19 A bronze statute erected in 2005 stands proud in Perth, Canada. It represents a horse jumping over an oxer. The man in the saddle is a national hero who has already represented his country at ten Olympic Games. Last September, upon winning the CSIO Spruce Meadows “Masters”, Ian Millar once again climbed to the peak of international show jumping sport against the picturesque backdrop of the Rocky Mountains and cheered on by tens of thousands of enthusiastic spectators. For the organisers, however, preparing for the show was anything but easy. A few days before the start of the competition, an intense storm hit Calgary: 25 centimetres of new snow covered the riding arenas and cut off the electricity and water supplies. But the world-class organizers at Spruce Meadows were not to be deterred! Numerous determined volunteers helped repair the damage and freed the stadiums from snow. The reward for their efforts was a sporting experience par excellence, not only for the some 235,000 visitors, but also for the top riders in the world. They had travelled to Spruce Meadows to compete for the CP International presented by Rolex, fuelled by their dream of winning the Rolex Grand Slam. Unfortunately, Rolex Grand Slam contenders Steve Guerdat (CHI Geneva) and Christian Ahlmann (CHIO Aachen) never made it into the jump-off. Only two riders contested the final round of the competition endowed with 1.5 million Canadian dollars in prizemoney. It went down as the duel of the generations in the annals of the “Masters”. On one hand was the experienced local matador, Ian Millar, who had already claimed victory in the International twice before in the course of his long career – in 1987 and in 1991. Back then, he had saddled “Big Ben”, the outstanding horse with whom he is eternalized in bronze back in Perth, his home city. This time the 67-year old placed his trust in the gelding “Dixson”. Competing against him was Reed Kessler from the US. Just 20 years old and yet already extremely successful. She entered the ring on her Olympic mare “Cylana” and put the veteran rider under pressure with a clear round. But it wasn’t enough to beat Millar, who also rode a clear round, only two seconds faster than Kessler. The crowd exploded. The Canadians celebrated their star, for whom the journey with Rolex had just begun. “Of course, we all know how difficult it is to win the Grand Slam,” admits Millar. “But one thing is sure: the first rider who manages to do so will be a legend, the hero of all heroes.” For his country, he is already a hero. The rest of the world will have to wait, however, because Ian Millar wasn’t able to compete in Geneva due to the Canadian qualifiers for the Olympic Games – somebody else took his place in the Rolex Grand Slam. The highest summit of the equestrian sport remains unconquered for the time being! The Majors 2014 CSIO Spruce Meadows “Masters”
Rolex Grand Slam magazine Number 3
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