Canadian Dressage Team member Christilot Boylen had a phenomenal showing at the CDI Vejer de la Frontera in Spain, February 22-28, putting her in contention for an individual berth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, AUS.
In the Intermediare II, Boylen topped a field of 25 entries, riding Royan, a 10 year old bay Oldenburg gelding to a score of 67.25% for the win. She also placed seventh with Bolschoi and a score of 64.20%. In the Grand Prix with 32 international entries, Bolschoi, an 11 year old chestnut Hannoverian gelding by Bolero, earned a score of 67.12% for seventh place while Royan was eighth with 66.88%. In his first year at the grand prix level, Bolschoi moved up to fifth in the Grand Prix Special with 67.63% while Royan was eighth with 66.33% in front of a five-member jury, four of whom were ‘O’ level judges. Although Canada has not qualified a team for the Olympic dressage competition, individual berths may still be earned based on the FEI/BCM Rider Rankings. If she is successful, Boylen will have both Bolschoi and Royan qualified for the Olympic Games, giving her the choice between two horses. Boylen also excelled in the advanced level with Lucky Le mon, a 9 year old Hannoverian mare. The pair won the Prix St. Georges with a score of 67% and were third in the Intermediare I with 69.25% from a field of nineteen. With strong hopes for the future, Boylen also won the FEI Young Horse test for six year olds, scoring 70.52% with Gericault, a Hannoverian gelding by Graf Grannus.
Canada's most accomplished dressage rider, Boylen represented Canada in the first of six Olympic Games when, in 1964, the 17-year-old received special permission to compete. She also earned individual gold medals at the 1971, 1975 and 1987 Pan American Games, making Boylen the first athlete in any sport to achieve three individual gold medals in Pan Am history. As the newly appointed Technical Advisor to the Canadian Dressage Team, Boylen, based in Germany, will bring her expertise to a whole new generation of dressage riders. She will focus on bringing promising horse/rider combinations to their full potential and assisting them in developing in a technical strategy. The long term goal is to restore Canada's level of competitiveness on an international scale.
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