Boyd Exell
Personal information
Born (1972-07-29) 29 July 1972[1]
Websiteboydexell.com
Sport
Country Australia
SportEquestrianism
Event(s)Carriage driving, combined driving
Medal record
Representing  Australia
FEI World Equestrian Games [2]
Gold medal – first place2010 USAIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2014 FranceIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2018 USAIndividual driving
World Championship [2]
Bronze medal – third place2008 NetherlandsIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2012 GermanyIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2016 NetherlandsIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2022 ItalyIndividual driving
FEI World Cup Final [2]
Gold medal – first place2009 SwedenIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2010 SwitzerlandIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2011 GermanyIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2012 FranceIndividual driving
Silver medal – second place2013 FranceIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2014 FranceIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2015 FranceIndividual driving
Silver medal – second place2016 FranceIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2017 SwedenIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2018 FranceIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2020 FranceIndividual driving
Silver medal – second place2022 GermanyIndividual driving
Gold medal – first place2023 FranceIndividual driving

Boyd Exell (born July 29, 1972, in Bega)[3] is an Australian horse driver, trainer, judge and horse owner who specializes in four-in-hand driving. He has held the title of world champion in four-in-hand driving ten times since the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games. He was a judge for the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) from 2010 to 2020, and Deputy Chair of the FEI Driving Committee from 2012 to 2014.[4][1][5] Exell has been stationed in the Netherlands since 2015 after spending 20 years in the UK.[6][7] He travels to Australia, the US and around Europe holding clinics (training events).[8][9][10]

Career

Boyd Exell became individual world champion for the first time at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. He was able to repeat this success at the 2012 World Championships in Germany with the same team.

In August 2013, Exell's top horse died. Bill 22 was a brown Orlov Trotter born in 1992. He had reached the age of 21 and was considered the fastest four-in-hand leader (front horse) in the world at the time. Boyd Exell's success story began in 2008 with Bill 22, winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in the Netherlands. Together they won four World Cup Finals in a row, from 2009 to 2012. In 2013, Exell placed second in the World Cup Finals in France with Bill 22 in the team. Boyd had taken over Bill 22 from driver Michael Freund in 2007, with whom he had won five World Cup Finals starting with a 2002 victory in Sweden.[2][11][12]

In 2014, Exell won the title of individual world champion at the World Equestrian Games in France. In 2016 he became individual world champion again in Netherlands. In 2018 he defended his world championship title again in North Carolina, and in Italy in 2022.[2]

In 2023, Boyd Exell won his 10th World Cup Finals.[13] At his prior win, the last qualifier before the Finals competition, the announcer declared Exell "number one in the world, more titles than any other driver in history."[14]

Accolades

Boyd Exell was awarded an Order of Australia in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours list for services to equestrian sports.[5] In 2017, Boyd Exell was inducted into the Equestrian Australia Hall of Fame in recognition of his achievements in carriage driving.[15] Equestrian Australia named him the International Athlete of the Year in 2010, 2013 2014, 2015, and 2016.[16] In 2015, the FEI honored Exell with the Best Athlete award.[4]

In 2014, his team of horses was named IRT International Horse of the Year. The team of five geldings were aged 7 to 20 years old; two were KWPNs.[17]

"It's hard to find reliable leaders who are honest and forward. Horses at the back need to be honest, reliable powerful and hard-working – but the ones at the front that need to be brave and independent are harder to get... chasing the perfect team is like chasing the pot of the gold at the end of the rainbow." —Boyd Exell [9]

As of December 2023, FEI ranked Boyd Exell number 1 worldwide for Driving World Cup Standings, Driving World Cup Qualification Standings, and Driving World Ranking - Four-in-Hand.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 "Person detail - Boyd Exell (AUS)". FEI. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Athlete performance - Boyd Exell". FEI. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Boyd Exell". Equestrian Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 Floyd, Noëlle (13 November 2015). "Show Jumper Jessica Mendoza Among Winners at 2015 FEI Awards". Noëlle Floyd. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Queen's Birthday Honours for Boyd Exell". British Carriage Driving News. 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  6. ↑ FEI World Cup Driving Final 2015 - Bordeaux - Boyd Exell (Interview). FEI. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Facilities". boydexell.com. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Phelps, Mary (February 2018). "Top Teaching Takeaways and Videos From Combined Driving World Champion Boyd Exell". horsedaily.com. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Boyd Exell's Champagne Campaign". EQ Life. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Training". boydexell.com. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Exells Spitzenpferd Bill 22 verstorben" [Exell's top horse Bill 22 died]. hoefnet.nl (in Dutch). 21 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "Boyd Exell's Bill Passes Away". equestrianlife.com.au.
  13. ↑ Dance, Sarah (8 February 2023). "Boyd Exell gallops to 10th World Cup driving title". Horsetalk.co.nz.
  14. ↑ Kidman, John (27 January 2023). "The unknown Aussie who can't stop winning". Perth Now.
  15. ↑ McMaster, Jacob (27 March 2017). "Exell, Beresford named Australia's best". Bega District News. Archived from the original on 26 March 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Hall of Fame - Boyd Exell". Equestrian Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "IRT International Horse of the Year". Equestrian Australia. 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "Athlete - Boyd Exell - Australia". FEI. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
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