Gibsons equestrian Egil Hansen was inducted into the Century Club on the May 13 to 15 weekend at the Southlands Riding Club Show in Vancouver. Hansen is the third Canadian to become a member.
Hansen is 80 years old and his horse O’Malley is 21. Their combined ages – 101 – qualified them to become members of the Dressage Foundation’s Century Club, which only accepts horse and rider combinations that total 100 years or more.
“It’s a very big honour to be a member of the Century Club. I’m very happy to be there,” Hansen said. “I’m really happy to still be actively competing at age 80.”
Hansen trains out of Chaster Creek Stable in Gibsons. He was a show jumper until about age 60, but he now does only dressage, which he said is easier on his body.
“Every time you fall off, it takes a little longer to heal,” Hansen said. “In dressage, you’re not going over jumps, so it’s not as hard on the body.”
Hansen was born in Denmark in 1936 and learned to ride horses as a means of transportation.
“Because of the war, there was no access to petrol or rubber tires, and like all civilians, we depended on horses for our transportation. I remember driving a two-horse team for many purposes during my youth. It wasn’t until I was 16 in 1952 that cars became widely available in Denmark again.”
Hansen served in the Danish Cavalry (Gardehusarregimentet) until 1958 and relocated to Canada in May of that year.
“I vividly remember the first time I rode in a western saddle,” Hansen said. “It was very unfamiliar and it took a lot of getting used to.”
Hansen’s horse O’Malley was also a show jumper for most of his career – he even competed in Grand Prix – but the age limit for show jumper horses is about 15.
“I’ve had O’Malley for about five or six years,” Hansen said. “He was bred in Ireland and brought over to Canada. He was quite successful in show jumping. But he retired – or I retired him from show jumping – and we are now doing dressage and we’re having fun doing it.”
Hansen had to be tested to get into the Century Club. His judge – a senior Canadian judge – gave him 66 points, “which is a very good score,” Hansen said. “She was very happy with my performance.”
