Both young and older horse riders alike could learn plenty from the equestrians who made it to the top – and stay there – well into their 60s.
Even as the world becomes more and more progressive, there are still few truly mixed-sex competitive sports. The fact that all genders compete on equal terms is just one of the many special qualities of horse sport.
Another thing that sets equestrian disciplines apart is the lack of an upper age limit. While many footballers hang up their boots before their 35th birthday, in horse sport you’re truly only as old as you feel. Across the disciplines and levels, from local shows to the very top, older horse riders compete against those who are many years their junior.
In fact, advancing years can be an elite equestrian’s secret weapon. The more horses you ride, hours of training you put in and top competitions you complete, the more experience you gain – giving you the edge at the highest level. If a rider manages to avoid injury, they can remain effective in the saddle over many decades and continue to scoop medals, titles and international appearances well after pensionable age.
Older horse riders still at the top of their game
Whether it’s performing a near-perfect grand prix freestyle or sailing around a five-star track, we’ve picked out some of the world-class older horse riders defying convention and showing no sign of slowing down in their 60s.
1. Juan Antonio Jiménez Cobo, 65
The dressage rider became the country’s oldest ever Olympian at the Paris 2024 Games. He piloted striking grey Lusitano stallion Euclides MOR.
Born in Castro del Rio, Córdoba, in 1959, Juan Antonio is based in Madrid. His first Olympic appearance for Spain was in 2000 at the Sydney Games, where the dressage team came fifth overall. He represented Spain again in Athens 2004, where they earned the silver team medal.
Fresh off the back of his 2024 Olympic appearance for Spain, Juan Antonio headed to South Africa in early September to compete in the CDI3* at Ermelo with bright bay stallion Quartar. He finished sixth in the grand prix freestyle.
2. Phillip Dutton, 60
Born in 1963 in New South Wales, Australia, Phillip Dutton’s illustrious eventing career has included representing two nations across seven Olympic Games.
He appeared at three Games for Australia, where he helped the eventing team top the podium on two consecutive occasions, in 1996 in Atlanta and in the 2000 home Games.
Phillip became a US citizen in 2006 and earned his first individual bronze medal at Rio 2016 on board Mighty Nice.
Phillip has enjoyed success on the US eventing circuit and has placed in the top 10 at both Burghley and Badminton. He has won once at the top level, taking the 2008 Kentucky Three-Day Event crown with Irish Sports Horse gelding Connaught.
This year, Phillip had two rides at Kentucky. He finished 15th on second ride Azure, while his first ride Quasi Cool fell at the final fence on cross-country day. Phillip later released an update to say the gelding was “resting comfortably in his stall”.
3. Michael Whitaker, 64
Born in 1960 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, Michael Whitaker is one of the founding members of the enormously successful Whitaker showjumping dynasty.
He has represented Great Britain in five Olympic Games. He first appeared at the LA Games in 1984, where he helped the showjumping team clinch the silver medal.
Michael’s numerous successes over the decades are too many to name, but include team gold and individual silver medals at the 1989 European Championships in Rotterdam with horse of a lifetime Monsanta. He also came third in the Netherlands World Cup final in 1994 atop Everest Midnight Madness.
In May 2024, Michael piloted Equine America Q Paravatti N – a ride he shares with his son Jack – to victory in the Longines Whitsun Tournament in Wiesbaden, a CSI4* competition.
4. Jill Irving, 61
The Ontarian was set to make her Olympic debut for Canada with top dressage mount Delacroix 11 this year, but she ended up travelling to Paris as the alternate with chestnut KWPN stallion Genesis.
Born in 1963, Jill began her career on Canada’s hunter jumper circuit before switching to dressage. She made her FEI debut in 2013, aged 50. She helped Canada top the podium at the Pan American Games in Lima in 2019 on Degas 12, a year after her first World Equestrian Games appearance.
In July this year, she competed at Hartpury CDI3* and finished eighth in the grand prix special with Genesis.
5. Rolf Göran-Bengsston, 62
The showjumper was the oldest in the discipline at Paris 2024. Competing for Sweden with 12-year-old stallion Zuccero HV, he helped earn a qualification for the team final. Sweden went on to finish sixth in the team jumping.
Paris marked Rolf-Göran Bengsston’s sixth Olympic appearance. He has earned a brace of Olympic silvers in his career: one team medal at Athens 2004 and one individual in Hong Kong at the Beijing 2008 Games.
Notable achievements include a spate of top-three placings in the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) in 2014 and 2015 with Caretino stallion Casall ASK, including wins in Doha, Chantilly, London and Rome. He was the LGCT Champion of Champions bronze medallist in 2015.
6. Andrew Hoy, 65
A stalwart of the international eventing scene, Aussie rider Andrew Hoy has clocked up an impressive eight Olympic appearances for his country – the most ever for a member of team Australia. His six Olympic medals include three team golds won at back-to-back Games from Barcelona 1992 to Sydney 2000.
In 2006, Andrew came within touching distance of landing the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. He finished in pole position at Kentucky on Master Monarch and repeated this feat at Badminton atop Moonfleet. At Burghley in the same year, leaders Andrew and Moonfleet could afford to knock one fence in the final phase. Sadly, the combination rolled two poles and so the 2006 title went to fellow Australian Lucinda Fredericks and Headley Britannia.
Andrew missed out on his ninth Olympic appearance at Paris this year, but it doesn’t mark the end of an era for this older horse rider, who said: “This chapter of ‘Paris 2024’ may be closing, but the book isn’t finished. We are excited to see what the future holds for us!”
7. John Whitaker, 69
This living legend needs no introduction. Five years older than his brother Michael, John Whitaker has represented Great Britain at six Olympic Games. He has won too many accolades to name, but has earned 24 Olympic, World and European Championship medals to date.
Synonymous with John is his world-famous and beloved mount Milton. The legendary grey gelding was the first showjumper to earn £1m in prize money and had a fan base to rival contemporary film stars in the 1980s and early 90s. The pair’s crowning achievement was double gold at the 1989 Europeans in Rotterdam.
Recent success for John includes a win in the Global Champions League of Madrid in May this year. Along with teammate Gilles Thomas and representing Valkenswaard United, John finished top with gelding Equine America Unick de Francport. While John recently said “holding my own against good young riders” was one of his proudest achievements, everyone knows this older horse rider is not to be under estimated in any type of jumping competition.
8. Mary Hanna, 69
This dressage rider is set to celebrate her 70th birthday in December this year. The Australian has represented her country at five WEGs and six Olympics, debuting at Atlanta 1996.
Mary took a break from competition in 2019 to be with her daughter while she recovered from a serious fall. The following year, she became the first Australian rider ever to score above 80% in a grand prix freestyle competition.
She travelled to Paris 2024 with stallion Ivanhoe as team Australia’s dressage alternate. After the competition, she took to Instagram to say: “I thought afterwards I might be announcing my retirement from the sport. However it is quite the opposite. I feel so inspired and motivated by the outstanding performance of everyone involved, that I plan to continue to follow my dreams.”
- Have we missed any older horse riders worth of inclusion in this article? Let us know about your favourite older equestrian athlete by email at hhletters@futurenet.com including your name, nearest town and county for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future edition of Horse & Hound magazine
You may also be interested in…
‘Age is just a number’: how to keep riding into your 90s
Meet some avid equestrians who are following their horsey passion in their golden years to find out how they keep
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