When Belinda Trussell cantered down centre line at the 2010 FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games, riding every stride with her from the sidelines was her longtime mentor, Christilot Boylen. Belinda well appreciated what it meant for Christilot – a woman with more international competition experience than any other Canadian dressage rider – to take a week out of her busy training schedule at home in Germany to be in Kentucky. With Robert Dover as the team Technical Advisor, Belinda found it a new experience to have two coaches at a competition. “Because of our history together, and her knowing both Anton and me as well as she does, that is what helped us to achieve our success.” This was Belinda’s second WEG experience; in the Grand Prix she achieved a score of 69.021% which put her 21st, advancing her to the Grand Prix Special, where she and Anton finished in 25th place.
The relationship between Belinda and Christilot began at a clinic in Ontario 17 years ago. Belinda rode a horse named Dublin and afterward Christilot invited her to come and train in Germany. Belinda was 22 at the time, and at a crossroads. “I never wanted riding as a career,” she says. “I wanted to be a chef.” Belinda had just spent six months at chef’s school and discovered that she hated cooking on an industrial scale. The day she quit, she remembers looking at a fellow student who had taken a carrot and turned it into a flower. She realized she neither knew how to make a flower out of a carrot, nor did she want to learn how. Christilot’s offer was timely. “I thought, what a life experience this would be.” Belinda spent the next two years in Germany, during which time she took Christilot’s advice and moved on from Dublin to her next horse, Elicard.
Belinda has great trust in her coach’s instinct for making the right decision about keeping a horse or moving on. Nevertheless, the purchase of Royan II, the horse on which Belinda competed at the 2002 WEG and 2004 Olympics, was a difficult decision. Christilot believes that in every grand prix rider’s education is a horse that is already trained in all the grand prix movements, and she had trained Royan to that level herself. “At that time in my lifeI didn’t appreciate and understand how important it is to gain that experience,” says Belinda. “If I had bought a young horse instead, I would have missed out on a huge part of my education.” Belinda calls Royan her “Harvard education,” and in retrospect she now realizes he gave her the skills that enabled her to train Anton to grand prix.
Belinda trains with Christilot as frequently as possible, given that they live on different continents. Christilot gives clinics at Oakcrest Farms in Stouffville, ON, every two to three months, and leading up to a major championship such as the Olympics or WEG, Belinda spends time training and competing in Germany. She purchased Anton as a six-year-old from Christilot. “In the process of bringing Anton to grand prix there were a few critical stages in his training, and Christilot would come every six weeks during those times,” says Belinda. She says these periodic visits are enough for her to nip something in the bud before it becomes an issue. “What I love about Christilot is her system. She is so clear – it’s a real step-by-step process with each horse and each level. She rides with such lightness and finesse, and her attention to detail and instinct with each horse is remarkable.”
With London 2012 on the horizon, Belinda has spent this spring in Germany training with Christilot and competing among the world’s top international riders. Now 11 years old, Anton has continued to develop at the grand prix level. At the Hagen CDI in May, the pair placed 11th in both the Grand Prix and Special with scores breaking the magic 70% barrier. (A sign of the calibre of competition was the fact that 65% was only good enough for 23rd place!). “Everything I’ve become – especially with Anton – is hugely due to Christilot. I don’t believe I would have the success I’ve had without her influence.”
While Belinda sees Christilot not only as her teacher, but also as her friend, she admits she is still “always a little in awe when I look at her résumé. I don’t know how many people have accomplished what she has accomplished: Pan Am medals, multiple Olympics. I feel how much she wants this for me, and that’s pretty special.”
