US Olympic Eventers Gina Miles And McKinlaigh

August 9, 2008

US Olympic Equestrian Team member and event rider Gina Miles knows what she wants — and gets it. Even as a young girl she knew she wanted to ride, that she wanted to do eventing, and that she wanted to compete at Rolex. She’s done all of that. And even more impressively, the 5′3″ Gina can get flawless dressage tests, penalty-free cross-country runs, and clear show jumping rounds out of the 17.2 hand Irish Sport Horse, McKinlaigh

A Study In Making And Meeting Goals

At just 11 years of age, after riding for four years and owning her first pony, Gina set her sights on eventing. That year, the 1984 Olympics were in Los Angeles, and the California native and her mother went to watch some of the equestrian competition, setting Gina on a track that would eventually take her to Olympic eventing herself.

At 14 years old, she acquired her Arabian gelding Sir D’Artagnan and was riding in Pony Club, competing in United States Pony Club dressage and show jumping championships, and eventing at the Training Level. Patches, a 10-year-old Appaloosa/Thoroughbred cross was Gina’s next mount and together they again tackled Training level courses throughout California as well as joined the U.C. Davis Equestrian Team. Gina also got her start in teaching during these years, becoming Panache Pony Club’s regular Saturday instructor.

After her high school graduation in 1991, Gina became a working-student for David Adamo, earned her Pony Club H-A rating, and competed Appalossa/Thoroughbred cross Southbound at the USPC championships. In the next two years,  Gina and Southbound successfully moved up to the Intermediate level, never incurring a cross-country penalty. In 1993 they landed a spot on the Area VI team for the North American Young Riders Championships where they placed 6th individually. Gina also gained experience riding a variety of different mounts, earned her “A” rating, and obtained her B.S. in Crop Science at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

In 1997, Gina was a spectator at the first Rolex Kentucky Four Star three day event. She decided that competing at Rolex was her next major eventing goal. She reached this milestone with some help from good friends Thom Schultz and Laura Coates. They learned of her Rolex aspirations and imported McKinlaigh as a 5-year-old. The pairing was a match made in heaven, which set off a 10-year winning streak. Their early victories at the Area VI training championships, the Western DeBroke Champion-ships, the Area VI Intermediate Championships and numerous other competitions on the West Coast. The pair reached the Three Star level in 2001 at the Fair Hill Three Day event where they earned the Amanda Warrington Award for the highest placed pair competing in their first Three Star. Success in 2001 earned McKinlaigh a spot on the United States Equestrian Team’s Winter Training List for training with US coach Captain Mark Phillips.

In 2002, Gina packed up her horses, her 3-year-old son, and her sister and headed east to compete and train with Olympian Jim Wofford. Gina made a good showing against seasoned Olympians in competitions along the East Coast, culminating in an eleventh place finish at the Rolex Kentucky Four Star. The pair was then selected to train for the U.S. team in England and sent to the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain as an individual. McKinlaigh, only 8 years old, put in his best dressage test to date, jumped clean cross-country, and was one of only eight horses to put in a clean show jumping round.

Career Highlights

2008

• 2008 Olympic EventingTeam
• 1st Galway Downs CIC***

2007

• 1st Twin Rivers Advanced, USEA Gold Cup Series
• Individual Bronze Medal Winner, Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro
• Team Gold Medal Winner, Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro

2006

• 1st USEF Fall Championship at Fair Hill International CCI***, Winner of the Gladstone Trophy and Leading Lady Rider
• USEA Gold Cup Champion, Advanced
• USEA Advanced Horse of the Year
• 1st Twin Rivers Advanced, USEA Gold Cup Series
• 1st Woodside HT Advanced, USEA Gold Cup Series
• 1st World Cup Qualifier at Rebecca Farm
• 4th World Cup Qualifier at The Fork Horse Trials
• United States Equestrian Team Winter Training List
• Guest columnist for Young Rider magazine

2004

• 9th place Rolex Kentucky CCI**** Modified, U.S. Olympic Selection Trial
• Alternate to the Short List, Athens Olympic Three-Day Event Team

2003

• Bronze Medal CIC-W*** World Cup Final Pau, France
• Winner, CIC-W*** World Cup Qualifier at Galway Downs
• 11th Place Rolex Kentucky CCI****
• 3rd Gatcombe Horse Trials, England
• 2nd Varsseveld Horse Trials, Holland

2002

• Member, USET squad, World Equestrian Games, Jerez, Spain,
• Fourth-Highest Placed US Rider (25th overall)
• 11th Rolex Kentucky CCI****,
• Zeppa International Trophy
• FEI Ranked Top Ten Riders in North America

Additional Tidbits

Gina and her husband, Morgan, have two children: Austin, who is eight and Taylor, who is 20 months. When Gina isn’t riding, she likes to take trips to Disneyland with her family, read Harry Potter and cook. Read Gina’s online journal of her Olympic experience in Hong Kong.

Gina Miles and McKinlaigh on Cross-Country Water Complex

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Posted in 2008 Olympics, Eventing