As the 2024 competition season gets underway, excitement is ramping up as the Paris Olympics approach in July. We asked riders about their schedules, plans, hopes and goals with their top campaigners and promising up-and-coming horses.
Erynn Ballard and Gakhir. (Cealy Tetley photo)
Erynn Ballard
Top horses: Gakhir, Libido, Coconet, Ginger Ask, Game Over, Mullentine Shalom, Ellie de Chansy. I have an incredible team of horses and I’m very lucky!
Winter plans: We will stay based in WEF primarily, maybe make the trip to Ocala and I’m going to enter GCT Miami and GCT Mexico and hope for a wild card.
Summer plans: I will go wherever the team tells us we need to go for the Olympics!
2024 goals: Paris!! I’ll also be doing the Major League tour for the fall; this year my team is the Road Runners. Overall, I’m mostly aiming for the 5* weeks this season, so that I can continue to focus on my world rankings and developing the horses to jump consistently at the highest levels. It’s so incredible to have such an amazing group of horses to continue to ride and compete with and such a great group of owners who support the journey.
Samantha Buirs. (Facebook)
Samantha Buirs
Top horses: Chic D Emma Z, Isabel
Winter plans: To get fit after delivering my baby! I’m currently 39 weeks pregnant so I’m very excited to get back in the saddle. I’m hoping to get some time in the sunshine at DIHP, but it really depends on how long this baby takes to exit. My only real plan is to get this baby out healthy and then focus on my riding.
Summer plans: I plan to do the Spruce Meadows summer series and tbird this year with Chic D Emma Z, Isabel and a few very good eight-year-olds that are up-and-coming. Two of the eight-year-olds my friend James Chawke has been helping produce and putting great miles on in Thermal while I’m out of the tack, and there are also some more youngsters I’m excited to show if time allows.
2024 goals: I would love to get my #1 horse, Chic, back up to 5* level. He jumped his first 5* grand prix in June 2023 with me being in the early pregnancy stages, and finished third. I only showed him in a couple of smaller classes in July at tbird and opted not to do Spruce Meadows because I was feeling rather off due to pregnancy. We will see where our fitness and miles take us but for sure aiming for the International ring at Spruce Meadows. This coming year will be a lot of juggling with two young boys and the horses, both mentally and physically. My goal is to really get control of my brain while also letting the chaos take over.
Kara Chad and Igor GPH. (Sarah Sturgis for Natalie Suto Photography)
Kara Chad
Top horses: Easy Boy D’aubey Z, Quidamo F, Igor GPH.
Winter plans: I’m currently based in the UK with my boyfriend, Matthew Sampson, and we operate out of Maplepark Farms. We’ve made the trip down to Spain to compete at the Sunshine tour, and we’ll have 19 horses here: young horses, older horses, and everything in between. We also here with some great clients. I absolutely love the Sunshine tour. We spent almost six months here two years ago, and it’s like a home away from home for us.
Summer plans: We will stay in Europe and the UK and get into some bigger 5* shows over here later in the spring and then my plan is to head to Canada in the summer and hopefully attend the two 5* shows in Langley and then the Summer Series at Spruce. These are all selection events for the Olympics, and I really aim to peak my horses at those events competing in front of a home crowd.
2024 goals: I have quite a few younger horses coming along and I’m really excited to develop them. I’m so lucky to have three high-level competitive horses and I’m looking forward to using them at the bigger shows and competing with them in Europe, the UK, and Canada this year. They are extremely talented and I’m excited to show the world what they can do. We do our best to peak them at certain shows but I look forward to all the shows and the progression of having horses at different development levels throughout the year.
With Maplepark Farms, we’re excited to keep developing and growing the business. We are lucky enough to compete worldwide together and we love it!
Tiffany Foster and Figor. (Cara Grimshaw photo)
Tiffany Foster
Top horses: Figgy, Nora, Batty, and Electrique. (We had to ask about the people’s champion, Brighton): Brighty is still going strong! He won his last class of 2023, showed week 2 and is set to show week 7 here. He will stay on his one or two classes a month schedule for the rest of the year and hopefully keep winning!
Winter plans: I’m staying in Wellington for the winter but planning to go to Ocala as an individual for the League of Nations show in March.
