After much consideration, I’ve decided to post this blog in response to an article I read about Terrance Millar resigning from the Equestrian Canada Board – yet another senior member to leave Equine Canada in the last year.
With 2016 bringing an Olympic cycle to an end, and a new year starting, many people are focusing on the 2018 World Games. For me, I have spent the past 3 months reflecting on the changes in my life with regards to my athletic equestrian journey. To move forward I reflect on the past successes and experiences that I now consider opportunities for growth and learning. 
Over the past 13 years I have had exceptional career success, achieving medal-winning performances at the world and Paralympic level. It takes a community to achieve these things. I owe much of my success to the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program, which has supported me for the past 11 years. I truly believe this program has helped me achieve success by creating, with my horses, a partnership in which the horse is in the arena with me, not because of me.
In 2016 I had access to funding which gave me excellent personal and national level coaching as well as an extremely high level of personal fitness technical support from Jessica Dilotte and mental training with Dirk Stroda. Thank you to Andrea Taylor, Mary Longdon and Traudel Bongers for your skilled eye and coaching. I have no doubt the achievement of my success was supported from that standpoint. That being said, in no way does last year’s assistance take away from the previous years of incredible support I received- it only raised it to a higher standard.
With the purchase of Onyx “Wolkentans” by Equine Canada in 2015, (some of the purchase funds came from a personal donation), I found myse
lf with a new partner heading into 2016 Paralympic games.
Soon, due to changes in management at Equine Canada, I was in a situation that I’m sure many professional have found themselves in- one of disagreement on how a horse should be trained. Many equine business partnerships are dissolved due to not being able to agree on what is best for the success of the horse and rider. Agreements had been made between myself and Equine Canada before the purchase of Onyx. If those agreements had been maintained, we would not have found ourselves in an adversarial situation.
My past successes were partly accomplished due to the intensive amount of time I could spend building a relationship with my horse. This time I was limited to the amount of horsemanship I was allowed to do with Onyx, eliminating key ingredients to my training system. This system is very important since I am asking a horse to compete in dressage without the use of my legs.
Please note: this is not a disclaimer to my results. I personally own the fact that I committed to a training program that I did not agree with.
At the end of the 2016 Paralympic games I decided I wanted to continue my journey with Onyx towards the 2018 World Games but this time I would not waiver on training in accordance to my principles in horsemanship.
In response, without consulting the elected Equine Canada Paralympic Committee, which has been in place since I have been a Canadian athlete, our high-performance director informed me:
“After consulting numerous dressage professionals, the implementation of a horsemanship program at Onyx’s age would not leave him a top dressage horse.”
therefore, my lease of him was now terminated.
It also seems that they are reviewing the process of Equine Canada owning athletes’ horses, yet there was serious consideration of giving Onyx to another rider.
Of course, I disagreed with their assessment of Onyx based on age. Past experience has proven that age is not a factor.
- Equine Canada has leased my personal horse Fergi aged 12 – 16for over 10 international competitions for their rider.
- Off To Paris, purchased at the age of 10demonstrates her horsemanship in a viral video on YouTube and wins 2 world medals.
- Maile was introduced to horsemanship at the age of 14 and wins a Paralympic gold medal.
So, it seems though that at Onyx’s age of 13 it was completely reasonable for him to learn how to be ridden by a paralyzed person.
Need I say more….?
I have represented Canada and this federation with an immense amount of pride. Now with all the changes and disorganization I question how to move forward with the same integrity.
With the arrival of 2017, I am happily building my business of Bridging the Gap between performance riding and horsemanship. I’m enjoying competing in the sport of Para Reining and looking for my new high performance Paralympic mount. I do personally now own Off To Paris and owe a huge thank you to the Massey family for helping me acquire her. We have been working hard to increase her fitness in preparation for what may come.
What I have learned is that never again will I waiver from my principles of horsemanship that have served me well in the past. I believe in correct classical dressage training and building a foundation with my horse based on communication and trust.
I question whether there is room for those principles in the Federation under the current administration.
So, I am left with a question to ponder this year:
“Is it fair for me to represent a federation who will pridefully share in the successes of its athletes without honoring the training program that contributed to their success? “