Rebecca David-McIsaac, 16, of Canmore, AB, started riding at age seven at Alborak Stables, owned by 2008 Canadian Olympic eventer Sandra Donnelly. After leasing a couple of horses over the years, her parents bought her Fergus, a Connemara gelding. Although not the most gifted athlete, Fergus, who previously had shown low-level dressage, was a safe mount who took to eventing with gusto. Together, he and Rebecca competed up to training level, until it became apparent she’d need a new horse to advance.
Donnelly took her to Victoria, BC, to meet Irish, a Connemara-Thoroughbred cross (Elphin Cronan x Christa Jewel) with which Glynis Schultz had successfully competed at the two-star level. But the gelding had bowed a tendon and still faced a long road to recovery. “We seemed to click,” said Rebecca. “He was just starting back to work. We came home and thought about it, but decided to take a chance on him and in the end, it worked.”
Once Irish arrived in Alberta, his 13-year-old rider patiently waited for him to heal. “It was difficult, as we couldn’t jump at all. Our workouts were easy. But it was really great to get to know him,” Rebecca recalled. “He has tons of personality and is so full of life.”
When she was finally able to ride the chestnut gelding over fences, Rebecca was thrilled. “It was such a difference from my pony. Irish is so talented and athletic. Fergus had a big heart, but he didn’t have a big stride. I’m not sure if it’s the Connemara breed, but both horses had huge hearts and were willing to work for me.”
Irish and Rebecca made their eventing debut together at the training level. “Our first event was a bit of a disaster,” she admitted. “The dressage ring was near the cross-country course. He loves cross-country and it was his first event in over a year and he was excited. It was an “interesting” dressage test – I think we finished last or second-last!”
The pair put in a full season at training level. As proof of their versatility, Rebecca and Irish also qualified for the CET Medal Prairie Regional Finals in 2011, “which was pretty cool, because we’re not hunter-jumper types.” They finished a respectable 14th overall.
The pair moved up to preliminary with enough success to earn the right to compete at the 2013 North American Young Riders Championships in Kentucky, where they finished 24th in the one-star competition. “It was such a new experience for me, with having more than one discipline there,” said Rebecca. “The humidity was a big change, too, but the cross-country course was amazing and it was a thrill being able to ride in the Rolex stadium.”
This year, Rebecca plans to do the one-star at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, MT, in July and will set her sights on the 2015 North American Young Riders Championships, which she says will likely be Irish’s last big competition, given that he will be 18 years old.
Rebecca now boards Irish at a small private stable, Vinden Farm, where she gets jump coaching from Matt Vinden, with Leanne Copithorne instructing her in dressage and high performance coach Lynda Ramsay handling the eventing duties. “Irish has been really great,” Rebecca said. “He’s a little bit grumpy, kind of a know-it-all, and he likes to take over and take control and that’s the hard part. But he protects me most of the time. A lot of the barn staff are afraid of him, too. But he’s got a soft side and he likes to be pampered.”
At some point in her journey, Rebecca also got her mom, Cathy-Anne David, hooked on eventing. After spending so much time helping her daughter groom and tack up when she was a youngster, Cathy-Anne started riding and now events at the pre-training level.
