When the 2016 Adequan Global Dressage Festival kicked off in January, the field was packed with some of the biggest names in dressage: Laura Graves; Lars Petersen; Jacqueline Brooks; Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven. At the end of the weekend, however, one name was on everyone’s lips: Leah Wilson Wilkins.
The 29-year-old Canadian proved she belonged in the big leagues by riding her partner Fabian JS to a third-place finish in the CDI-W Grand Prix and winning the CDI-W Grand Prix Special with a personal-best score of 72.863. That Wilkins was more than six months pregnant at the time of her accomplishment only added to the buzz. Who was Leah Wilkins? Where did she come from? As is often the case, her so-called “overnight success” was actually many years in the making.
Love and Lusitanos
Wilkins’ love affair with horses began at the age of nine when she first visited Frank Grelo’s riding school, located close to her childhood home in Palgrave, ON. “I am not from a horsey family, but had just started to become interested in horses when we moved to the country. I walked into the barn and was totally hooked,” says Wilkins. “I took weekly lessons and eventually wanted more. By eleven, I was part-boarding a horse and spending my weekends there helping to muck and feed. When I was twelve, my parents purchased my first horse, a weanling Lusitano filly Frank had bred. That mare and I grew up together and I continued to part-board horses while I ground-trained and eventually broke her myself.”
Wilkins credits classical master Grelo for fostering her love of dressage, and her ambition to pursue FEI competition. “Because Frank’s was exclusively a dressage barn, I never had to make the switch from jumping. I never rode ponies, either. I went from big, old school horses to spirited and majestic Lusitano stallions within years of learning to ride, simply because that’s all I knew. I think Frank really trusted me and saw something in me. The discipline of dressage really intrigued me, and still does to this day. There is so much detail to dressage, so much thinking involved. And I’m not an adrenaline junkie, so I’m quite happy staying below gallop speed.”
Fourth Time Lucky
At age 16, Wilkins set her sights on making the Young Riders team. With the help of Tom Dvorak, she found the perfect FEI horse to assist her transition into this highly-competitive environment – but the journey was not an easy one. Although she qualified for the team in 2004, 2005, and 2006, ill-timed injuries and soundness issues prevented her from participating in the championships each year. Finally, in 2007, her final year of eligibility, Wilkins made it down centre line at the North American Young Riders Championships and helped her team earn the silver medal.
“Earning a silver medal in 2007 was not only a dream come true, it was extremely hard-earned,” she says. “I think my mom and I both shed a tear when I entered at “A” knowing how much it meant just to be competing! So to win a medal was really the icing on the cake. Those experiences taught me so much and really were character-building. Now that I have junior and young rider students myself, I feel I can really relate to their struggles and their triumphs.”
Baby on Board
Although Wilkins now runs her own business, Aislinn Dressage near Orangeville, ON, and is busy training her students and their horses full time, she remains focused on competing internationally. With the help of her coaches Nicholas Fyffe and David Marcus, along with a very special horse, her goal of representing Canada on the world stage seems within her grasp.
Her current grand prix mount Fabian JS (“Mouse”) is a 1999 Hanoverian by Feiner Graf. He was trained and competed to grand prix nationally by Erin Josey in Ottawa and is now owned by Maria Simpson. Although Simpson originally purchased him to further her own goals as an amateur, she asked Wilkins to take over the reins while she recovered from a back injury. His talent quickly became apparent and Wilkins and Fabian began competing at grand prix after only a year together. They captured their first CDI win at Devon in October 2015, then finished second at the Royal Winter Fair Invitational in November before taking Wellington by storm in January.
With Canadian dressage riders vying for just two spots at the Rio Olympics, Wilkins’ results in Florida this winter put her at the top of the unofficial rankings (Equine Canada has chosen not to make the Olympic qualifying criteria available to the public). “I knew we could be competitive, but I was just going into Global hoping I wasn’t looking too embarrassing in my tail coat with my baby bump!” says Wilkins, laughing. “I knew I probably wasn’t riding at one hundred per cent of my ability being pregnant, so having great results was really rewarding.
“There was a lot of media attention around being pregnant while competing, but I just rode and did what my body and training has been doing for years. I went down that centre line and gave it my all. I’m actually very, very lucky; I never had morning sickness and my balance hasn’t failed me yet. It was never a question for my husband Mark and I that I wouldn’t ride while pregnant, and my medical team was very supportive. I have been encouraged to remain fit and keep my core strength up, and just listen to my body and brain and make sensible decisions. It’s not very often you have the ride on a horse like Mouse, so I hope I can continue to do him justice!”
Preparing for the Juggling Act
As she awaits the arrival of her first child, due April 18, Wilkins is taking a “wait and see” approach while sharing the concerns that all new parents have about managing a demanding work schedule and a brand-new baby. “I’m not entirely sure how I will juggle it all in the short-term; the thought is constantly on my mind,” she says. “My clients are so understanding and supportive and I have great riders who are able to fill in for me when I can’t be around to ride or teach. The priority has to be the baby, and then I will go from there and see how much I can do.”
As for her return to the show ring? “A lot will depend on how labour and delivery goes and how my body recovers,” she says. “I would absolutely love to aim for Rio, but I missed a great deal of opportunity not having a winter show season. So even if it is possible, it won’t be easy. There will likely be a lot of last-minute decision-making. We are limited with the qualifying opportunities come May and June, so if it doesn’t work out, it’s okay.
“There will be always be another Olympics, but my baby will only be a baby for a short period of time.”
