Ottawa, ON, July 9, 2020 – Equestrian Canada (EC) extends congratulations and heartfelt gratitude to Christilot Boylen of Schomberg, ON, upon her retirement from international team competition.

Six-time Canadian Olympian, Christilot Boylen of Schomberg, ON, announced her retirement from international team dressage competition on July 8, 2020.
Photo Credit: Marco Chiesa

“It’s hard to capture what Christilot means to the sport of dressage in Canada, as her impact has been so vast,” said Christine Peters, EC Senior Manager, Dressage Olympic/Paralympic Program. “Her incredible depth of knowledge and talent has been invaluable to the Canadian Dressage Team, and we have been proud and honoured to be represented by her on the world stage time and time again.”

After buying her first horse in 1957 at the age of 10 with the profits from her role as a child actress on “The Howdie Doodie Show”, Boylen never looked back. A mere seven years later, she became the youngest-ever Olympic dressage competitor during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Boylen went on to compete at five more Olympic Games (1968, 1972, 1976, 1984 and 1992), landing in the top 10 seven times in team competition and three times as an individual. She also saw incredible success at the Pan American Games, earning individual gold medals in 1971, 1975 and 1985.

Boylen, pictured with Armagnac II at the 1972 Olympic Games, was a staple of the Canadian Dressage Team for four decades.
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley

Boylen also contributed to Canada’s success in the 2013 Dressage Nations Cup, leading Team Canada I to the bronze medal and securing individual gold.

Now in her 70s, Boylen continues to compete at the top levels of the sport, most recently bringing her current partner, Rockylane, up the ranks to the CDI grand prix level. A breast cancer survivor, she even continued to compete throughout her treatment, winning the grand prix at Devon shortly after her second chemotherapy treatment.

Boylen’s career has been equally impactful outside her role of athlete. She is an EC certified High Performance 1 Dressage Coach, author, founder of the Canadian Amateur Dressage Owners Association (CADORA) and more. In recognition of her numerous contributions to Canadian dressage, Boylen was recently awarded the 2019 EC Lifetime Achievement Award.

Peters concluded, “Christilot has approached each role in her dressage career with passion, commitment and unwavering determination. While we will miss her presence in team competition, we wish her the best with future endeavours and look forward to the next group of talented athletes she develops for Canada’s future.”