Summer plans: My plans this summer are focused on making the team for the Olympics and getting Figor in shape for that if we get selected. I’ve worked hard and getting my world ranking high enough to be able to choose which shows I go to so I will try to pick up a few shows in Mexico and Europe before coming back to Langley for tbird, then on to Spruce Meadows for the Summer Series.
2024 goals: Obviously the big goal for 2024 is success at the Olympics in Paris. Other than that, I’d like to continue to develop my team of horses and win more grand prix! I think the grand prix at the Spruce Masters is always a class I have on my radar as a big one. There’s a chance we can go to Aachen this year as well, so those would be some big ones I’d like to do well at.
I have a wonderful group of owners that have allowed me to build a solid string of nine horses (Artisan Farms and the Ziegler Family, 5 Roosters and the Coxe Family, Kent Farrington, Wendy Valdes and Ben Myers) so I have some exciting nine and ten-year-olds coming along and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do. Other big news that I have is that the new barn Wendy Valdes is building for our operations in Canada is set to be complete this summer in Langley! I’m so excited about it and I can’t wait to finally be able to move into the barn … and a personal resolution is to learn to drive a carriage!
Alicia Gadban-Lewis. (Instagram)
Alicia Gadban-Lewis
Top horses: Beneficial, Caipirinha De Reve, Falko Ste Hermelle, Best Friend Hero Z and Pesgo Adelheid Z
Winter plans: This winter we are staying local in Europe and focusing on the indoor circuit. Towards the end of February we are heading to Valencia, Spain, for the tour there with a fantastic group of horses and some exciting young ones.
Summer plans: This summer we will stay in Europe, and my team and I are excited to show at some fantastic venues!
2024 goals: A big goal for me is to continue representing Canada at Nations Cup shows here in Europe. I moved to Belgium from Vancouver in August of 2023 with my team and group of horses as well as my student, Lily Elliot. We are based at Ecurie D’Ecaussinnes, and offer a fantastic selection of quality sale horses. A personal resolution of mine is to limit my coffee and croissant consumption, which is a challenge living in Europe!
Susan Horn and Kirlo van den Bosrand. (Sportfot photo)
Susan Horn
Top horses: My grey gelding, Kirlo van den Bosrand. We’ve been partners for two years.
Winter plans: We are committed to three months at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida.
Summer plans: Unclear! Certainly we’ll include the destinations like Spruce Meadows but we spent some time last year in Europe and really enjoyed ourselves and learned a lot so I wouldn’t count out a return trip.
2024 goals: I added two young talents to my string in December that I am excited to get to know. From what I’ve felt and experienced so far with them, with their athleticism and scope, I think I should be very excited indeed. I also have a phenomenal mare jumping again after some downtime and I would love to get back to the big jumps with her as soon as possible. I would love to have my younger set of horses step up and aim towards some bigger international tracks. As for a specific class, it’s a long way away, but I’d love another chance to jump the Spruce Masters Grand Prix.
Sean Jobin and Coquelicot VH Huevelland Z. (Ben Radvanyi photo)
Sean Jobin
Top horses: Coquelicot VH Huevelland Z ‒ he’s coming off an incredible season where we were able to do the CSI3* grand prixs in Ocala and Tryon, as well as capping off the season by winning the 2023 Canadian Championship. I’ve also got Darius, who has been a steady partner and had several great placings in CSI5* grand prixs and a great showing as reserve for the CSIO5* Nations Cup Grand Prix in San Juan.
Winter plans: We’re planning on competing at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala for the winter circuit. We competed into December of last year so the grand prix horses will have a light January before starting into bigger competition later.
Summer plans: We’ll compete on the Major League Showjumping tour again, coming back for the Canadian team Northern Lights. We’re also going to use this time to continue developing our younger and newer string of horses, all of whom I’m very excited about.
2024 goals: The big goal is to make a push for the 2025 World Cup series, so we will be looking forward to that series of qualifiers later in the 2024 season. I’m also excited to aim towards any of the MLSJ 5* grand prixs, as well as the World Cup Qualifiers in Toronto and Ocala. I’m really excited to continue developing our program with an emphasis on the sport science aspect. We have an awesome group of people working together, and we are continuing to look to for new partners in our goal to bring home a major international championship win back to Canada! My personal resolution for the year is that I resolve to keep the horse between me and the ground this year!
