Out of the West: BC Native Takes Royal Medal Finals

This November marked Prince George, BC, native Colby Winther Konig’s first time at the Royal Winter Fair and she certainly made the trip east one to remember, winning both the Jump Canada and CET Medal Finals aboard her homebred gelding Big Ticket (Kupido K x Cabardino). The 15-year-old is trained by her mother, Sorine Winther, at the family’s RidgeCountry Farm, and is also coached on the road by Lindsey Paton Garner.

Fast Facts

Age: 15
Coffee or Tea: Coffee all the way!
Favourite TV show: Ginny & Georgia
Hobbies outside of horses: I play competitive basketball for my school and club team
Favourite horse show venue: Thunderbird Show Park. It’s my second home and I was lucky enough to be the 2023 recipient of the George and Dianne Tidball Legacy scholarship.
Any show ring superstitions? I am very superstitious! My lucky socks are a big thing for me – I won the Thunderbird Good Hands & Seat Finals, CET finals, and Jump Canada finals wearing them. Other than that, I just try and do everything the same, day in and day out.
How do you deal with nerves? It’s all in the head for me. I have worked quite a bit on my nerves, I know how to get in my zone and it’s all about the consistency. I listen to the same playlist in my Airpods before every big course walk, and I make sure to spend time with my horse before we have a big class. It’s all about routine.
If you could ride any horse in the world, who would it be? Tiffany Foster’s Hamilton! He looks like he loves his job and always wants to please, and his scope is just unreal!

Congrats on your big wins! Has it all sunk in yet?

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I think now that I’m home it has just started to sink in. When I was at the Royal it was just a surreal experience overall and I am still completely in disbelief to have won both the finals. I did not expect this to be the outcome and going in I had no idea of how my horse would react to the atmosphere, but he just blew me away! He walked in there like it was any other day at home and I was amazed at how well he adjusted to the ring and the energy from the crowd – he really fed off the atmosphere.

You are coached by your mother, and your sister Taylor Winther won the CET Finals at the Royal West in 2021. This is a real family affair for you!

Taylor and I have always been super supportive of each other. She is a huge role model for me and my mom has always been my biggest cheerleader at the back gate. We are all so close and know exactly how to help each other, it’s such a fun dynamic. Every time one of us goes in the ring, we are all at the back gate supporting each other. It’s also so cool with our breeding program to work together and bring up the babies. I can’t remember a time where I’ve been in the ring without them supporting me, we are so close and know exactly how to help each other. We always say, ‘you’re either winning or learning’!

A trophy inspection by Snickers.

Your mount for the wins, Big Ticket, is a homebred, so that must have been a proud moment!

His barn name is Snickers and he is just he best guy. He’s everybody’s favourite and you can put any kid in the barn on him to ride. The little kids can totally lead him around and brush him, and he’s just game for anything you ask of him.

He’s so competitive. I noticed it more this season – that he would be upset with himself if he knew something had gone wrong. Having that feeling walking down into the chute to the final ride-offs felt like the most reassuring thing, just knowing that he wanted it as badly as I did and that he would do anything to make it happen for us.

He was always a good baby from the time he was started, and the best thing about him is how hard he tries. He always wants to please, and his competitive nature is great – he meets my level of competitiveness, so it always felt like if I did my job, we had the ability to win. I think because we’ve grown up together and have so much trust in one another we are a great team. This year I really got to reap the rewards of all our hard work, and for that I’m so grateful.

I love our breeding program. My mom’s 1.50 grand prix horse, my sister’s U25 horse, and of course Snickers are all homebreds, and it makes these big wins to much sweeter.

Group hug! Colby embraces her sister Taylor (CET medal winner in 2021) with her mom, Sorine, and Big Ticket. (Cealy Tetley photo)

Was your first RAWF experience overwhelming for you and the horse, not having been exposed to that kind of atmosphere in the past?

I have definitely never experienced anything quite like the Royal before! Snickers feeds off the energy from the stands, so I loved the stands being packed with kids. He was for sure hesitant of the carriage horses for a day or two, but quickly adjusted to them. He didn’t blink an eye at the ramp or the chute, which was amazing.

None of the BC crowds are quite like that so I was pleased when Snickers came with his game face on every single day. It’s always been his personality to do everything in his power to keep everyone happy, so I can always count on him trying his hardest. It was nerve wracking to travel all that way, not knowing what to expect, but I was able to count on the familiar territory of my team. At the show my nerves felt pretty controlled, I think because with the team I have behind me I know I am set up for success every time I walk into the ring.

Any exciting plans for 2024?

I want to move into the U25s, and this was the perfect way to top off my equitation career. I’m not planning on pursuing this professionally, but you never know the opportunities that will be thrown your way. I have a yearling homebred that I could not be more excited about named Denis the Menace. He is by Carthago Sun III out of a Flamenco de Semilly dam that my mom showed. I have a great feeling about him!