|
Ian Millar, equestrian, entrepreneur (b at Halifax, NS 6 Jan 1947). Ian Millar is the most successful competitor in the history of Canadian show jumping. First named to the Canadian Equestrian Team in 1971, he has represented Canada in 97 Nations' Cup competitions. He is an eight-time Canadian Show Jumping Champion and holds the North American record for grand prix and derby wins.
Millar was the first Canadian rider to successfully defend the World Cup Final title, winning in 1988 at Goteborg, Sweden, and 1989 at Tampa, US, aboard the legendary BIG BEN on both occasions. Millar had his greatest success partnered with Big Ben, who retired in 1994 after 11 seasons on the international circuit that included representing Canada in three consecutive OLYMPIC GAMES from 1984 to 1992. Named to nine Olympic teams, Millar has competed in only eight due to the boycott of the 1980 Olympics at Moscow. With his eighth appearance at Athens in 2004, Millar holds the record for competing in more Olympics than any other Canadian athlete in any sport. At Athens, he and his mount, Promise Me, advanced to the final round of competition and placed 24th in the final standing. Millar has ridden for Canada in five World championships, including 1978 at Aachen, Germany; 1982 at Dublin, Ireland; 1986 at Aachen, Germany; 1994 at The Hague, The Netherlands; and 1998 at Rome, Italy. In seven appearances, Millar has experienced great success in Pan American Games competition. In 1979, at San Juan, Puerto Rico, Millar won team silver and individual bronze medals; in 1983, at Caracas, Venezuela, Millar won a team silver medal; in 1987, at Indianapolis, US, Millar won both individual and team gold medals riding Big Ben; in 1991, at Havana, Cuba, he won a team silver medal; and in 1999, at Winnipeg, he had an incredible come-from-behind victory riding Ivar to win the individual gold medal in addition to his team bronze medal. In 1997 Millar became the only rider in the world to win the World Cup League standings for a record 10th time. Millar has competed in over 168 World Cup Qualifying competitions, winning on 32 occasions. Millar has also competed in 12 World Cup Finals, tying him with Mario DESLAURIERS as the Canadian with the most World Cup Final starts. In 1986 Millar was awarded the Order of Canada, and, in 1989 he was named Ontario's Male Athlete of the Year. In 1990 Millar co-authored a book about his show-jumping career entitled Riding High, published by McClelland & Stewart. In 1996 both Millar and Big Ben were inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, making Big Ben the second non-human to be inducted, the other being thoroughbred racing legend NORTHERN DANCER. In addition to competing, Millar has coached some of Canada's most successful show-jumping riders, including 1986 World Champion Gail GREENOUGH and 1999 PAN AMERICAN GAMES team bronze medallist Jill Henselwood. Millar lives and trains and operates, Millar Brooke Farm in Perth, Ontario, with his wife, Lynn. Their two children, Jonathon and Amy, have both represented Canada in international team competition. See also EQUESTRIAN SPORTS.
Author
JENNIFER WARD
Links to Other Sites
Ian Millar: Jumping for Glory
CBC news stories about two great Canadian show jumping champions: Ian Millar and Big Ben.
Ian Millar
A biography of Canadian "riding icon" Ian Millar. From the Jump Canada website. A PDF file.
Canada wins show jumping silver
A news article about Canada's silver-medal winning show jumping team in the 2008 Olympics. From canada.com.
Age is no obstacle
A 2008 news story about Canadian equestrian legend Ian Millar. From canada.com.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Pauline Donalda (b Lightstone). Soprano, teacher, administrator, b Montreal 5 Mar 1882, d there 22 Oct 1970; honorary D MUS (McGill) 1954. Her parents were Jews from Russia and Poland who changed their name from Lichtenstein to ... |
|
|
