In the suburbs of Syndey, Australia, a young Boyd Martin would jump off the school bus in the afternoon, run home, take a chair and throw it at his horse Willie, gallop in national parks and run with friends on land, pony clubs. in Australia they have one of Martins’ favourite pastimes.
At the age of 16, Martin thought, “Is there any way this hobby we enjoy can have a life?And, of course, the three-time Olympian of the U. S. equestrian team. U. S. He turned his love for horses into a race. “
Born in 1979 to two Olympic parents, speed skater Toy (Dorgan) Martin and Olympic cross-country skier Ross Martin, Boyd says his formating years are different from those of the maximum children.
“We had a very sports education in Sydney, Australia. All the sports you can play, we’ve got involved,” Martin told USA TODAY Sports.
“My mother, a speed skater from Springfield, Illinois, represented the United States at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. He went to the Olympics and met an Australian cross-country skier who is my father. country ski race”.
“When I told my parents I was looking to play sports for a race, they told me to go. “
Martin left Australia for the United States in 2007 to pursue his career as an event professional. He was an assistant coach to Olympian Phillip Dutton for two years before starting his own business. Martin, ranked No. 6 in the world, started racing for Team USA. U. S. in 2009 and represented U. S. at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London with Otis Barbotiere and at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio with Blackfoot Mystery. Martin is competing lately in the Tokyo Olympics with Tsetserleg TSF “Thomas”.
“This is my third Olympiad and I’m hoping it’s the ultimate singles championship occasion we’ve ever noticed,” Martin said. “I think there are no spectators and you’re locked up – it’s going to be very different from anything we’ve experienced before. I think we’ll come back to this in the next few years and see pictures with masks. and we will compete without anyone looking, and we think Array “Saint-Moi, this is a remarkable era in history”. You can focus on the negatives, however, for me, I look at another experience. “
In Tokyo, he joins Martin through his wife Silva Martin, a Grand Prix dressage rider, sought-after teacher and Martin’s dressage trainer.
“I got well married,” says Martin. She is a lovely, lovely little girl and a wonderful mother. Silva is originally from Germany and we met while living in Australia and to come to America and see this hobby of horses. We ended up in Coachranville, Pennsylvania, “which is not far from Philadelphia. “
Together, the Martins own and operate the Windurra USA facility. The facility in the central Chester Hunt Country county of southeastern Pennsylvania includes jumping, dressage and galloping trails on more than 75 acres of land. across the country, they are founded in Aiken, South Carolina.
“We put our heads down and we work and we work and we work. And we’re very, very proud to have a lovely school near Philadelphia and it’s a dream come true for us. “
During the coronavirus pandemic, education and horseback riding did prevent the Martins from doing so.
“We were literally, literally lucky,” Martin said. Equestrian sports are a bit like playing golf outdoors and outdoors. Everything else was closed, but the horse’s exercise on the solid was not interrupted. It was great enough to wake up each and every day riding and exercising the horses. If anything, it was a little more specific. It is not possible for outdoor visitors to come to the premises and I was not able to exercise any of my students outdoors. anything, it has become more intense for us. I think I was a little more directed, directed and directed. “
The time he spent with his horses reminded Martin why he fell in love with the game in the first place.
“I think the pandemic, even though our company has suffered a little bit, I think the horses are doing better and I think I’ve had more time to prepare for those Olympics. “
From the United States, his two sons, Nox and Leo, watch Martin compete.
“I have a two-year-old and a five-year-old, they’re exhausting,” Martin said. “We are very fortunate. We live on a hundred acres and we want every square inch of these assets because those two kids are crazy. But it has been a desirable adventure for a parent. When you’re a professional athlete, you can be a little bit yourself, focused and self-centered to think about your own schedule, when you train, when you move on to competitions in But all of a sudden, having some kids, and that’s so vital: blocking our time and trying to be a smart parent and have fun. The idea of horseback riding was a difficult job. But being worried about two young men is probably harder.
“Right now, the horses are around him (Nox and Leo). Silva is a professional jockey and I am a professional jockey and we live on a farm with 50-60 horses, and it’s all about education and animals. They think they’re going through to be really fed up and they don’t need to have anything to do with it, or they’re going through to get the virus like I did when I was 10 or 11 and I fell in love with it. not about me and if they looked to pass after anything else, I would be right behind them. “
As in the event competition, Martin competes for 3 days: dressage, cross-country and a jumping stadium.
“It’s essentially a triathlon,” Martin said. So instead of swimming, biking and running, you have dressage : it’s day one and it’s very similar to a gym routine on the floor. Every horse goes and plays attests to this before 3 judges and every move is judged by accuracy. , precision and concord of the horse and the rider. The next day is an exciting day. Whether cross-country, exciting and overflowing, on approximately 35 large high hurdles, it’s a course of about 3 or 4 miles. It’s at top speeds and very, very exciting. You will have to ride a horse on this tour in an express time. The third and final day is the stadium that shows the jump.
“The first day the horse will have to be sublime as a dancer, the next day it will have to be fierce as a gladiator, and on the third day the horse will have to be very careful and careful in the exhibition jumping stadiums. it is where there is a route and a domain of about fourteen or 15 viewing jumps. The winner is the user who makes the combined score most productive during the 3 days. It’s a wonderful game and the only Olympic game where there’s an athlete and an animal, and in which men and women compete against each other. “
Martin finished with a score of 31. 1 on Friday in dressage and will compete in the cross country occasion that begins Saturday at 8:45 p. m. and.
“If you ride a horse for a task, which for many other people is not a genuine task, and it doesn’t work, it would be a disaster. There’s a little bit of risk, but it wouldn’t replace anything or what we achieved. “
Contact Analis Bailey on aabailey@usatoday. com or on Twitter @analisbailey.