News that an equestrian team has been named to compete at a world championship for the first time is usually cause for celebration. But the selection of a Canadian Working Equitation team has stirred controversy after the country’s highest-ranked rider was named as alternate.
On June 19, Working Equitation Canada (WECan) named four Masters-level riders to compete at the 2026 World Association for Working Equitation (WAWE) World Championship, September 8 to 13 in Jerez, Spain. The announcement sparked a flurry of posts on WECan’s Facebook page, questioning the selection process and calling for transparency after top-ranked rider Sarah Bradley of Roberts Creek, British Columbia, was designated as alternate.
Bradley is currently ranked 35th in WAWE Masters world standings. The four riders chosen – Susanne Zimmerman of Kelowna, B.C., Ilona Berbekar of Calgary, Alberta, Pam Esteves of Oro-Medonte, Ontario and Kerry Marit of Cochrane, Alberta – are ranked 102th to 135th.
In addition to performance standards (a minimum score of 62 in both dressage and Ease of Handling phases at a qualifying show and a clear speed test), WECan selection criteria listed discretionary factors such as: aptitude for high level sport, knowledge of the sport, potential for success on a borrowed horse, coachability, capacity to operate within a collaborative and supportive team environment, etc.
“International rankings, the number of qualifying scores achieved, or the highest qualifying scores were not selection criteria.” ~WECan
On June 22, WECan posted a statement on its Facebook page, saying the board was satisfied selections had been made fairly and in accordance with the criteria, by selectors WECan past president Kim Jungman, classical dressage trainer Joey Mann, and eventer/coach Sandra Donnelly. The selectors’ names were not revealed until the selection was announced.
“International rankings, the number of qualifying scores achieved, or the highest qualifying scores were not selection criteria,” WECan president and team chef d’equipe Darcy Henkel said in an email response to Horse Sport’s questions. “Those measures were intentionally not adopted because they could disadvantage capable and deserving riders who, for financial, geographic, or personal reasons, were unable to attend multiple qualifying competitions.”
As for the discretionary aspects, Henkel said “while some criteria necessarily involve professional judgment, this is common practice in the selection of national teams across many sports where athletes must perform both individually and as members of a cohesive team.”
However, not naming an athlete with the highest ranking is not how Equine Canada (EC) team selections work for disciplines such as dressage and show jumping. Dressage and show jumping teams have just been named to compete at the FEI 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany August 11 to 23.
With the dressage team, the highest-ranked athlete and horse combinations earned automatic nomination. Remaining team members were selected by EC’s High Performance Advisory Group. Although the selectors could consider other factors including consistency, improvement over time, horse soundness, veterinary status, international experience, etc., scores remained as the primary foundation. The objective was to select athlete-and-horse combinations most capable of producing a top 10 finish.
The show jumping team selection by EC was based on choosing the most competitive athlete/horse combinations. “Competitiveness, rather than participation at the Games, will be stressed,” states the criteria. As well as selecting the most competitive horse/athlete combinations, other factors included past major Games experience and/or results, performance analytics during the selection window, etc.
WECan has no affiliation with EC, thus is not subject to its policies or rules, or any Canadian sport governance body.
Shocked and Frustrated
Chelan Kozak, a B.C. elite rider, has been named to the Canadian eventing team multiple times. For 30 years, she has been friends with Sarah Bradley, who competed in eventing before shifting to dressage and Working Equitation. Kozak expected Bradley’s competition success and world ranking would guarantee her a place on the Working Equitation team. Unlike the four named riders, who will ride borrowed or leased horses in Spain, Bradley had planned to take her own mare, Holly Golightly, if selected.
“I have been so proud of Sarah’s progress and was completely shocked by the decision,” said Kozak. “I continue to be amazed by her as a person and competitor. Her grace is admirable.” Bradley has not publicly criticized or appealed the decision, and said her current role is to support the four others preparing to ride as a team.
Kozak was “frustrated” after reading WECan selection criteria, as she says Bradley reflects the attributes listed. Bradley has been short-listed and long-listed to other Canadian equestrian teams, and has a long history of volunteer involvement in horse sport, including as past chair of the Dressage Canada board, past president of Horse Trials Canada and the BC Horse Council. She is an EC Competition Coach and holds a Masters in Coaching Science.
Among WECan members questioning the selection process was Noemie Wheatley of Prince Edward Island, founder of East Coast Working Equitation, a grassroots organization with more than 100 members that’s part of the provincial Island Horse Council. She has been a WECan member since 2019.
