The Canadian horse industry lost an iconic member on May 25th when Barbara Mitchell of Mono, ON passed away at the age of 79. She will be remembered for many decades of coaching, organizing, officiating, and shaping equestrian sport in Canada.

From 1975 to 1993, Mitchell owned and operated Heritage Farms with Canadian Equestrian Team member Danny Foster. Together they trained many junior riders and ponies as well as producing many winning grand prix show jumpers, including Forever Diamond, who won individual gold and team silver medals with Foster at the 1991 Pan American Games in Cuba. The next year, it was Heritage Farms’ Zeus who earned the distinction of being the leading Canadian horse at the Barcelona Olympics with Jennifer Foster.

“I was in business with Barb for eighteen years and I can’t imagine what path my life might have taken without her,” said Foster, who is now in great demand as a course designer, official, and clinician. “Why she picked me I’ll never know. I was right out of college, my dad had recently passed away, I was in debt and had to sell my horses to break even … I was at the bottom of the barrel. It was absolute dumb luck that Barb started chatting to me one day while I was sitting on a fence at the Sutton Horse Show and she asked whether I wanted to go in business with her.”

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