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Lindsay Traisnel’s equestrian journey is a story of determination and passion. Growing up in Windsor-Essex, Ontario, she was not born into a horse family but like many youngsters that catch the horse bug early, her love for riding began at the age of nine.
Traisnel was introduced to the world of eventing at a local lesson barn, where the real adventure began! She fondly recalls her early days, including her first mare in competition, even though they didn’t always cross the cross-country finish line.
During her teenage years, Traisnel devoted her summers to training at Dreamcrest Equestrian Centre. It was there that she formed a significant partnership with mare Sexy Date. Together, they achieved an impressive eighth-place finish at the North American Young Riders Championships in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2002.
While pursuing her studies in biology at the University of Guelph, she continued to ride, juggling her academic and equestrian commitments. Her barn work continued to span across Canada and Europe, where she would eventually meet her husband, Xavier Traisnel, at Hendrik Wiegersma’s eventing stable in the UK. Xavier, a native of France, is an eventing rider, trainer and high performance certified and EC licenced coach.
Photo Credit: Shannon Brinkman
Together, they founded Traisnel Equestrian and welcomed Bacyrouge, a four-year-old Selle Français by Mylord Carthago, into their equestrian family. Xavier took on the role of training “Dreamy,” supporting her while she balanced riding with new motherhood. In 2017, they made the life-changing decision to move to Canada, close to Lindsay’s hometown, where they set out to build a brand-new equestrian facility from the ground up—the Windsor Equestrian Centre.
That same year marked a significant milestone in Lindsay’s career as she and Dreamy made their competition debut at the prestigious Land Rover Kentucky’s four-star course. Their performance resulted in a respectable 23rd-place finish, setting the stage for them to represent Canada on the international stage.
Photo Credit: Lindsay Traisnel
How does it feel to be named to represent Canada for the first time at the Pan American Games?
It’s been a life-long dream to represent Canada and I am honoured and very excited to get the chance.
What have you been doing to prepare and what will be happening in the lead up in Florida?
Dreamy had a great last run finishing 5th in the 4* at the Fork in September. We went and did the 4* combined test at Loch Moy last weekend and then came directly down to Ocala to save Dreamy some travelling. We’ve been at Katie and Will Coleman’s beautiful farm waiting for the rest of Team Canada to arrive for training camp.
What do you love about eventing?
The partnership that we have with our horses and the incredible eventing community.
Photo Credit: Cealy TetleyWhat are looking forward to the most in Santiago?
Crossing the finish line after a clear and fast cross-country round!
Who’s your biggest fan?
That is a hard one because we have so many amazing people behind us. My family and our team at home are all right up there. We have a lot of boarders and a big riding school at our barn at home. It is an amazing community and they are always cheering us on and offering to help in any way they can.
What can you tell us about his/your groom Jade MacInnes?
Jade has been a very important member of our team for years in many different capacities. She takes fantastic care of Dreamy and is a great person to have around with her positive and cheerful attitude.