Belgium…the land of chocolate, waffles and beer.
But also land of the horse and a place where riders go to better themselves in their profession.
Canadians are hardly immune to the call of the Belgian countryside. Anne-Claire Breton is one such rider. Originally from Quebec City, Breton came from a horse-loving family (her father is a trainer based in Montreal) and eventually moved to Toronto where she rode for both Hugh Graham and Muffie Guthrie.
Deciding that she needed more action, she ended up in Belgium.
“This is probably the country to be, the centre of horses in Europe,” proclaimed Breton, who rode for Fabien Schreiber Sporthorses for three years. “He was looking for a new rider. The timing was just great. I was starting my business in Quebec City and I decided to jump on this offer. I didn’t want to regret not making the move.
“We did a lot of good things with wonderful horses. He pushed me, gave me the trust with the horses, so it was a good relationship businesswise.
“It’s demanding here,” she continued. “The wheel never stops.”
A couple of months ago, Breton left that enterprise to work alongside her fiancé Jerome Hennau at S-KY Horses.
Anne-Claire and Jerome Hennau with Kaid HZ.
“I wanted to do it a bit my way and I feel settled here,” she said. “I’m not just ‘the Canadian girl’ here; I understand how it works so I decided to do it on my own. We have big plans in front of us. It was a small breeding farm and now we’re breeding more than 10 foals a year. It’s in the Ardennes, a beautiful area, and we have plans to make it grow.
“But also, I’m not going to quit on my sportive goals. I keep showing every week. Here you have many options, so many beautiful places. It’s amazing what we have around us. You can pick from five to 10 different shows. It’s insane.”
Breton, 33, rode some top horses like Casse-Tout Z and Chuemli, the latter sold to Marcus Ehning. She is working with a young team now but is still looking for an experienced mount. At last word, she is in the process of acquiring a grand prix mare.
Young stock at S-KY Horses in the Ardennes.
“I enjoy my horses for what they are,” she noted. “I don’t feel like I need to be always doing higher and higher. But for sure every rider is a bit of a dreamer. We never give up; we say we’re going to find a horse that we’re going to do grand prix again and that’s what I’m looking for at the moment. To find one that can push me.
“I always feel I’m still Canadian for sure and it’s important for me to be known as Canadian and if I could represent Canada in any situation I would be thrilled. We are always proud of where we come from.”
Another Canadian who is biding her time in competition-rich Belgium this summer is Alicia Gadban-Lewis. Based in Antwerp for a few months, Gadban-Lewis is out of Imperial Stables in Vancouver, but is using this time to sow her competitive oats.
Gadban-Lewis and Beneficial competing in the US.
In 2016, she lived for a few months in England riding for Olympian Peter Charles. Before that, she worked as an assistant with Jeff and Shelley Campf at Oz in Oregon.
“They set me up with Peter in England,” the 26-year-old explained. “To go over to Peter’s place where it was so dialled in, such a high level, a small group of horses but all of them are so elite. It was a huge experience and to get to ride that calibre of horses under his eye and his guidance was life-changing.”
This is her first time showing horses in Europe during the summer.
“With Covid, it’s been tricky, obviously in Canada not much happening right now,” she said. “I have been going to the States over the winter to California to compete in the FEI classes.
“I have a really good mare right now. I’ve been training with Tiffany Foster for the last year and a bit. Being immersed in it is how you get better, right?”
Her mare is a nine-year-old named Beneficial (aka Bella), with which she finished eighth at the Tops International grand prix in Valkenswaard, Netherlands, in mid-July.
“She’s really special,” said Gadban-Lewis. “A lady who’s really close to me on Vancouver Island bred her. Since Bella was born, she always said ‘Alicia, you need to have her, she’s a special horse.’ And I turned a blind eye.
“One day, she gave me a phone call, a Sunday at five o’clock. She said ‘Something’s happened with Bella’s ride, she’s stuck at a horse show, can you go pick her up?’ So I picked up this little mare, she was the last horse on the property. I had her at my farm for a couple of weeks and I called the lady and I said ‘What’s happening? Aren’t you going to pick her up?’ and she said ‘Why don’t you just keep her and have fun?’
“I liked the mare from the get-go. Nobody believed in her. My first show with her was the Royal West for five-year-olds and she was champion.
“I kept asking more of her. She’s a super-smart mare; every time I moved her up a level, it would take her a second to learn it, but she’s a genius with using her body, careful and efficient – everything you look for in a super athlete.”
The plan is to compete in Belgium until the Global Champions Tour in London (Aug. 13-15). Then it’s back home for the Thunderbird shows.
Like Breton, her Canadian roots will always take precedence.
“I want to be consistently at the highest level,” she said. “World Cup for sure, and I’d love to represent my country – Nations Cups and the Olympics would be a dream!”
