Piero, a military officer, and his younger brother, Raimondo - who passed away just three months ago, became the first athletes in the world to compete at eight Olympic Games.

Piero also won six Olympic medals, with his first coming in Stockholm in 1956, when the equestrian events were not held in Melbourne because of Australian quarantine laws, where he secured individual bronze and team silver.

He then went on to claim individual silver and team bronze at Rome 1960, and team bronze at both Tokyo 1964 and Munich 1972.

"Piero d'Inzeo was an officer and a gentleman," John Roche, the FEI's jumping director, said.

"With his brother Raimondo he accomplished great things.

"The world has lost a great horseman."

Piero won medals at four consecutive FEI European Championships, taking the individual continental title in Paris in 1959, individual silver at Aachen in 1958 and 1961, and shared silver with German Olympic champion Hans Günter Winkler at London in 1962 - the same year Piero won the Dublin Grand Prix in Ireland.

The equestrian world had paid tribute to Piero d'Inzeo, "a great horseman", following his death ©Getty Images

He also won the Aachen Grand Prix a record four times between 1952 and 1965 - a tally not matched until 2013 - and he remains the rider with the most wins at the Rome CSIO in the Piazza di Siena, with 64 victories, seven of them in the Grand Prix.

Both Piero and Raimondo were awarded a joint medal of honour by the Italian Defence General Staff on Piero's 90th birthday last March.

The Italian Federation of Equestrian Sports sent its condolences to Piero's family and said it was the passing of "a truly great champion" who will be remembered for his elegance and "perfection of horsemanship".

It also observed a minute's silence in his honour.

The athlete's body was laid in state at the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) Hall of Honour prior to his funeral this week.

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