Kevin J. Freeman, a three-time Olympic medalist in equestrian and a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, died March 10 at age 81. Freeman was a member of the
United States equestrian team at three Olympic Games, winning silver medals in team competitions at the Tokyo Games in 1964,
Mexico City in 1968 and Munich in 1972. He finished fifth individually in the three-day competition in Munich. And he was the U.S. champion and won the Olympic trials in 1964. Freeman earned his first medals in international competition by winning gold in team competition and silver in the individual event at the Pan
American Games in Sao Paulo in 1963. “He was very, very competitive” said Bruce Davidson, a teammate of Freeman’s on the 1972 Olympic team. “In the most honest, friendliest and proper way. A true gentleman. He was a beautiful rider. Very accurate.” A versatile rider, Freeman helped the U.S. win the silver in Mexico City after riding Chalan, a horse he rode just once prior, days before the team reached Mexico City. J. Michael Plumb, a rider who competed in eight Olympics and won a number of medals in competition, trained with Freeman for many years beginning in 1962. Plumb marveled at Freeman’s ability to connect with horses. “He was a natural rider,” Plumb said. “He could get on anything and ride it. He didn’t need a lot of practice. He was a very instinctive rider. He was made to ride horses. He didn’t have all the time in the world, because he had to work and travel.” Freeman was always willing to help Olympic teammates at perfecting their riding ability. Davidson said Freeman’s companionship was critical to his success. “I was 21-years-old and very much the kid on the team,” Davidson said. “Kevin was very helpful to me. He was a friend. He was a mentor. He gave you confidence. He was the best teammate anyone could every ask for.” Born in Portland in 1941, Freeman started riding horses as a child through his parents, who owned horses on the family farm in Molalla. Being from the Northwest made Freeman’s success unusual in the sport. Training in the Northwest wasn’t always easy and he faced competition from more seasoned riders from
Virginia and Kentucky, the hotbed of the sport. “That goes back to his natural instinct for horses,” Plumb said. “He was a very good horse show rider and that carried over into our sport. He outrode all of us. We all thought we were pretty good, but he was the best of all of us.” Freeman was the organizer of the Freeman Farm Horse Trials in Oregon for many years. He was heavily involved in the growth of the sport in Oregon by mentoring equestrian students and helping them become successful riders at the national level. Freeman was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and he was inducted into the United States Eventing Association Hall of Fame in 2009. Freeman is survived by his wife, Barrie, four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Northwest Portland.