Boyd Martin has never been shy about advising people what he’s up to, but he reached a new pinnacle in that regard with his new year letter (complete with photos) to friends, owners, supporters and sponsors.
He touches on everything he’s been up to, including his quest to be the number one-ranked eventer in the world, giving up drinking alcohol in his eternal quest for fitness; managing to stay out of the hospital for awhile despite being accident prone and what’s going on with his wife, Silva, and their irrepressible children, Nox and Leo. Boyd also generously thanked the people who work for him and his wife, from the nanny to the stable help.
Boyd and Silva Martin with their children, Nox and Leo (Photo courtesy Boyd Martin)
I think his letter offers a real insight into the thinking and life of a top rider. You’ll find it interesting. Here are some edited excerpts from what he had to say:
“In the first week of January, the bulk of the eventing horses moved to our winter training base in Aiken, S.C. For many years we have been training out of a beautiful facility named Stable View. A lot of the other top professionals have now chosen Ocala, Fla., over Aiken for their winter base.
“I personally still feel Aiken is the perfect spot for my horses and team. Firstly, the month of January is really about getting the horses fit and build up their condition. Stable View is perfect for that. It is a 2,000-acre property with superb facilities to get the horses built up for the up coming year. I believe it’s important not to to rush the horses to competition too soon.
“With our group of horses, it is a very detailed slow progression of work.
“I truly think that this prepares them for the upcoming year. It’s very easy to get overly excited early in the year and I truly believe a lot of the injuries occur when the base fitness is missed in the early stages of their preparation for the competition season.
“We start competing in February as we start preparing for the big events this spring. With all of the horses in training, we have major goals marked throughout the year. Make no mistake, we want to win these major goals and be at the top. A lot of the competitions leading up to these major goals and events are the contests that lead to this ultimate success. I believe it’s important to understand that it’s not that productive long-term for us to try to win every start. This is a long journey.
“Silva’s team of dressage horses are braving the cold in Pennsylvania for January and February. The new indoor arena at Windurra (the Martins’ farm) is superb. Having this new world class indoor means that the training of the horses in the winter is unaffected due to the weather. The cost of building it was crippling, but we are thrilled with it. McComsey Builders have done a superb job of exceeding our expectations with this building.
“Silva will take a top group of horses to Wellington in March to compete and train. At the moment, Silva has the most exciting group of horses that she has ever had. Her group of owners are top-class, and the quality of horses is outstanding. (Here is a link to the story I wrote last September about Silva and her career prospects.) Silva had a bit of a blip in her career with a brain injury and two pregnancies. It’s not until now I that she she is now in a place to really crack on with her equestrian career. I think the next years in Silva’s riding carrier could be some of her best.
“Family life is absolutely full-on. Nox has started his new schooling life at the Upland School where he has entered the 1st grade, whilst Leo is continuing his studies at the magnificent London Grove Pre-School. In the last 12 months Nox has started to understand the fierce enjoyment of competition. Leo still sees his sports as a great opportunity to chat and play with the other children. Sport seems to be more of a social event for him at the moment. Ice hockey is definitely the winter choice of sports, and swimming, soccer, and lacrosse for the rest of the year.
Boyd with his future ice hockey stars, Leo and Nox. (Photo courtesy of Boyd Martin)
“Both boys are enjoying jumping on the horses after school. After many attempts, both Silva and I realize that they both don’t think we know what we are talking about with horses and that we pay for riding lessons at the local riding school up the road each week. I actually think it’s better if I don’t try to help them with the art of riding a horse, but just have fun when we ride together.
“We are slowly getting through the projects into developing Windurra into the ultimate training facility. Currently the farm is a mixture of being very Australian with electric tape paddocks and some very workmanlike stables, with the other half looking very German (Silva is a native of Germany) with beautiful arenas and attractive landscaping.
“For me, it was a mixture of results last year with the event horses. I was a little short of top, top horses with a number of my superstars sidelined with injuries and the next generation about to pop through to the 5-star ranks.
“I finally won a medal at the World Championships after 12 years of attempts, and was lucky enough to win Rider of the Year in the U.S. 2023 looks very exciting for me. Some of my faithful soldiers are back in action, and we have purchased a couple of very exciting new horses. The younger group of horses coming through also look amazing. If all goes to plan this upcoming year, I have a real chance of being number one in the world.
Boyd on his victory gallop after winning the Maryland 5-star in 2021. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Obviously, this all revolves around finding the best horses, and more importantly having a loyal, generous group of supporters behind us. Starting the sport from the bottom makes me realize how much we appreciate the support. We never feel entitled when it comes to people stepping up and sponsoring horses, and we also completely understand how much of a financial commitment it is. The reality is that the horse sports at the top level is getting more and more competitive.
“To win the big ones, you need the best quality horse you can get your hands on. This type of horse is getting harder and harder to find. It’s also getting more and more expensive to buy the best ones. This is the name of the game. We have all of the other parts in place. Work ethic, top staff, brilliant coaches, perfect training facilities and experience and mileage at the top end of competition.
“I also achieved another personal goal of giving up the demon drink for the last 12 months. Over the years, I have had a love/hate relationship with alcohol. To be honest, I love a cold beer at the end of the day, but it slowly evolved into a daily extremity. I have always struggled with moderation in all areas of my life, and at the moment, I need to be at my best with all of the balls I am juggling.
“Eventually I would like to try to revisit having a social cocktail, but for now I will continue living the life as a monk. The other major change moving forward will be to cut back on teaching so many lessons in a day at the farm. I have often found it hard to say no to things, but I believe to be the best.
“I need to focus more on my riding and training at home, rather than to zoom through my list of horses so I can start teaching at 2pm. I will still help a handful of the top professionals on occasions and still teach clinics at quieter times of the year but am planning to just slow right down on the ship-in lessons from local riders. I have a lot of top horses now, and I need to give them as much time as I can. Sometimes my biggest enemy in life are the distractions and it’s important for me to focus on keeping the main thing, the main thing!
“My body has held up very well in the last year. After having a never ending run of surgeries and injuries in my early 40’s, I believe I have found a good system of staying healthy. I continue working with my physio Andrew Russell, my yoga instructor Biz Magarity, and my personal fitness trainer Kenny Ray. Doing a series of stretch’s and exercises each day along with a healthy diet has improved me as an athlete. I feel better in my body and I also think it has helped my mental health. I feel better and am generally more happy in life.
“I have kept the circle of coaches the same with Silva doing most of the dressage, Peter Wylde the show jumping and Erik Duvander overseeing all of the training. In my opinion, these three coaches are the best in the business. I still believe that I am improving. I also think it’s important to keep wanting to get better, even after all of these years.
“This time last year, I spoke about the transition of the USEF team. I didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, after the last year, I think it’s been great for me. I have had more opportunity to work with the coaches I believe suit me and my horses the most.
“I am still unsure if this way is good for the whole country, but for me personally, it’s been great. It seems a lot of the countries around the world are heading in this direction. The new Chef d’Equipe, Bobby Costello, has had a bit more of a managing role and has had a lot of success in his first year. To keep going forward, I believe we should back him and the team and keep trying to win medals at every level!”
