Boyd Exell dominates the world’s four-in-hand carriage driving circuit. Four times World Champion, with eight FEI World Cup™ Driving Championships to his name, including the 2018 title, he was crowned Reem Acra Best Athlete at the 2015 FEI Awards.
Born in Australia in 1972, where he started riding aged eight, Boyd moved to the UK when he was 21 to improve his riding and carriage-driving skills. He now lives in the Netherlands with his wife Preetha and children, James and Olivia.
Success came to Boyd at a young age. He turned many heads when, aged just 16, he won the Australian pairs championship. Other early accolades include being a member of the Australian team at the World Singles Championships in Ebbs 1998; being appointed trainer of the British Pony Team for the World Championships at Saumur in 1999 and Karlstetten in 2003; finishing second in the FEI Pairs Top Driver Award in 2001 and occupying the runner-up spot in the Four-in-hand Top Driver Award in 2003, 2007 and 2009.
Boyd has added every major title to his portfolio. He currently holds the Four-in-Hand Top Driver Award, which he shared with Ysbrand Chardon In 2008, and won in 2011, 2013, and each year from 2015 until 2017. Boyd won the prestigious CAIO at Aachen, Germany in 2003, and then each year from 2009 until 2013, and again in 2016. His wins between the years of 2009 and 2013 etched his name into the record books as the first person to achieve this on five consecutive occasions. Boyd has won the International Driving Grand Prix title at Royal Windsor Driving Trials five times, including in 2016 and 2017. scooped his first gold medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games held in 2010 and repeated this feat in 2012, 2014, and 2016. In 2012, he was also selected as trainer to the British Horse Singles team. In 2013 Boyd was announced as team trainer for the British Horse Pairs, and in 2014, Boyd was the individual gold medal world champion.
Boyd’s highlights from 2018 were winning his 5th consecutive Individual Gold medal at WEG in Tryon. His World Cup win in Bordeaux last February, as it was his 8th World Cup Final win was a real highlight as well as Boyd’s wins at the four-star events of Royal Windsor and Valkenswaard were also very special.
Boyd’s plans for 2019 are to consolidate the success of 2018 and bring on new horses for the team.
After horses and carriage driving, motorbikes are Boyd’s second love and he is also very fond of his speedboat "Miss-chief" and Western films. Boyd’s other hobbies include most types of water sports, including sailing and water-skiing.