Jill Irving

Biography

Jill Irving is set to make her Olympic debut at Paris 2024 at the age of 61, alongside her horse Delacroix 11, with whom she began competing in 2023. Over the course of her career, Irving has gone from being a national level hunter and jumper competitor to one of Canada’s top dressage talents. She has more than proved herself as a strong, capable and exciting athlete, recording numerous top-10 finishes since her FEI debut in 2013.

Irving was a member of Team Canada at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games where she and mount Degas 12 contributed to Canada’s gold medal in team dressage. In 2018, Irving had competed at the FEI World Equestrian Games for the first time. 

Irving and Degas 12 racked up top-three placings at premier competitions across North America, including wins at the 2013, 2014, and 2018 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), 2014 Palgrave CDI-W, 2015 Saugerties CDI-W, 2016 Dressage at Devon, and 2018 Cedar Valley CDI 3*. The veteran partnership was regularly named to the Canadian Dressage Team for CDIO 3* FEI Nations Cup in Wellington, Florida. In 2015, the pair was part of Team Canada 2, which finished in the bronze position. Irving returned to the Nations Cup in 2017 to help the Canadian Dressage Team earn its first gold team medal in the history of the prestigious competition, and in 2018 to secure the team silver medal. 

In 2017, Irving debuted her new mount, Arthur. Together, they became an imposing team, compiling top-three placings at the 2017 Achleiten CDI 4*, 2017 and 2018 AGDF, and 2018 Cedar Valley CDI 3*. Irving showed Arthur in the 2019 CDIO 3* FEI Nations Cup, helping Team Canada secure yet another silver medal.

A Little More About Jill

Getting into the Sport: Started riding horses at age 5 with a $75 pony in her backyard… Began competing in the hunter discipline at age 8 before beginning dressage at age 16… Outside Interests: Hobbies include  reading, running, yoga, going to the family cottage… Odds and Ends: Always does a run through of her dressage test on foot in the hallway of the stable before she competes… Favourite motto: Perfect practice makes perfect riding…