February 6, 2026 
Lee McKeever is the Ernie to McLain Ward’s Bert. The Oscar to his Felix. The Snoop Dog to his Martha Stewart. And, like all those great odd-couple partnerships, it just works.
So well, in fact, Ward has won 13 championship medals and a FEI World Cup Final title with McKeever at his side and McKeever was recognized as the Best Groom 2018 at the FEI Awards.
This week, showjumping’s dynamic duo added a new accolade to that list: McKeever has been elected to the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. Ironically, it’s one of very few awards his rider has yet to receive.
For 38 years, the Irish-born horseman has served as sport horse manager and closest advisor to six-time Olympian McLain Ward. They are brothers in show ring battle. Soul mates in sport.
Lee’s journey began in Dublin, Ireland, where his love affair with horses started at age 12. Leaving school for a grooming job, a tip from a friend about a job in America set his life on a new course. In 1988, he arrived in the U.S. to work for Barney Ward, McLain’s father, at Castle Hill Farm in Brewster, New York.
It was there he met a teenage McLain.
“My parents were divorced and here was this young guy, also interested in horses,” Ward recalled in a 2019 interview with Horse Network. “I think we naturally gravitated towards each other.”
That initial connection, forged in shared passion, would become the foundation of a legendary alliance. Lee soon became more than a colleague—at times, the teenage McLain would even crash on the floor of his apartment.
As Ward reflects, “We’ve had, on a serious note, difficult times and struggles and found a way through it. It was maybe more meant to be.”
On the surface, they are opposites. McLain is the public-facing star; Lee, the man who prefers to operate away from the spotlight. One is verbose, the other a man of few words. Yet, this contrast is their superpower.
“We are very different personalities… I think we fill the other’s gaps,” Ward explains. “And that’s worked very well.”
Lee’s domain is the care and preparation of McLain’s horses, overseeing every detail for more than 30 horses at a time. His expertise has been pivotal to the success of superstars like Sapphire—another Hall of Famer—Rothchild, HH Azur, and many others.
Ward’s trust in him is absolute: “I think from a purely professional point of view there’s nobody better at what it is that Lee does with the horses than him in the world.”
Beyond his horsemanship, Lee’s perhaps greatest value is his unwavering accountability and fierce loyalty. He is the constant, invested presence at the back gate—riding every fence with McLain from the warmup ring. He’s so invested, Ward jokes, that “half the time he can’t see what fence the horse had down!”
But that passion is what matters most.
“When I realise he’s that invested… I’m really happy that someone, push come to shove, cares that much,” Ward says.
This dedication has made Lee an invaluable source of knowledge, not just for Castle Hill, but for grooms worldwide—a contribution formally recognized when he received the FEI’s Best Groom award in 2018. For Lee, it’s never been just a job. “This has never been a job for me,” he says. “It’s a way of life.”
As Lee McKeever takes his rightful place in the Hall of Fame, his legacy is clear. He is the steady hand, the brilliant horseman, and the loyal friend who helped shape a champion. As McLain Ward puts it, “He’s been a great friend. That probably supersedes everything else.”
The 2026 Hall of Fame’s Induction Gala will be held on Sunday, March 1, at the Wellington National Golf Club in Wellington, Florida.
