The equestrian season is back, and with it, the opportunity for new riders to show off the skills they have been training for. These skills can impress the audience with the charisma of their beloved horses.
Brian Morton was awarded first place at the Spruce Meadows February Classics jumper for new young riders on Feb. 2. He shared the award with his beloved horse Cadillac.
“Everyone is doing a great job, and there’s many varieties of horses and challenges out here. It’s always difficult to ride indoors, and Spruce Meadows is doing a great job at this,” said Greg Kist, a member of the audience.
The February classic event started on Feb. 2 and ran until Feb. 4.
The event included an opening ceremony where riders debuted with their horses and a jumper competition, which included five different height levels from 0.80 m to 1.20 m.
“We want to keep this event fairly friendly because a lot of horses today had spent most of the time outside during the Christmas break and not much time under the saddle,” said Connor Charlton, Spruce Meadows’ competitions manager. “So today’s jumper competition is for riders and their horses to build their confidence and skills level up.”
To prepare for the first indoor equestrian event of the year, the Spruce Meadows team started practising at the beginning of January.
Within a month, they were able to make the magic happen and welcomed the public to enjoy their hard work.
“We’re lucky we have such a great team here with great experience doing indoor competitions,” said Charlton.
Witnessing the connection between the riders and horses is breathtaking. It demonstrates the deep connection between the pair and the intelligence of the animal.
“Their performance has been fantastic. We’ve had a lot of young promising riders and horses joining us this season, and everyone has been doing very well so far,” said Charlton.
Every round of the competition lasts 30 to 35 minutes per section, and the winners will receive the prize batch once a section is done. This is followed by a circle of the field where the horses will receive a round of applause from the audience.
February Classic is just the start of what Spruce Meadows offers.
“We’re lucky people are coming in to support us, and I can’t wait to show more of us,” said Charlton.
Katie Laurie came in second place with her horse, Check My Ride. Catherine Harley was the third runner-up, with her horse Eltano II.
