Catching Up with Ayla Martinoff

Fast Facts

Age: 34
Hometown: Langley, BC
Coffee or tea: Coffee
Favourite TV Show: I like to go on binges, most recently Gilmore Girls
Hobbies outside of horses: Swing dancing
Favourite horse show venue: Thunderbird Show Park, it’s our second home!
Show ring superstitions: Never ride with money in your pockets, and my mom had a funny one back when she was competing about red hair ties. I don’t really believe in superstitions, but I do avoid red hair ties!
If you could ride any horse in the world, who would it be? United Touch. He has so much power, it would be amazing to feel that kind of ability.

During the 2024 show season, Ayla Martinoff experienced something of storybook full-circle moment when, aboard two full-sibling homebreds, she won two Sunday Grand Prix at Thunderbird Show Park. One of her victories came in the $20,000 Maui Jim Grand Prix, which 12 years ago was the first Grand Prix she ever contested. “Back then it was a bit of a stretch,” she says, laughing. “I was nervous and we left like five jumps up.”

The season was a culmination of a lifetime of work in the industry for Martinoff, for whom horses are a family business. Ayla’s mother, Inga, established Ivy League Stables over 30 years ago in Langley, BC; along with her sister Kaylie, who is also an accomplished competitor, Ayla runs Martinoff Sisters Equestrian, a training facility and breeding operation out of the family farm. The trio breed, produce, buy and sell young horses and have a select number of students they train and travel with to competitions.

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Martinoff began riding as a child and quickly joined the family business, mentored along the way by several successful trainers including Claudia Cojocar, Mark Laskin, Brian Morton, Samantha Buirs, and Judy Wise. The professional relationship with Wise and Buirs’ Fairway Farm continues to this day, as Martinoff is often given the opportunity to catch ride horses for them throughout the season.

“I am so thankful for our longstanding relationship,” she says. “Sam and Judy have helped me so much throughout my career and they have such nice horses, so I’m always excited for what they have to put me on.”

Martinoff credits her family for instilling in her the importance of a successful support system, work ethic, and determination to dig deep and do the work behind the scenes. “I love working with my sister,” she says. “We see eye-to-eye on pretty much everything and if we don’t, we’re quite good at discussing ways to work things out. Our mom runs the boarding and horse care part of things at the farm and she really puts more than her all into it. Our dad is a carpenter – he built every structure on our farm and he puts everything back together when they fall apart. We’re really lucky to have each other, and it’s really great to have each other’s back in this industry, always looking out for each other and celebrating each other’s successes.”

The thrill of show ring success aboard two homebreds is hard to put into words for Martinoff. She says she loves the satisfaction of bringing a horse through the levels and the sense of accomplishment when they live up to expectations. “The past year has been pretty spectacular for us,” she says. “I like to believe that they’re all incredibly special and capable of jumping the moon, and I try to bring them along with the mindset that we’re going to do great things and that the sky is the limit. I just love producing the horses, being with them for a long time and really developing a partnership together.”

A woman walking a grey horse in a jumping arena.

Ayla and Calloway. (Jessica Regehr photo)

Her two top horses are full siblings (Capone 1 x Lloyd), both greys, and despite looking like twins, Martinoff says they couldn’t be more different. Eleven-year-old Calloway was her mount for the win in the $20k Oldlum Brown Grand Prix, the FEI 3* $10k Just World International Winning Round, and was the BCHJA 1.40m and above Gold Series Champion. “We’ve been together every step of the way,” says Martinoff. “He’s extra careful and doesn’t have the hugest stride, and I would say that’s what we’ve worked on the most-getting him to be confident, relaxed, and trusting me to stay on a bigger step and hold his shape across the fence even when the jumps are spooky and big.

“A couple of years ago I thought maybe he would be a 1.35m horse with a 1.40m speed in there every now and then, and now he’s winning 1.45m grand prix and FEI classes. It just shows you really have to trust the process, take your time, and allow your horse to tell you when they’re ready for more.”

Her second grand prix horse is Calloway’s little sister, nine-year-old A Crown Royal. ‘Rye’ is owned in partnership with Barbara Chu, with whom Martinoff has bred and raised several horses together. “When Rye turned four, all the shows were cancelled due to COVID, so we decided to breed her and she really didn’t start competing until she was six. I think it takes a special horse to do that. What she lacked in structure and ride-ability at that point she made up for with bravery and scope.”

The mare just kept stepping up to the plate during the 2024 season, and was Martinoff’s partner for one of her biggest wins of the season – the $20k Maui Jim Grand Prix.

Martinoff plans to continue focusing on the development of a few exciting youngsters in 2025, and will balance her busy competition schedule by appreciating the rare moments of repose on the family farm. “The pure joy I feel every time I ride one of my horses and think, ‘hey, we created this, right from planning the breeding’ – that’s my proudest moment outside of the show ring. We also have a couple of really exciting foals from 2024, and I just want to keep on keeping on! We love to ride on the beach or just sit with our horses in the sun in their large group turnout fields, knowing we’re giving them the best life we can.”