In a closely-contested CET Medal National Finals, it was Taylor Winther Blair who secured the victory for her home province of British Columbia, which continues to flex its muscles in Equestrian Canada’s most prestigious Medal program.

With a new format in 2021 that better exemplifies what riders will face in their future endeavours in the jumper ring, a jump-off round replaced the traditional ride-off with the top four riders who were formerly asked to perform miscellaneous tasks with their horses. “After several requests from notable professionals in the sport, including course designer Peter Holmes, who designed the very first regional finals in 1988, and elite show jumping rider John Anderson, it was decided that a jump-off would be a much better test to showcase the skills of future grand prix riders,” said Fran McAvity, head of the Jumping Rules Committee and longtime supporter of the CET Medal program.

An extremely happy Taylor was asked about her victory in this prestigious Championship, and about the new format. “I thought it was good, and a great change to the CET Medal,” she answered. “My goal is to get to the grand prix level of the sport, and there are not too many times that we have to halt, back up or counter-canter a jump on purpose in a real class,” she added.

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