Better Than Ever

Canada’s Christilot Boylen is in Florida and the sun is definitely shining on her patch of the planet. Christilot and her mounts won every class they entered at the mid-February CDI-W Florida Dressage Classic and for a finale, Dio Mio danced his way to victory in the Intermediaire I Freestyle with a score of 73.375%.

But what has Christilot really smiling these days is her herd of young horses. “Each one is very talented in his or her way. I believe older, more experienced riders should be on the young, green horses. To support them in their first attempts gives a really great foundation. If they have good experiences in the ring they will grow on that. I can offer these horses so much support. I have been here so often…”

Putting dressage on the Canadian map

Indeed, few equestrians have more competitions on their resumé. It’s been almost 50 years since Christilot rode in her first Olympics; she was only 17 and had to get special permission to compete. I watched Christilot ride a grand prix at her next Olympics. The year was 1968, and we had just started The Corinthian, the little magazine that grew into Horse Sport. Jim Elder had almost single-handedly convinced the federation to send a show jumping team to the Mexico Olympics, so off we went to cover the events for our new magazine.

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The Immigrant, Elder’s mount, rewarded us with the story of a lifetime. The grand Irish Thoroughbred galloped and bucked his way around the massive course and carried Elder and the Canadian team to Olympic gold medal glory. I will never forget that afternoon as long as I live.

I also recall watching Christilot negotiate the grand prix. Bonheur had suffered a bout of colic only days before the event and we were concerned. We didn’t know much about dressage, but had copies of the test and followed the directions doggedly.

When Christilot and Bonheur completed the test on that sunny afternoon in Mexico, our small group of Canadians stood and cheered. We thought she had won – after all, she had memorized and executed that long list of commands. The whole thing seemed onerous, but of course back then scant few Canadians had even heard of dressage, much less knew the difference between a piaffe and a half-pass.

Christilot set out to change all that – and she did. I know this to be true, because she was always talking me into helping her. We were, and remain, great friends. There was no way to be her friend and not get drawn into her mission.

In the 1970s, Christilot began staging Olympic dressage trials, importing Europe’s top judges and charming sponsors. I got to help, and on the day of the big event I served as announcer and whatever else needed doing. It must have worked, for these days it seems to me that everyone is riding dressage (or at least knows what it is).

A handful of gifted youngsters

But what makes me smile is that my friend is riding as well as ever, or perhaps even better. A grandmother, she is riding five hours a day, absorbed in passing on a lifetime of training skills to her small herd and loving every minute. Christilot has been in Florida since December accompanied by her dog, Einstein, and a small herd of young horses. Prior to spending the winter in the Sunshine State the horses, ranging in age from six to ten years and all owned by Windhaven Farm, had been in training at Christilot’s farm in Germany. At the end of the season they will return to Germany.

The youngest of the group is Soccer City, a 16.3-hand six-year-old chestnut gelding by Sir Donnerhall. “He’s a bit of a brat. Like a teenager,” says Boylen, who has been working with him for three years, “While he is extremely gifted and naturally balanced, he often doesn’t see the point in trying. But when he does … wow!”

The seven-year-old is Florencia, a leggy bay mare pushing 17 hands. She is by Florenico 1 and has been with Boylen since she was three. “She has always carried the name ‘Princess’ in the barn. She is very feminine and very much a princess. Puddles were a major challenge, because she is very careful not to get her feet dirty,” explains Boylen. “She doesn’t like any rough grooming, touching, or noise. She is a gifted horse with an extraordinary walk and canter. She was born uphill!”

The eight-year-old, Donatella, is a show-stopper. The 16.1-hand black mare by DeNiro has been working with Boylen for seven months. “She is a very interesting character,” muses Boylen of the most recent member of her team. “She exudes a huge presence in the ring. She is also very determined. Hot under a very cool exterior and she still has to learn to cool her jets.”

Hudson 18 is a nine-year-old, 16.2-hand bay gelding by Hohenstein (Trak) out of a Dutch mare. He and Boylen have been together for a year. “This is a powerhouse who is developing a better and better work ethic,” says Boylen. “His nickname is ‘Happy’ and he exudes a kind of gleefulness and joy in just moving. He is showing himself to be very gifted for the piaffe and passage … a good quality for a future grand prix horse. To date he has shown himself to be very cool in competition and we hope he keeps this up!”

The final horse on the squad is Dio Mio, the horse that won the CDI freestyle in Florida. The smallest of the bunch, he stands a smidgen over 16 hands. A ten-year-old black gelding by DeNiro, he and Boylen have been working together for three years. “He’s a horse that always tries,” explains Boylen, “An athlete. He can be extremely exact, which of course is a wonderful trait in a dressage horse.”

All going according to plan, Christilot, Einstein, and these talented horses will once again be taking up residence in Florida for the 2013 winter season.