Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
Ramsay, riding Bonita VH Keizershof Z (Bustique x For Pleasure), an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Ramsay Equestrian Inc., entered the evening in first place after jumping clear in Friday’s speed round. The duo repeated the same result against a field of 11 horse athlete combinations to start the evening with no faults over the course designed by Canadian Michel Vaillancourt in a time of 62.17.
With the results of the other five riders who rode before them in the second round, she had two rails in hand to enter the final. The duo had a strong second performance and only took one of them down in the final round to secure her first Canadian Championship.
In contrast to Friday’s order where the pair went out first, their reverse order in the final saw them take to the ring last. Wondering if that played into her strategy for the evening, Ramsay reflected on the pressure that athletes can feel anticipating the ride.
“(Tonight), I had a lot of time to think about it and get nervous,” Ramsay said. “I think that until the moment that I step in the ring, there’s always a bit of anticipation and you’re going over your plan and seeing what everybody does. And you think, ‘Why do I do this’?” She continued. “Then the second I step in the ring and jump the first jump, you’re like, Oh yeah. That’s why I do it.”
When asked about ‘Bonita’’s performance compared to the previous night, Ramsay was feeling very blessed with a horse she’s referred to as perfect several times. “She felt even better, if that’s possible, she was really good.”
The 30-year-old reflected on winning the championship of the 2022 Royal Agricultural Fair. “I was thinking about this recently, 10 years ago to this week, I won the CET Medal, that’s the last time I won a class at the Royal,” she said. “And 10 years later, here we are,” the new Canadian champion said with a smile.
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
Coming in second place was Tiffany Foster of Langley, BC, and Northern Light (Plot Blue x Contender), an 11-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare she co-owns with Artisan Farms. The pair jumped clean to start the evening and then recorded just one fault in the second round finishing with a total score of 8.12 over the two days of competition.
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
The two-time Olympian Foster was really happy with how her horse jumped. “We haven’t had the chance to do many indoor shows together,” Foster said. “She really settled in nicely for the second day – I felt like she loved jumping in front of the amazing crowd at the Royal!”
Foster praised the event organizers. “The Canadian Championship is a great way for new riders to get used to a little pressure and I’m grateful to the show and the sponsors for putting on the event for their Canadian riders!”
Canadian Team member, Olympian Amy Millar and Christiano (Canoso x Charlott) rounded out the top three with a score of 16.38. For complete results of the $125,000 Henry Equestrian Canadian Show Jumping Championship, please click here.
After finishing in third place on opening night, Holly Jacks of Hillsburgh, ON, captured the win in the fan favourite $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge Final in a field of 10 combinations.
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
On the second night of the exciting mix of jumping cross-country obstacles and traditional show jumping fences, Jacks produced what looked like an effortless, quick clear round with Josephine, a nine-year-old Canadian Sport Horse mare owned by Donna van Beek.
After finishing the first round with 77.84, the pair finished with a combined score of 163.87 in the second and deciding round of competition, where the results from both nights were combined.
Riding in the eventing colours of her student Zara Buren who died tragically in 2020, Jacks was emotional about the win. “She was a very big part of all of our lives in our barn,” she said. “Her friends were really important to her and so we try to do things to keep us together and remember her as a group. This helps us all stay close as a barn family.” Jacks could be seen motioning to the stands after her ride to a large contingent in attendance who were cheering, all wearing the Ride for Zara burgundy shirts.
The win was an exciting one for the young horse that Jacks has been training alongside her owner van Beek. “She was unreal tonight,” she said. “She’s a really green horse, I think she’s done less than most of the horses here and it’s only her second time ever jumping inside.”
Now with the performance at The Royal, and from what they’ve been seeing of her at home, Jacks sees a bright future for Josephine. “I hope that she’ll be a serious horse for Canada,” she expressed. “Down the road, that would be my absolute goal with her.”
The course set by Captain Mark Phillips proved to be more challenging for some with Friday’s leader, eight-time winner Waylon Roberts with CS Carrera incurring 10 penalty points and world-renowned German eventer Michael Jung taking third on borrowed mount Renegade.
Photo Credit: Ben Radvanyi
Another highlight of the evening for the eventers was the presentation of the Michael Gutowski Award for 2022 to this year’s recipient Colleen Loach, of Dunham, Quebec. The award is presented to the highest placed Canadian Eventing Rider on the FEI ranking list. Loach is currently 69th on the international list.
“I’m honored to get this award,” said Loach. “I’m blessed with having a couple of really good horses right now and you’ve gotta take it when you get it because we all work hard. I’m also so very appreciative of all of the support I have. My owners, Peter and Susan Barry, Amanda Bernhardt, my parents, my boyfriend. It’s the whole team, not just me!”
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
For more information about the results of the $20,000 Houseware Indoor Eventing Challenge Final, please click here.