Kassidy Keith (Kassidy Keith Facebook)
Kassidy Keith
Top horses: Havana, Fenelon WF
Winter plans: Desert International Horse Park for weeks 6-10
Summer plans: Thunderbird, Spruce Meadows, and maybe we’ll decide to add a few more FEI shows.
2024 goals: My 2024 goals are to jump a 5* Grand Prix on Havana as well as go to Vegas and Fort Worth for the World Cup Qualifiers. Some big classes I am excited for this year would be to jump the 5* events in the fall at DIHP during the Major League Final.
I am very excited about Havana’s baby, Statement (Sir Shutterfly X Cardento X Judgment), who is coming five this year and will be showing for the first time this winter. I’m also excited about a few other young horses that I will be campaigning this year, and I am really hoping that season I can start to build a bit more of a string of horses to take the pressure off Havana. One of my personal resolutions for this year would definitely be to stay consistent with Havana in the FEI classes.
Christopher Lowe. (christopherlowe.ca)
Christopher Lowe
Top horses: Cunningham 4 and a really nice new seven-year-old, Brad 7
Winter plans: We are headed to Thermal next week to compete.
Summer plans: We are going to link back up with Tiffany Foster for the tbird May shows and then head to Spruce Meadows for the whole tour with her group.
2024 goals: I will continue to shoot for grand prix podiums with Cunningham, develop the younger horses and maybe earn a spot on a developing rider Nations Cup team for Canada, and I’d like to aim for strong results at the Spruce Meadows Masters. I am very excited about new seven-year-old, Brad 7, who just arrived from Europe.
A personal resolution? I often am accused of being too slow so I am hoping for as few time faults as possible for 2024!
Amy Millar
Top horses: I have a fantastic group of horses right now. Truman is in great shape and jumping really well. Christiano is a great back up to Truman, but a winner in his own right ‒ he’s awesome and does his job so well. Jelvinia is a new mount and I’m unbelievably excited about her, she has the potential to be the best horse I’ve ever ridden or owned. If the Olympics were next year, she’d be there. There’s also Jagger, who is coming into his own; Athena, who is a wonderful, fast mare and a real winner; and Don’t Worry Farmer, who has all the scope in the world. I feel so confident in all three of my top horses and they are proficient at the 1.50m level and above. It’s the first time in my life I’ve been able to say that and it’s a really, really lovely thing to have this much excitement in my string. It’s a great crew.
Winter plans: I stay in WEF all winter, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be!
Summer plans: We’ll do tbird and Spruce Meadows, and of course we’d really like for Canada to get an invitation to Aachen, but of course every country in the world wants to go there! Hopefully everything is on track for Paris and then I will join the Major League tour . . . and that keeps me very busy for the year!
2024 goals: Paris is the big goal, to be able to represent Canada is always the dream and of course an Olympic medal is the fire burning in all of us! It’s a very exciting time – Canada has a great group of riders and horses and I know we can put a team together that can do this. For me, the process of building these horses up and the excitement of knowing that after these championships I have a good amount of depth in my string is very exciting. We will continue to grow from here and keep getting better and better.
Vanessa Mannix and Carmela Z. (DIHP Instagram)
Vanessa Mannix
Top horses: I have three proper grand prix horses that have all jumped 5* and I don’t think I’ve ever had as strong or deep a string as the one I have this year. I have Carmela Z, who is so reliable and she always puts her best foot forward. I have Lehar, who is really special and my plan is to take him to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the World Cup finals; Lehar feels like he can jump anything. And I have Kingston, who is the horse I want to jump the Grand Prix and Nations Cup with at the Spruce Meadows Masters. He is such a dynamic horse ‒ there isn’t a class in the world he couldn’t jump; he bucks a lot but he can back up his attitude with his talent. It takes time and patience and sometimes a bit of imagination to build a string like this, and I’m so proud of them. None of these horses were jumping 5* when we bought them and I think it is so fun to develop them into what we believe they can do and that’s something I’m really proud of.
Winter plans: I really love the winter circuit in California. The Desert Horse Park has done incredible things with their facility and offers six really strong FEI weeks. It makes a lot more sense in terms of building up my horses to stay out west and it offers great prize money and ranking points without putting horses under such pressure so early in the year, and it’s still world class competition ‒ it’s very hard to win here and it’s very competitive.
