Selena and Anne Marie with Rocky, Solo and Woody.
Now that the excitement has died down… I have not been to many of Selena’s shows over the past three years. Since we moved to Balsam Hall in Kingston, it has been so busy (and so much fun) at home that my outings have been limited to Fairhill 2012 and Bromont 2013. Fairhill was not fun, I busted my knee and Solo retired on course….Bromont, however, was a blast!
To start with there was the cheering section – 12 of them! Some of our supporters were attending their first three day event. The weather was not wonderful, but ‘The Boys’ sure were! All three of the boys in the ribbons, it’s one of those results you dream about. Putting it all together in terms of the team that travelled with them, and the team that stayed at home to man the fort, really is a logistical nightmare. Both teams work ridiculous hours and carry on when normal people would just give up and go home. Anne Marie Duarte, Emma Rafuse, Tori Morgan, Kate Sykes and Angie Huber, you really have to understand that the results would simply not be possible to achieve without your input. Without you Selena and The Boys could not have done it.
John and Judy Rumble, thank you for your faith in Selena’s program. You have been wonderful owners, patiently allowing Selena to put in the time she felt Woody needed before she attempted his first CCI3*. We are very lucky to have such wonderful owners standing behind the team.
Selena on the course walk with Clayton Fredericks.
In the same way, if it were not for our sponsors, Selena would not be able to produce horses in prime condition and run them in the very best equipment on the market. It would be totally beyond our means to maintain these equine athletes at the International level without the sponsorship. Selena has been very lucky to have been sponsored by companies whose products are second to none.
This was Selena’s first FEI event using her new Voltaire jumping saddles cross country and show jumping with both Woody and Rocky. She felt very comfortable and safe in addition to being well balanced over the fences. The saddles are a very new sponsorship for Selena and we are really happy to welcome Voltaire to the team.
Omega Alpha Pharmaceuticals have been supporting Selena’s endeavours for five years now. In that time Selena has been to the Olympics, won a silver medal at the WEG, won a silver medal at the Pan Ams and won several best conditioned awards. Her cross country times are fast and we put a lot of that down to the amazing products we use to help our horses prepare and recover from competition. BCAA for recovery, Muscle Gro to help Rocky catch up with the big boys, Chill Ultra for nerves, RegenerEQ to keep their stomachs in good order during the stress of shipping and competition….the list goes on and on. We have yet to be disappointed in an Omega Alpha product. By the way…have you heard who Omega Alpha’s new spokeswoman is? Amber Marshall of Heartland is on board with the products….Selena is desperately swotting up on Heartland and polishing her western boots….just in case….
Purina Agribrands: as you all know, we run our horses on Trimax at the upper levels. It’s palatable, easy to use and covers all their needs. We very rarely supplement it with any other grains, but when we do, it’s usually Purina Agribrands triple cleaned oats. Purina have been backing us for four full years, it’s been a perfect partnership for us as we were dedicated Trimax users from when Purina brought the product onto the shelves. Our horses looked spectacular at Bromont this year, in shining health and condition thanks to Purina Agribrand.
Draper Therapy was one of our first sponsors. They started helping us with Colombo’s very sensitive back in 2007. He was never ridden without a Draper pad, at the WEG, we were not allowed to show any ‘logo’ so it was on underneath his Canadian team pad. Now all three of the big boys work in Draper pads, wear draper therapy leg wraps and wear Draper therapy coolers for recovery.
Leather Therapy keeps our tack in perfect condition. We cannot afford to have the stitching weakened or the leather drying out. Those leather straps are VERY important when you are flying down a mountain at 650 metres a minute.
Royal Stirrups: the ONLY ones Selena feels safe and secure. They are light and flexible so she rarely loses one on course or in the dressage ring.
Schleese Saddlery: exquisite bridlework and absolutely they most fabulous girths we own. We are very grateful for Schleese’s support. They are long-time friends who came to Canada around the same time as Selena and I crossed ‘the pond.’
Auburn Laboratories, APF: This was the product we used on Solo when in 2010 he started to develop sarcoids on his neck. We gave him APF and they started to disappear within weeks. We still give him his APF daily to make sure they never return.
FITS: there ARE NO OTHER RIDING CLOTHES TO COMPARE. We love you FITS. Selena always looks great wherever she competes. This year at the second jog for Bromont, Selena and Anne Marie (her groom) both wore their matching FITS jackets. Quite the team look! Because of the rain on XC day at Bromont, Selena wore her leather seat FITS for extra security.
JoJo Sox: Selena wore her new ‘lucky socks’ at Bromont…they worked! ‘Nuff said!
La Mundial boots started sponsoring Selena with their gorgeous custom fitted riding boots at the WEG in 2010. Since then they have taken on sponsorship of the Canadian Eventing Team. We are very lucky to have such a great company looking after Selena’s long slim legs. Getting boots to fit her had always been a nightmare until La Mundial took over. Now I always think how elegant her boots look, both fitted nicely and feeling comfortable.
Haygain: We thank Haygain UK and Haygain USA for their continued support of Selena and her horses. The Haygain steamers kill off spores that might develop in what looks like perfectly good hay. We buy the best hay on the market for our horses but it’s another level of confidence knowing it has been steamed, especially for travelling.
We have a wonderful team at Balsam Hall, owners, boarders, landlords, students and staff. It’s a great place to work and there is nowhere else I would rather be.
Watch Selena’s stadium jumping round – one of only two clear rounds this put ‘Woody’ into second place at his first CCI***.
