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 Well, here we go with the part where I tell you all about myself! This is hard - I get a little overwhelmed when I think of all the people and horses that make me who I am today. So I thought I would spare you the gory details and tell you the key parts: the people, the horses and the places that have shaped me.
I’ve been horse crazy since I could see out the window of our family’s station wagon. I started riding on neighborhood ponies owned by a neighbour family. I was 5 years old and knew everything about ponies… except the part where they dump you at will on the trail and trot away (Because cantering takes way too much energy.) I came up through Pony Club. What fun! I could get actual points for running out of control on the trail now! I did many events and rallies and learned so much about being brave. I also learned to think straight with my heart beating a hundred miles an hour! I learned in Pony Club for the first time, what it felt like to have a horse on the bit. I learned from Pam Arthur, Lynn Oaks, Francis Kinderdijke and others. I look back now and realize what a privilege it was to learn from these wonderful teachers. Fast forward through the 70’s and 80’s when I rode American Quarter horses and hunters. (I just couldn’t give up that English saddle.) Then in 1988, I went to the Volvo World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle exhibition at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver. I watched Cindy Ishoy do her Kur to music with Dynasty and I thought it was the most beautiful and exciting ride I had ever seen. I’ve never forgotten that to this day. That’s what I wanted to do -- it just took me a few years to get organized (eight to be exact.) In 1996, I started to train with Patricia Ripenberg, nee Deptford at Canterbury Farms. I had the opportunity to ride many different horses under Patricia’s guidance, all of very good quality. I was very lucky. I rode offspring from Olympic Ferro, May Sherif, Hurricane and many others including young horses sired by Patricia’s wonderful German stallion “Lynx”. While still at Canterbury, I started to travel to Holland in 2000, to train and work at the dressage stables of Coby van Baalen. I gained valuable experience year after year, in the months that I rode in Holland. My first job was to groom for “Olympic Ferro” when he came home from the Sydney Olympics and went into quarantine -- talk about hitting the ground running! I could dedicate a whole chapter just to that wonderful stallion. He was my good friend, my dependent, student and my teacher. When Ferro passed away at age 17, it was a huge blow to the dressage world, but surely he is quiet, calm, and at peace now. Coby and Marlies van Baalen have been amazing teachers and supporters for me. And the horses: Welcome, Welt Hit II, Olympic Ferro, Olympic Idocus, Roman Nature, Fidermark, Relevant… the list of the great horses I worked with and cared for in Holland and Germany goes on. From the indoor circuit and the clinics to the World Cup qualifiers, I can’t begin to relate the importance of my travels to Europe for my education. From 1996 to 2005 in Canada, I had regular clinics with Col. Christian Carde. I am honoured to count Christian as one of my true friends in the dressage world. Spending a week with Christian and his family in France in 2003 was a personal and career highlight for me. Christian has taught me more about confidence in myself and trust in my horse, than anyone else. He taught me that “light permanent contact” is the basis for riding your horse through the back and on the bit. The other important move I made was to begin training with Karen Pavicic in 2002 and continuing that training into 2008. Karen is an extraordinary rider and trainer of dressage horses. Karen taught me total throughness and the importance of alignment and balance in the dressage horse. I’ve learned so much from Karen and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to train with her. So there you have it, a short snippet of the people, places, and horses that have shaped who I am today. And the story is to be continued!
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