in contention with the Swiss and German team in the final round, and it all came down to Wade and Dundrum.

Slavin said the duo was at its best. They flew around the course of 12 fences without touching a rail.

The stands were silent as fans waited for the two to clear the last obstacle, and then the stadium erupted, as Ireland took the trophy for the first time in 14 years.

TV cameras were rolling, and some of Dundrum’s round is included in the video below.

Slavin said members of the 1963 team never competed again together. The win was a true high point in the history of Irish show jumping.

Dundrum and Wade also won all five international show jumping classes at the 1963 Dublin Horse Show.

Ireland won the Aga Kahn Trophy again in 1967, and, again, Dundrum provided a crucial clear second round.

But, alas, even Dundrum was mortal.

He was injured later in 1967 and never competed internationally again, Slavin said.

Best Connemara? Dundrum was Much More

Connemara societies around the world frequently refer to Dundrum as the best Connemara that ever lived.

But that undersells the contributions of this halfbred son of Little Heaven. He was one of the world’s all-time great jumpers and beat the best of every breed.

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American Connemara Pony Society history: Interested in how the society got started? We have chronicled who showed up at the first meeting to form the society, as well as the early years of the ACPS.