Summer plans: I’ll fly a couple of horses out to Wellington to do weeks 11 & 12, using the next six weeks in California to prepare for the 4* and 5* weeks in Wellington. We will travel to Europe to prep for the World Cup finals in April, and then after that take a break until tbird and Spruce Meadows. I’m also a member of the Northern Lights team for Major League competition, and I’m excited to do that again.
2024 goals: Jumping in the World Cup finals has been my main goal for the last three seasons and that is a huge accomplishment that I’m super stoked about. The Olympics is the pinnacle of the sport, of course, but the World Cup finals is also the only part of the sport you qualify for based on your results and aren’t selected for, and I really love to be able to track my progress through qualifiers and peak for the finals. Jumping the Masters Grand Prix at Spruce is also a huge goal and I have the horses to do it.
If I’m in a position where I could contribute to Te;am Canada at the Olympics, I am absolutely there in a heartbeat and I know Kingston and Lehar have the ability to jump clear rounds at the Olympics. A big part of what I find really rewarding is building our horses up. Connor [Swail] and I have developed quite a few horses up to a 5* level and the process is so rewarding. I always have my eye open for good seven or eight-year-olds, and right now we have a chestnut mare named One Edition, who my second trainer James Chawke is jumping around and she’s going really well. We have a super exciting year ahead of us with a great team and great horses!
Ali Ramsay. (Ben Radvanyi photo)
Ali Ramsay
Top horses: Bonita VH Keizershof Z, a 13-year-old mare that I’ve had since she was six; Conrado 12, an 11-year-old gelding that has been in the family since he was five; Call For More, a 10-year-old gelding that we bought almost a year ago. They are pretty special animals that I am very lucky to have!
Winter plans: We are competing in California for the winter season, and aiming at all the big FEI weeks here until the end of March.
Summer plans: We’re still working on our summer plans but I am for sure doing Major League for at least the first half of season. I will be on the Northern Lights team for my second season, which is the most fun!
2024 goals: I won my first 5* class on Bonita at the end of last year, so one of my goals for this year is to win another 5* grand prix. I would also like to break into the top 100 on the world rankings. These are BIG goals but I think with this group of horses they are achievable.
My personal resolution is to be less late all the time. The goal of being on time seems unachievable so I’m aiming for less late! I also would like to grow my business and would love to have another client with like-minded goals who wants to be in a serious program, travel to exciting shows and be at the top of their game.
Jacqueline Steffens-Daly. (ShelleyPaulsonPhotography/Instagram)
Jacqueline Steffens-Daly
Top horses: My top horse, Freaky, is currently coming back from an injury. He is jumping again, building up fitness and will be back to competing this winter at WEF. We have competed in 5* grand prixs and Nations Cups, so I am especially excited to get back into the show ring with him.
Winter plans: We are based in Wellington for the winter months and will be producing some of the younger prospects and sales horses, training students, and competing.
Summer plans: Traveling to shows across North America, including the Major League series, possibly Spruce Meadows, Tryon, Traverse City, and the Royal
Anything exciting on the horizon? My husband and I have opened up our own business this past year, Daly International. We’re excited to be taking on new owners and competition partners, students, and sales horses. We are based primarily in Wellington, Florida and travel through the summer months to top shows across North America.
Kyle Timm. (Sylvie Couperie photo/Facebook)
Kyle Timm
Top horses: Candar Mail and Casino Calvin
Winter plans: Oliva, Spain and Wellington, Florida. It’s my first winter jumping back in Florida for a few years, so I am excited to meet up with a number of Canadians and compare notes!
Summer plans: It depends on how our horses jump through the winter, and I think we have to see how our season begins.
2024 goals: I think for all Canadian riders Paris 2024 is something we dream of being able to jump. Without a doubt at the moment I have the best horses of my career so far, so to be able to travel and compete with them at this level is a dream and I’m very excited to see what’s to come.
Nicole Walker (Instagram)
Nikki Walker
Top horses: Atout Des Trambles, who has been a really solid partner of mine for the past three years. He is so consistent at the 1.50 level and we hope to step it up this year to some 3* Nations Cups and continue to jump the MLSJ Team Classes together. Beyond being very sweet, cuddly and competitive a fun fact and side kick is his mini pony Mimosa that accompanies him as his therapy pony.
