Kyle Carter
Aside from being a 5* rider, Olympian, and OG coach for Ride iQ, Kyle Carter is also a life-long horse lover and equestrian. A son of two equestrian parents, Kyle grew up in Calgary, Canada, getting his start on ponies in the foxhunting field.
As a teen Kyle competed both in eventing and showjumping, spending a lot of time showing at Calgary’s famous Spruce Meadows, home of some of the world’s best showjumping. Later in his teen years he opted to focus on eventing and competed on the 1986 Young Rider’s team for Canada.
After his Young Rider career Kyle decided to pursue his Olympic dreams and passed up multiple job offers at showjumping barns in favor of heading across the pond to be a working student for English eventer Leslie Law (who at the time was still a young professional himself, having just run his first Badminton!). While in England Kyle learned a lot about not just riding, but also running a successful business – skills that proved to be crucial when he went back to Canada to start his own professional career.
In the late 90’s Kyle and his wife Jen relocated from Canada to Ocala, FL, building what is now their home base at Five Rings Stables. Not long after establishing their farm, Kyle teamed up with what would become his “horse of a lifetime” in Canadian-bred Thoroughbred gelding Madison Park. Together the pair made seven starts at the 5* level, competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and won silver medals at both the 2007 Pan American Games and the 2010 World Equestrian Games.
In addition to establishing himself as a top-level rider, Kyle has also become a very successful coach. In additional to coaching multiple riders to the 5* level, he also has more medals to his name than any other Young Rider coach. Kyle is passionate about helping riders fulfill their potential and takes great pride in seeing his students succeed – even if sometimes he thinks they end up riding better than he does!
When he’s not riding or coaching, Kyle can be found tending to his bamboo crops, beekeeping, or running marathons with his wife and two daughters.