Kevin Freeman (October 21, 1941 – March 10, 2023) represented the state at the Olympic level as part of a lengthy international career as an equestrian.
Freeman grew up on a farm in Molalla and learned about the equestrian sport that came to be known as “Eventing” only casually as most of the competitions were in Kentucky and Virginia.
Freeman attended Cornell University and developed into an international rider with the help of Richard Collins at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center in California. He won a gold medal at the 1963 Pan-Am Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He also won a silver medal as an individual rider.
Freeman competed in the 1964, ‘68 and ’72 Olympics as part of the U.S. team in the Three-Day Event, which includes dressage, cross country galloping, jumping and show jumping. The U.S. won silver in 1964, placing behind Italy, and silver in 1972, placing behind Great Britain. Freeman finished 12th individually in ’64.
In the late ‘60s, Freeman honed his riding skills on one horse, Good Mixture, which he rode at the 1972 Munich Games.
Following his international career, Freeman contributed to the development of riding in Oregon, particularly through organizing the Freeman Farms Horse Trials, and helped mentor many other successful riders at the national level.
. Kevin Freeman was inducted into the U.S. Eventing Association’s Hall of Fame in 2009 along with Good Mixture. He is also a member of the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame.