Globally-recognized FEI Level III course designers and great friends Peter Grant and Joey Rycroft learned to build jumps in the early 2000s after spending many years at various show jumping events throughout North America. The duo soon began building custom jumps for local barns and taking orders in the winter months. Their workshop in the early years was Rycroft’s garage in Maple Ridge, BC, and in true family business fashion, they frequently got the help of William Rycroft and Heather Grant (late parents of both Joey and Peter) when they needed to meet tight deadlines.
Peter and Caroline Grant.
In 2010 they became friends with Caroline Weilinger (now Grant), a rider and groom that was honing her skills in business administration, graphic/web design, event management and digital media at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Thus was born Pacific Equine Sport, a business offering services ranging from FEI course design, tournament management and the design and production of show jumping obstacles and accessories. The team officially incorporated Pacific Equine Sport in 2013 and set their roots in Calgary, AB.
“In the early years of our incorporation the business was a side-hustle and got very little attention as the guys travelled for course design and I worked full-time in the executive offices at Spruce Meadows,” says Caroline. “But we always had big aspirations to grow Pacific Equine Sport. We received a generous loan from Joey’s late father, William [Bill] Rycroft, which was used to build our own set of jump materials and from there we began running our own horse shows.”
These shows became the central focus early on for Pacific Equine Sport as the team saw a need to bring back more B circuit-type opportunities to Alberta that were economical and yet offered the best experience possible through quality course design, jump materials, officials, and staff. “We wanted to create an opportunity together to help educate and raise the next generation of horses, riders and coaches,” says Caroline of their tremendously popular Ponoka Series.
Joey making sure everything is good to go. (Pacific Equine Sport photo)
When the first wave of the COVID pandemic hit, the team had to pivot their business model in order to survive the complete shutdown of horse show venues and equestrian competition. To keep the business alive, their focus became The Jump Shop, a unique course-designer approach to custom jumps and accessories. The team went full force with the presence of an online store and jump catalogue, and built a diverse inventory of essential items such as rails, aluminum jump standards, cups, tracks, and liverpools.
The company has shown remarkable growth and now has clients around the world. The team has designed and built jumps for high-profile clients including Spruce Meadows, Thunderbird Showpark, the Longines Nations Cup of Canada, Hermes, and the ATCO Group. Peter Grant and Rycroft are conscious of integrating modern technology while being respectful to the traditions of the sport. The duo have designed or assisted in the design of 5* tracks around the world, including at the Tokyo Olympics, FEI World Cup Finals, World Equestrian Games, PBIEC, Spruce Meadows, and Thunderbird Showpark.
The fences designed and produced by the team are lightweight, repairable, versatile and most important, safe. “We are also excited to be in the final stages of certifying our own Safety Cup systems with the FEI, that will be Canadian-made and much more affordable than other approved models,” says Caroline. “With horse showing back on the calendar, and the industry moving forward once again we are thrilled to have two flourishing divisions of Pacific Equine Sport that our team is eager to keep growing.”
Where the magic happens.
A testament to their success, The Jump Shop was chosen to provide the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair with a new set of jumps for their 100th Anniversary.
The selection process involved Pacific Equine Sport submitting their proposal for the collection with design blueprints and 3D renderings for each jumping effort, including an exclusive design for a prestigious 100th Anniversary piece, all designed by Peter. “From these original blueprints of the graphic rendering, each piece is precision cut and assembled by our team before being taken to our paint shop for finishing,” explains Caroline. “The order will be wrapped and shipped in the early fall from Alberta to Ontario, when we’ll meet it again under the lights of that grand arena.”
Without giving anything away, the team promises something special to honour the traditions and storied history of the RAWF. “It is so much more than just the horse show,” says Caroline. “It’s a celebration with a showcase of agriculture and livestock, a festival of shopping and culinary arts, and now celebrating its 100th year of these traditions, we wanted to present a custom jump design that pays homage to all these elements, to the foundational building blocks of what the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is all about.”