Excellent B, my long-time partner of seven years, jumping 1.50m +. He’s had many good placings over the years and taught me so much. Such a lovely and honest character inside and out of the ring. He will also compete in some MLSJ Team classes this year.
Panter JVH, a nine-year-old BWP. This is a newer partnership, up-and-coming with big hopes for the future. We ended his eight-year-old year jumping a handful of 1.45m with good results. He is very handsome and such a kind, laid-back stallion.
Leicester, an eight-year-old KWPN that I’ve had since he was five years old. I have really big hopes for the future. He would be the jokester of the group; a large horse with lots of energy, but so effortless in the ring. His athleticism always impresses me.
Winter plans: For the winter season I am based in Wellington, FL. I will make a couple of trips with my team to WEC and Ocala. I plan to step up Panter to the 2* Grand Prix and ending with some 1.50m classes. Atout Des Trambles has already started with placings in the 1.50ms with the goal of the 1.50m Final at the end of the circuit. I will save my older horse Excellent B for some ranking classes and Grand Prix’s towards the end of the season. Leicester I hope to get comfortable at the 1.40m level and finish off our circuit with some 1.45m’s.
Summer plans: During the Spring Season I hope to join Team Canada on their 3* Nations Cup tours in Europe. After that I look forward to joining the Northern Lights Major League Show Jumping team once again. I had such a blast being a part of it last year. Any chance to jump on a Team is such a unique, building and wonderful experience to be a part of.
2024 goals: I have such a wonderful team of people in the barn, my coach Gerry Mullins and horses that I adore behind me. Everyone works hard and has such a fantastic attitude. It’s a great atmosphere in the barn. I think my goals are hopefully attainable, but also push me and my horses to grow.
I have a few classes picked for each horse during our winter season. The Nations Cups, Major League Team classes and ending the year with the Canadian Championships is always a highlight. I like to not compete my horses too often, put in good work at home, get them really fit and hopefully deliver on the important days.
Something I am super excited about is combining my work at my family company The Stronach Group (also known as 1/ST Racing, which owns race tracks across the United States) with my passion for show jumping. In collaboration with Split Rock Show Jumping we are hosting our first CSI2*/5* Longines World Cup Qualifier at the horse race track Santa Anita in Pasadena, California, November 20-24, 2024. This will be an exciting addition to my competition calendar, too.
Sam Walker. (Instagram)
Sam Walker
Top horse: My best horse right now is Nalu Quality. I am also very excited about an up-and-coming seven-year-old I have the ride on named Martini Time.
Winter plans: I am at WEF for this winter, training, riding and showing as many horses as possible.
Summer plans: I am planning on going to Europe this summer with clients and a select group of horses. Our plan is to meet my partner and trainer Ulli Kirchhoff and compete throughout Europe.
2024 goals: I am looking to build a string of horses so I can compete as much as I can. I do this sport because of my immense love for horses. Even though I don’t have any horses to jump at the top of the sport right this second, I am still enjoying every minute of this journey. I’m very grateful for all of the opportunities I have had in the past and I can’t wait to see what the future brings!
Beth Underhill. (Cara Grimshaw photo)
Beth Underhill
Top horses: Nikka VD Bisschop had a nice vacation following Santiago and is starting in the 5* this week. My Clementine has been jumping very well her first two weeks of competition with two seconds and all clear rounds so far. I will reunite with Dynastie de Beaufour when we return to Europe in April.
Winter plans: We are planning to compete just four or five weeks with Nikka in Wellington and keep her fresh for Thunderbird and Spruce Meadows in May and June.
Summer plans: I am looking forward to my family and friends who visit me in Wellington and taking some time to see the sights and experience the culture of Florida and the places we travel to during competitions in Europe. I am grateful to have my team behind me of Nick Skelton and Laura Kraut, my husband David Marion and of course my Jack Russells who always lend some frivolity to our days. I am grateful to my owners, the Rein Family, and am looking forward to another year of adventures in Europe later this summer. I am excited for the upcoming season!
2024 goals: My goal is to be part of the Canadian team competing in Europe mid-summer and vie for a place on this year’s Olympic team. I enjoy being part of the CanJump Initiative, we are working hard as a group to create fund raising opportunities to help ease the financial burdens of our Canadian team riders, owners and our next generation of young riders!
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(HorseSport also reached out to Mario Deslauriers and Eric Krawitt who had not yet replied when we posted this article.)
