Selena O’Hanlon

Biography

Canadian Olympic rider Selena O’Hanlon (38) has successfully completed Badminton on two occasions; her first in 2011 (Columbo) and last year with Foxwood High (24^th) her entry this year. Last year the combination was a member of the Canadian team for the WEG in Tryon completing in 27^th place the best of the team.

Selena is based at Balsam Hall in Kingston Ontario where she runs O’Hanlon Eventing with her mother, former event rider, Morag O’Hanlon. Selena started eventing aged nine and by the time she was sixteen, she earned a place on the first of many North American Young Rider teams. She then brought on young horses for her mother’s sales yard and her own mare to advanced level and in 2006 was given the ride on three-star horse Colombo. In 2008 Selena, who trained with American international rider and 1997 Badminton winner David O’Connor, gained her Olympic dream representing Canada in the Beijing (Hong Kong) Olympic Games. The following year the pair was 20^th at the Rolex Kentucky four-star.

After a successful year in 2010 when Selena and Colombo gained 12^th place at the WEG helping the Canadian team to team silver, Selena ranked 16^th in the world rider  rankings. The pair was long-listed for London 2012 and Columbo was retired later that year. With Foxwood High Selena won team silver at the 2011 Pan Am Games, was 10^th at Lexington 2014 and later that year the pair completed the WEG in Caen.

Foxwood High, (aka Woody), is a 16-year-old Canadian Sport Horse. He was bred by King Ridge stables in Ontario, owned by Canadian Olympic show jumper Hugh Graham, and is by the Canadian Sport Horse Rio Bronco W out of a thoroughbred mare. In 2017 Foxwood High was awarded the best ‘Canadian bred horse of the year’. He has completed 7 four-star events including two World Games but ‘still remains terrified of cows’. Woody is owned by former Canadian Olympic event rider John Rumble and his wife Judy who acquired him as a five-year-old. John was a member of the team that won bronze at the 1956 Stockholm Olympic Games.