Renowned Canadian course designer Chris Brandt was named the recipient of the Jump Canada Official of the Year Award for 2015.
Brandt, a native of Oshawa, ON, was an assistant course designer for the exciting show jumping competition at the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games, held earlier this year at the Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park in Caledon, ON. A hunter/jumper Equine Canada (EC) Senior Course Designer, United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) ‘R’ Level Judge and international FEI Level 2 Jumper Course Designer, Brandt has designed and built challenging tracks at top venues across North America.
Riders at HITS Arizona, La Silla, Thunderbird Show Park, Rocky Mountain Show Jumping, Vermont Summer Festival, and the Royal Horse Show, have all had the opportunity to test their skills against his creative visions.
Passionate about his profession, Brandt, along with his partner Evie Frisque, present numerous course design clinics throughout Canada and the United States every year. He is currently the Chair of the Jump Canada Course Design Committee and is responsible for the certification and continuing education of course designers in Canada. He also volunteers his time as a member of the Jump Canada Rules Committee.
Taking a keen interest in what happened behind the scenes at competitions, before finding his calling in course design, Brandt found himself co-organizing horse shows on Vancouver Island with Judy Ross. That led to an introduction to fellow course designer Peter Holmes, and the start of a lifelong friendship and mentorship.
Brandt began assisting Holmes and one fateful September was asked to fill in as course designer at a show in Red Deer, AB when Holmes was unable to make it. When Brandt arrived, with Holmes’s designs in hand, he quickly realized the courses as originally planned weren’t going to fit in the ring. Using his own budding course design skills, he improvised to great success. The rest, as they say, is history.
Following his success in Red Deer, Brandt swiftly began receiving phone calls from prominent equestrian venues, first asking him to design for the hunter ring, and then eventually the jumper and grand prix rings.
He has dedicated countless hours to teaching others the art of building courses appropriate for the level of competitors in the ring – always taking into account the needed balance between challenge and safety. For his tireless commitment to his craft, enthusiastic volunteerism, and willingness to mentor others, Brandt is a well deserving recipient of this year’s Jump Canada Official of the Year Award.
“We have so many hard working and talented officials working week in and week out at competitions sanctioned by Equine Canada, that I am truly humbled to be selected as the Jump Canada Official of the Year,” said Brandt. “It is very rewarding when you see our officials utilizing their vast skills and knowledge working alongside show management to put on the best competition possible, from short stirrup hunters to open jumpers.”
Brandt was presented with the 2015 Jump Canada Official of the Year Award on Nov. 8 at the Jump Canada Hall of Fame Gala in Toronto, ON.
First introduced in 2004, the Jump Canada Official of the Year Award was created to shed light on the talented and knowledgeable officials who help ensure EC sanctioned competitions are safe, fair, and fun for all participants. For a full list of recipients, click here.
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