When his two horses turned up lame a week before his first North American Youth Championships, William Martin’s approach showed composure and maturity beyond his years. “One of my biggest priorities as a rider is looking after the wellbeing and health of my horses,” he says. “So when the bad news broke just over a week before my biggest competition, the only question on my mind was ‘how can we make this better?’.”
“My ultimate goal is to become a professional in the sport and compete in Nations Cups for Canada.” (courtesy William Martin)
It was a miraculous comeback in the eleventh hour, but the new partnership of Martin and Ricore Courcelle, a 17-year-old Selle Francais stallion (Quaprice Bois Margot x Alme), owned by Teddy Vlock, brought home the gold medal in the individual junior jumping championship. “I stayed hopeful, and with a little luck and thanks to a lot of work put in by my team, Ricore went into the week feeling great, physically and mentally. When I knew I would be walking into the ring that weekend and not letting my Canadian junior team mates down I was so relieved, and after Ricore jumped a perfect schooling class I was confident heading into the week.”
William did not let the nerves or pressure to compete with a young partnership in the first major final of his young career rattle him. He believes a naturally competitive personality helps keep the nerves at bay. “I still definitely get nervous, but I’ve learned to accept the nerves more,” he explains. “I’ve never been the type of person to carry much emotion in sport.”
It’s a mindset that can be attributed to his mental coach, Annette Paterakis. “I started mental training over a year ago and it has truly changed the consistency of my riding. She has equipped me with what she refers to as a ‘growth mindset’ so I’m always working on improving during training and competition to be the best athlete I can be.”
Born and raised on a horse farm in Vineland, Ontario (mom Lesley Martin has shown up to the 1.30m jumpers), horses were always accessible to Martin. He was a competitive hockey player as a child, only occasionally jumping on the farm’s retired 30-year-old school pony, Stewart Little. “While Stewart was enjoying his peaceful retirement I would often get on him bareback and see how fast I could get him to go,” he laughs. “It wasn’t until watching a grand prix at the Royal Winter Fair that I fell in love with the atmosphere and competitiveness of the sport.”
Martin’s trajectory through the rings as a junior rider was somewhat expedited. He qualified for the national equitation finals at the age of 12 on his first horse, Quince Z, where they placed in the top 10 in both the CET and Jump Canada Medal finals. He wasted little time before setting his sights on the jumper ring. “Although I believe in the fundamentals of equitation training, my main goal was always the jumper ring, “ he says.
Martin credits former trainer Chris Pratt and current trainer Andrew Bourns for helping him become more intuitive in the saddle and develop patience as a horseman. “Chris Pratt once told me, ‘you can never force a horse to do anything’ and although this is a simple statement, it is something I remind myself of everyday when working with horses.”
Bourns also offered some sage horsemanship advice that has stuck with the young rider. “He told me that when you’re working with a horse, you need to act as if you have all day to work with them. Above all, both trainers have taught me great patience with horses. Anything from loading a horse onto a trailer to warming one up for a class, I do my best to take my time and refrain from rushing.”
Incredibly, Martin and Ricore produced the first double clear of their partnership during the NAYC competition. “He’s a very special horse with loads of talent and I instantly liked the feeling he gave me in the ring, but it’s taken some time for the clear rounds to come,” he says. “It wasn’t until the last class leading up to NAYC that things started to click. He really stepped up that week and jumped the best he’s ever jumped for me.”
The NAYC win took a while to settle in for Martin. “In a class with such difficulty and where it’s an achievement of its own to simply compete in it, my eyes were not on the gold medal. I was more focused on simply riding the best I possibly could. So when the gold was awarded to me it was truly a surreal experience. Although I knew my team and I deserved the win, I don’t think it had set in on me how much of an accomplishment it was.”
Not one to rest on his laurels, Martin has his sights set on a future in the ring and is keeping his options open for pursuing a university education down the road. “My short-term goal for the year is to put down some top results in the high junior and medium junior classes and be competitive in the U25 series,” he says. “My ultimate goal is to become a professional in the sport and compete in Nations Cups for Canada. I’ve always had short- and long-term goals in mind throughout my riding career, as I like being able to work towards something every day.”
“He really stepped up that week and jumped the best he’s ever jumped for me.”
Fast Facts
Age: 16
Hometown: Vineland, Ontario
Favourite Netflix show: Formula 1 Drive to Survive
Last book you read: Winning Habits – Annette Paterakis
Favourite food: Italian
Most embarrassing moment: Definitely not being able to hear an equitation ride off, then making up my own course.
Coffee or tea: Coffee
Favourite band: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones
Competition superstitions: My biggest one would be that I don’t like to wear my show jacket until I’m on the horse I’m showing – most days I won’t even warmup with it.
If you could ride any horse in the world: King Edward
