RIO DE JANEIRO -- Canadian equestrian Ian Millar has been a consistent presence on the Olympic team dating way back to his debut at the 1972 Munich Games.

A horse injury has prevented him from competing again this year but he's in Rio to serve as a coach and trainer. He's also getting to share his daughter Amy's Olympic debut.

"It's a win-win because I'm going to be there, which will be a great thrill," Ian said prior to the Games. "I'll be with the team, which I really always enjoy. Most importantly I'll be with my daughter watching her realize a dream that she's worked on for probably 20 years of her life."

Amy, from Perth, Ont., and Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, Ont., headline the Canadian show jumping team. On the first day of qualifying Sunday, Amy Millar and Lamaze both posted clear rounds while Canada was tied for third in the team event.

Ian, who holds the record for Olympic appearances with 10, had hoped to break the mark again this year. That plan was derailed when his main horse, Dickson, required sinus surgery.

Millar acquired a new horse last April and is already looking ahead to the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

"He'll be 12 when the big moments comes, which is a wonderful age," Millar said in a recent interview. "As long as I stay in one piece and as long as it stays fun, I will be there."

Millar will be 73 when Tokyo rolls around. He credits a 90-minute strength and stretching routine for kickstarting each morning -- "I never miss," he says -- and keeping his core conditioning at a high level.

Millar follows that up with a fruit smoothie with protein powder before heading outdoors.

"That really gets me going and then I ride horses most of the day," he said. "When I'm done that, I get on the tractor and do a little work around the farm."

Ian, Amy, and her brother Jonathon -- Team Millar, as they've been dubbed -- work and train together at Millar Brooke Farm in Perth. They also teach students at the facility, about an hour's drive from Ottawa.

Amy, who has over 25 Grand Prix wins on her resume, has competed with her horse, Heros, for well over a year. She feels they're set to peak at the Games.

"Every time I've entered a competition with him it has been one step up the ladder of difficulty and importance," she said. "That's been the steady progression ... everything I've asked him to do, he has done without issue or trouble. So the next step is Rio."

It also helps having a family member nearby with a wealth of Olympic experience.

"She's been doing this for a long time and she understands how to get into that so-called zone or that optimum stress level," Ian said. "She's very good at that so her focus will be 100 per cent, there's no question. The horse is going to be very well prepared. She's done her homework, just stick to what she knows.

"If she continues to apply everything she's learned and practised and (display) all the skills she's honed over the years then there is no limit as to what her result can be."

Lamaze, meanwhile, won gold in individual jumping at the 2008 Games in Beijing. He also joined Millar to win silver in team jumping that year.