Jay Duke has been involved the sport of show jumping long enough to know a special moment when he sees one. His 18-year-old daughter, Halle, winning the $40,000 U25 Canadian Championship is one such moment.
“Ground-breaking would be the best term for it,” the proud papa said. “It was only their third time competing in the U25 division ever.
“On top of that, it was the first time either one of them had competed in an indoor horse show, so she certainly wasn’t a favourite. There was one other girl who was 18, so she was the youngest in the class, she had the youngest horse in the class, and they were the least experienced.”
“Not many people knew much about me or my horse, so it was nice to show up and win it all!”
It was at John Anderson’s Royal West tournament in Calgary at the end of October that Duke and her mare Ilana rather unexpectedly vaulted to the top of the podium without lowering a rail or having a single time fault over four challenging courses.
(Quinn Saunders photo)
“It was surprising,” admitted Halle, who is coached by her rider/clinician/course designer/trainer dad and rides at Blarney Stone Farms, owned by her grandmother Cheryl Anderson. “I know it’s a very big accomplishment for me and my horse because we haven’t been able to show very much. Not many people knew much about me or my horse, so it was nice to show up and win it all!
“It was just for fun. Definitely there was no pressure. It was nice to get out to a horse show before the end of the year and we didn’t have any expectations.”
That mindset may be one of the many things her father has taught her.
“That’s always been my approach to all competition … having fun and working on things,” Jay explained. “You don’t go in thinking about winning, you don’t go into the ring thinking about prize money. All those things are a negative and detriment to your focus.
“I always had the philosophy that I was competing against myself and if I did what I was capable of and it was my day then we would win. If I did not, we wouldn’t win. I’ve tried to impart that to Halle as well as the focus is on you and your horse and none of the other stuff really matters.”
What made her victory at Royal West even more remarkable was the fact that she did it on a severely sprained ankle, suffered in a fall while cleaning the stable at home in Spruce Grove, Alberta, the day before they left for the horse show.
“We know that it’s sprained and possible ligament damage,” sighed Halle, who rode the final with uneven stirrups to compensate. “The first thing I did was call someone to get it taped. There wasn’t an option of not showing. I knew I was going to.”
Halle was riding before she could walk, and her first pony’s name was Lucy. A recent graduate of Whistler Secondary School, Halle has been offered an opportunity to work with US jumper rider Andre Dignelli in Wellington over the winter. As well, investors are interested in buying her some horses to ride.
Whatever her future in show jumping, Jay believes his daughter has the right stuff to succeed.
“She’s very hard-working,” he described. “She’s very detail-oriented and she’s very demanding of herself, but also realistic. She really has all the components and that’s a big part of why she was able to do something that was above her level of experience.”
Then there’s eight-year-old Ilana, the young mare that both Dukes believe also is made of some fine mettle.
“She’s the most social, sweetest, cuddliest mare I think anyone’s ever met.”
“She has amazing athleticism,” Jay noted. “She jumps the big jumps with ease so that obviously is a great thing. She’s very careful, which you need to be in the world of show jumping today, she’s fast, but she’s also a smart horse. When you show her something once, she’s got it. Experience-wise, again, she barely has the experience of a seven-year-old. In her entire life she’s probably done maybe thirty horse shows.
“Another thing about her, she’s very brave. It’s such a rare combination to be brave and careful and fast and scopey. She has all the tools for success.”
Cuddly Ilana.
Ilana is a Canadian-bred mare sired by KVF Tacorde purchased in late 2019 from Klondike Victory Farm in Red Deer, Alberta, and “she’s my best friend,” Halle said. “She’s the most social, sweetest, cuddliest mare I think anyone’s ever met. She was even cuddling the jump crew during the prize-giving ceremony! She’s super friendly.
“But I think taking care of her and the trust she has in me does reflect in the ring and she trusts me with everything, even when I make a little mistake.”
With Ilana now jumping at 1.45m, the goal now is to compete in Young Riders and more U25s next season. After that, perhaps getting the chance to represent Canada on the national B team may be in the cards.
“It certainly is her dream,” said Jay, “and again she does have such a work ethic that she is capable of achieving that.”
“I don’t have expectations for her,” Halle said of Ilana and her future. “As much as she wants to do, we’ll do. The higher the jumps get, the higher she jumps. She surprises us every day.”
Jay and Halle.
