Fans might not have seen Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu in the CDI ring since her Olympic partner All In was retired from competition in 2022. Behind the scenes, however, the past two years have been anything but quiet for the Nova Scotia native, who now lives near Montreal. We caught up with Brittany to find out how life has changed and where her new goals are taking her.
How do you feel you’ve changed since All In’s retirement?
With All In I experienced all of my “firsts,” like my first Pan Am Games, World Equestrian Games and Olympics. He was the first to break Canadian records in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle. I’m so proud of all our accomplishments, but it was also a lot of pressure, with him being my only FEI horse.
Now I’m definitely more patient in the sense I don’t need to run to horse shows all the time. Having younger horses and stepping back from qualifying for teams for a couple years makes you look at the bigger picture of how to really be a better athlete and train the next up and coming generation of horses without too much pressure.
It’s been great to focus on the students I coach as well. Brooke Mancusi is competing in the U25 Grand Prix internationally and represented Canada at the North American Youth Championships in 2024, and of course Camille Carier Bergeron was on the Olympic team in Paris. It’s nerve-wracking in a totally different way being at those events as a coach!
Having children gives you a different perspective as well. As much as I still love competing and working towards making teams, my family is now the top priority.
Brittany and Leeghwater. (Daphne Houle Photography)
What is All In doing now?
Last winter I leased All In [who turns 20 this year] to Tracy Kelly, an amateur client of Lindsay Kellock’s. He’s teaching her the Grand Prix movements and it is really the perfect match! He is full of energy and character and does not act his age at all. It is so fun to see an adult amateur enjoying him as much as I did, and to see him loving his job. When he’s ready to retire he will come back home to me.
Tell us about the string of horses you are working with now.
Three of my horses are owned by Jill Irving. It’s been really wonderful working with her as an owner, not just for the opportunity to develop such incredible horses, but because as a top international rider herself she really understands the process and the challenges of the sport.
Jaccardo – 2014 KWPN gelding (Desperado x Jazz)
He is schooling the Grand Prix and recently in the national show at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival we competed the Intermediate A with a score of 70%. He’s so talented and so much fun to ride.
Leeghwater – 2016 KWPN gelding (Franklin X Tango)
I competed Leeghwater in the FEI Young Horse classes with scores up to 80% in the five-,six- and seven-year-olds. In 2024 he moved up to the Small Tour with scores over 71%. He is now schooling some of the Grand Prix and will compete at Small Tour again this year. This horse has a heart of gold and so much talent for the future.
Medoc – 2017 KWPN Gelding (Vivaldi X Sir Donnerhall)
This horse has tons of talent. He scored in the high 80% in the FEI six-year-old classes and this year will compete at Small Tour.
Brittany recently announced a new partnership with Deer Ridge Equestrian which sees her take the reins of three of their top horses: Viva Vivaldi (Vivaldi x Weltmeyer), Furst Foundation (Foundation x De Niro), and Nalin (Negro x Zack).
I’m excited to keep getting to know these horses better and will be competing them in Florida this winter.
I also continue to compete Harmonium, owned by Johanne Dubé and Mathilde Dumas, and he’s moving up to the Medium Tour this year. Last but not least, my father, Craig Fraser, purchased a foal in 2020 named MSJ Vero (Vitalis x Negro). We brought him over to Canada last summer and he has a super character. He’s a huge horse with very big gaits, so we’ll take our time to develop him.
You were asked to step in as chef d’équipe for the Canadian Olympic dressage team in Paris at the last minute, when the chef had a family emergency. What was that experience like?
It was amazing, and terrifying, and inspiring, and such an incredible privilege to serve in that position. I’m proud of how the team came together to support each other and they all represented their country so well.
Brittany and her husband Marc André Beaulieu in Paris.
The whole experience gave me such an appreciation for how much Equestrian Canada really does to support our teams behind the scenes, and with relatively few resources compared to other teams. I know most riders don’t get a chance to see that; they pay their sport licence fees and drug test fees to compete in their local shows, and that may be their only interaction with EC.
Even as an athlete representing Canada at the Pan American Games, the World Equestrian Games and the Olympics, I didn’t really see it myself. You are so focused on competing and just take it for granted that everything falls into place around you. In the past I’ve found it easy to criticize the shortcomings, but now I have a new perspective. The knowledge I’ve gained has given me a lot of ideas for how we can continue to improve, but also a healthy respect for how fortunate we actually are to get the support we do at team competitions.
It’s a lot to juggle your own competitive goals, coaching your students, developing young horses, and raising a family. How do you manage it all?
I often ask myself what I did with all my spare time before I had kids! Theo is five and Chloe is now two. They definitely make life interesting while trying to juggle a business, training and competing. The only way to do it is to have a very supportive team around you. I am very thankful to my husband [Marc André], parents, and mother-in-law who always step in when I need to travel for competitions for myself or students.
My team at the stable are my glue. Brooke Mancusi manages and rides for me when I can’t, which is extremely helpful. My head groom in Montreal, Fannie Thibaudeau, does an incredible job with the horses and keeps everything running smoothly at home, while I have an amazing team supporting me in Florida led by my groom Julie-Anne Munns.
What are your goals for the future?
Down the road I would love to start a development program for juniors, similar to the one I took part in run by Roz Farber and Albrecht Heidemann. But for now I’m still focused on trying to make teams myself and supporting my current students.
The past few years have been building years and that will continue in 2025. I have a string of wonderful horses that show lots of talent for the future. I’ll compete them in Florida this winter as they are ready, with an eye to qualifying for the World Equestrian Games next year. There are so many variables which all have to fall into place at the exact same time to make that happen. One thing with horses we know for sure ‒ you can never predict the future!
