Christilot Boylen-Hanson

Christilot on BolschoiChristilot is born in Java, Indonesia, on 12th April 1947. The young Canadian bought her first horse at age ten with savings she earned acting on the famous children's television program, "The Howdie Doodie Show". She trained her first Olympic mount, Bonheur, and, at just seventeen years of age, received special permission to compete for Canada in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. She has since been named to seven Olympic Teams, including the 1980 Alternate Olympics.

One of Canada's best-known dressage riders, Christilot has also competed on four Pan American Games teams. She earned individual gold medals at the 1971, 1975 and 1987 Pan American Games, making her the only athlete to achieve three individual gold medals in Pan Am history. In addition, she has been a Canadian National Dressage Champion seven times and, with a tenth place finish, was the highest placed North American rider at the 1984 Olympics. In 1991, she won the Hamburg Dressage Derby riding Pink Power, becoming the only North American to win the prestigious German event.

Christilot's career was developed through Willi Schultheis who coached her from 1969 to 1975 and George Theodorescu who trained Boylen until 1983. After the purchase of Anklang, she worked with Herbert Rehbein. Since 1987, she has trained with partner Udo Lange.

Currently, Boylen-Hanson is to be seen on the show grounds with four talented FEI mounts. Moment, a 14 year old black Russian Trakehner gelding is her number one Grand Prix horse. With Bolschoi, a 10 year old chestnut Hannoverian gelding, she made a successful break through at Prix St. Georges level a few years ago. Bolschoi is owned by the Belgian Decia de Pauw who offered the chestnut to Stefan van Ingelgem as a youngster for the Belgian Young Dressage Horse Championships. The pair won with great ease. Royan and Lucky Lemon fill up her list of toppers.

She has written two books and produced a video about dressage and is one of the founders of CADORA (Canadian Dressage Owners and Riders Association).

Text reprinted from Canadian Equestrian Federation