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Kassidy Keith: Driven by Ambition

Kassidy Keith started riding at a very young age when she would accompany her mother, Cheryl Keith, to work at Queen Margaret School.

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By: Sheila Wright | June 1, 2017

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you're listening to an article from horse sport.com. kassidy keith: driven by ambition by: sheila wright. if you ask a professional in the equestrian industry what it takes to be a successful rider, words such as talent, determination, focus, and hard work are often used. kassidy keith, 19, of duncan, bc, recipient of the 2016 equestrian canada jumper bursary, exhibits all of these qualities and more. kassidy started riding at a very young age when she would accompany her mother, cheryl keith, to work at queen margaret school – an all-girl university preparatory high school in duncan that offers an exceptional equestrian program and where cheryl has been the equestrian coach since 2000. kassidy started attending the school in grade 8, a natural progression that provided her the opportunities to ride before, during, and after school and to receive an excellent education at an academy that supported her passion. focus under pressure. kassidy burst onto the national scene in 2015 when she won both the jump canada medal and the cet medal final at the royal agricultural winter fair. that same year, she won the thunderbird good hands & seat medal final, plus qualified and competed at the prestigious aspca maclay medal finals in lexington, ky. these accomplishments led to her being named 2015 equestrian canada junior rider of the year. advertisement scroll to continue with content kassidy didn’t slow down during 2016 when she was named to the north american junior and young rider championships team and placed 10th individually. beth underhill, the chef d’équipe for the canadian team, met kassidy for the first time in colorado. “i was impressed with her work ethic and particularly with her hands-on involvement with her horse and her very organized training program,” remarked beth. “i found her to be a tenacious, determined young woman with big ambitions and the ability to remain focused under pressure. kassidy has a very bright future.”. both kassidy and cheryl are quick to point out what a big role her support system has played in getting her to this point in her career. her queen margaret family has always been there to provide support; tanya hardy of lochside lane provided horses for kassidy to ride throughout the years and also introduced her to kyle king, who nurtured her love for the jumper ring. john turner of thumbs up farm was influential during the pony and equitation years and the thumbs up family of john, jack, and quinn still cheer her on ringside during the big classes. richard keller has played the role of coach/mentor for the last couple of years and has a lot of respect for kassidy. “what makes kassidy stand out is her determination and her focus on her horses,” he said. “kassidy’s strength is her ability to take what she learns during lessons, do her homework, and transfer those skills to the training of each horse she rides. i have no doubt that kassidy will progress into a legitimate grand prix rider.”. career goals. when asked about her goals for 2017 and beyond, kassidy knows exactly what she wants to accomplish. short-term, she would like to show in the international ring at spruce meadows, compete solidly in the u25 and 1.45-metre divisions, and make the senior young riders team. long-term, she wants to study business so that she can use that knowledge to run her own successful venture in the future. although she graduated from queen margaret’s in 2016 and was accepted to the university of fresno, she has decided to wait a year before beginning her studies. for now, kassidy is working with mark laskin and brian morton of equimark, inc. in fort langley, bc, who specialize in the training and sales of high performance competition horses. brian says, “having kassidy with us at equimark, inc. is a win/win situation. we are eager to be part of her network of support and feel we have gained a professional-calibre rider and working student.”. this would seem to be a perfect fit for kassidy at this point in her career. at equimark her typical day involves riding between four and 13 horses in various stages of development, caring for her own horses at the shows, and showing multiple mounts for other people. kassidy is no stranger to developing young horses, as she and her mother brought along both of her successful show horses. wallabee, now 19, is a grey hanoverian gelding which became her champion equitation mount; crackerjack, an 11-year-old canadian sport horse gelding bred by teri erickson of maplebrook farm on vancouver island, has gone from a.9m horse to a 1.45m jumper. when asked what motivates her to work as hard as she does, kassidy explained that it’s the horses. “i want people to recognize my dedication and motivation for the goals i have. with horses comes lots of responsibility and i am always eager to take on a challenge.”. &&>

If you ask a professional in the equestrian industry what it takes to be a successful rider, words such as talent, determination, focus, and hard work are often used. Kassidy Keith, 19, of Duncan, BC, recipient of the 2016 Equestrian Canada Jumper Bursary, exhibits all of these qualities and more.