“It’s like putting Sidney Crosby on the bench if Canada’s playing in a world hockey championship.”
Wheatley knows none of the declared riders, but was impressed after watching Bradley compete in a U.S. WE competition online. Wheatley has ridden and trained in Portugal, and believes Bradley’s skills are at a level that few, if any, other Canadian riders yet possess.
“It’s like putting Sidney Crosby on the bench if Canada’s playing in a world hockey championship. I could not comprehend what Sarah does not have that the others do. Nobody was able to answer me.”
Kozak said it’s also unusual that selectors’ names were unknown until after the team was announced. This does not happen with EC teams.
“Selections are supposed to be transparent, and not knowing who the selectors are is the least transparent thing you can do,” said Kozak. “It’s like going in the dressage box and the judges are wearing black hoods. And two of the selectors (Donnelly and Mann) have nothing to do with Working Equitation.”
Henkel said the identities were withheld “to protect both committee members and declared riders from potential or perceived conflicts of interest, undue influence, or inappropriate contact while deliberations were underway.” She said the committee was intentionally composed of individuals with diverse backgrounds and it was a “deliberate design feature” to include people who did not have established relationships with riders.
Outside Influences
Another concern prompted an unnamed group representing Canadian Working Equitation members and competitors to write the WAWE board, member nations and international competitors, calling for action on an alleged WAWE rule violation involving Portuguese World Champion Gilberto Filipe and Swedish national rider Astrid Hedman.
A WECan statement, posted to Facebook on June 22, contained a sentence that said assessments by Filipe and Hedman were used as part of the Canadian team selection process. Both are expected to compete against Canada in the World Championship; Filipe has a coaching relationship with three of the selected riders.
WAWE has 25 member nations but is not part of FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale), the international governing body for equestrian sports. WAWE responded to the alleged rule violation by saying it does not interfere in team selection by member organizations, and the two riders’ opinions are not considered interference. Henkel said the WAWE rule applies during the competition itself, not in the years leading up to team selection. On June 25, WECan’s board of directors issued a revised statement, removing Filipe’s and Hedman’s names.
The Working Equitation controversy highlights issues that can arise when an equestrian organization is not affiliated with a nationally recognized body such. Team selections are not always easy or perfect, but those associated with a governance body such as EC have oversight and an objective appeals process.
However, Canada may soon have a Working Equitation organization affiliated with EC – the Canadian Working Equitation Federation. Its application is currently before EC for approval. Its founder is former WECan member Crystal Kissel, who lives in the Calgary area, has trained extensively in Europe, attended major competitions there, and is a professional groom. She owns a Masters level PRE horse, BelloXXIII, that was a champion in Europe.
When she joined WECan, Kissel thought she was joining a nationally-recognized body, and didn’t realize WECan had no oversight body. “That is super important to the integrity of an organization,” she says.
Kissel was stripped of her International Team Development registration after privately messaging Sarah Bradley about WECan not selecting the team based on scores. In 2025, Kissel filed two Codes of Conduct against Henkel and a judge, after Kissel was harassed at an August WECan show in Calgary because her trainer, Jose Antonio Olea Rodriguez, rode her horse in the Masters class. Following that, Kissel’s 2026 WECan membership renewal was denied.
Wheatley’s 2026 WECan membership renewal was also denied after she asked on WECan’s Facebook page about the discretionary/subjective aspects of the team selection. WECan denied her renewal “based on your recent harassing behavior on social media, which is in direct contravention of our code of conduct.” Wheatley has asked for a full written response, as she says asking questions publicly about team selection, etc. does not constitute harassment.
“I wanted to understand the criteria, as that’s how we prepare riders who want to make the national team.”
“I competed in boxing at the national level and understand high-level sport that has a proper governing body and recourse for grievances,” Wheatley says. “If there is an issue with WECan, there is no recourse. It’s concerning when criteria are very subjective. I wanted to understand the criteria, as that’s how we prepare riders who want to make the national team.”
“For me, the biggest thing is this (WECan) is operating with no insight of a governing body,” says Kissel. “There are governing bodies in all sports. They are very open and transparent so everyone understands where the bar is. The bar is based on scores and the ability to be consistent. Every country wants to send their best. If Canada wants to play at the world level, it has to understand that.”
“Sport is based on clear rules and adherence to those rules. People generally want rules to be followed.” said Kozak.
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