I remember back in the early '70s, when I had a disastrous Grand Prix, my wife, Lynn, said to me, 'Don't worry, you're going to be a late boomer.' That's what she said to me, and I've always held that thought.
— Ian Millar
I would never want to be selected to a team just because I am going to set a record. It's critical to me to earn my way.
I've been lucky to ride 10 different horses at the Olympics. I'd like to think that of all of them, Big Ben - who was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame - would still be competitive in the contemporary sport.
In sport, all my fellow riders and trainers and the people I meet and deal with have just accepted the fact that I'm here forever.
Obviously, as you get a little older, you are not going to be quite as quick or quite as strong, and so I might be regarded by some as the underdog... There is actually a statue of Big Ben and I in Perth, Ont., and I was on a Canadian stamp once, and normally you have to be dead to do either of those things, and, well, here I am, still going.
If you persevere long enough, if you do the right things long enough, the right things will happen.
As we know, all sports evolve tremendously, and our sport is no different. It's really not the same thing at all as it was in 1972. It's a different type of horse we're using. The style of riding is quite evolved, the way the courses are built, the materials used... it's virtually unrecognizable.
My first Olympics was Munich in 1972. I am better now than I was then, in knowledge and experience. The age of top riders generally tends to be older than in other sports because it takes a lot of time to be consistent.
When we train a horse to do a certain job, we're training the horse to be like a soldier, and yes, he still has a spirit, and he still has his ideas, but he is a disciplined soldier, and in the end, he will follow the rider's instruction to do what needs to be done.
The minute I put my leg on a horse and say, 'Come on, let's go,' I absolutely believe that the horse and I can do it and that we will do it. And I am always shocked when we actually don't do it. If the analytical mind ever overrode that optimist in me, I'd be in some serious trouble.
It's always a thrill to wear the flag and ride for Canada in any competition, but especially the Olympics.
I work out every morning for an hour while in front of the news channel or business channels, then I'll ride for four, five hours a day. So I'm on the move all the time, and I think that's the key. A body in motion tends to stay in motion. That's the law of physics.
A surgeon wouldn't sell his tools. A lawyer doesn't sell his law books. I'm not going to sell my horse. I'm a sportsman.
It's about discipline. It's about following instructions. It's about the execution of the plan. That's what sport is.