Kassidy started riding at a very young age when she would accompany her mother, Cheryl Keith, to work at Queen Margaret School – an all-girl university preparatory high school in Duncan that offers an exceptional equestrian program and where Cheryl has been the equestrian coach since 2000. Kassidy started attending the school in Grade 8, a natural progression that provided her the opportunities to ride before, during, and after school and to receive an excellent education at an academy that supported her passion.

Focus Under Pressure

Kassidy burst onto the national scene in 2015 when she won both the Jump Canada Medal and the CET Medal Final at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. That same year, she won the Thunderbird Good Hands & Seat Medal Final, plus qualified and competed at the prestigious ASPCA Maclay Medal Finals in Lexington, KY. These accomplishments led to her being named 2015 Equestrian Canada Junior Rider of the Year.

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Kassidy didn’t slow down during 2016 when she was named to the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships team and placed 10th individually. Beth Underhill, the chef d’équipe for the Canadian team, met Kassidy for the first time in Colorado. “I was impressed with her work ethic and particularly with her hands-on involvement with her horse and her very organized training program,” remarked Beth. “I found her to be a tenacious, determined young woman with big ambitions and the ability to remain focused under pressure. Kassidy has a very bright future.”

Both Kassidy and Cheryl are quick to point out what a big role her support system has played in getting her to this point in her career. Her Queen Margaret family has always been there to provide support; Tanya Hardy of Lochside Lane provided horses for Kassidy to ride throughout the years and also introduced her to Kyle King, who nurtured her love for the jumper ring. John Turner of Thumbs Up Farm was influential during the pony and equitation years and the Thumbs Up family of John, Jack, and Quinn still cheer her on ringside during the big classes.

Richard Keller has played the role of coach/mentor for the last couple of years and has a lot of respect for Kassidy. “What makes Kassidy stand out is her determination and her focus on her horses,” he said. “Kassidy’s strength is her ability to take what she learns during lessons, do her homework, and transfer those skills to the training of each horse she rides. I have no doubt that Kassidy will progress into a legitimate grand prix rider.”

Career Goals

When asked about her goals for 2017 and beyond, Kassidy knows exactly what she wants to accomplish. Short-term, she would like to show in the International Ring at Spruce Meadows, compete solidly in the U25 and 1.45-metre divisions, and make the senior Young Riders team. Long-term, she wants to study business so that she can use that knowledge to run her own successful venture in the future. Although she graduated from Queen Margaret’s in 2016 and was accepted to the University of Fresno, she has decided to wait a year before beginning her studies.

For now, Kassidy is working with Mark Laskin and Brian Morton of Equimark, Inc. in Fort Langley, BC, who specialize in the training and sales of high performance competition horses. Brian says, “Having Kassidy with us at Equimark, Inc. is a win/win situation. We are eager to be part of her network of support and feel we have gained a professional-calibre rider and working student.”

This would seem to be a perfect fit for Kassidy at this point in her career. At Equimark her typical day involves riding between four and 13 horses in various stages of development, caring for her own horses at the shows, and showing multiple mounts for other people. Kassidy is no stranger to developing young horses, as she and her mother brought along both of her successful show horses. Wallabee, now 19, is a grey Hanoverian gelding which became her champion equitation mount; Crackerjack, an 11-year-old Canadian Sport Horse gelding bred by Teri Erickson of Maplebrook Farm on Vancouver Island, has gone from a .9m horse to a 1.45m jumper.

When asked what motivates her to work as hard as she does, Kassidy explained that it’s the horses. “I want people to recognize my dedication and motivation for the goals I have. With horses comes lots of responsibility and I am always eager to take on a challenge.”