The team in alphabetical order grouped by team, their results and my opinions.

The Orange Team

Alexis Leitch and An Awesome Irish Te – Alli showed in Showmanship but did not place. She was 1st in Western Pleasure, 1st in Horsemanship and received the only trophy in our group. She won the Reserve All-Round Performance trophy. Congratulations Alli – great job!

Caitlyn Jacques and Lauras Mito – Caitlyn was 4th in Showmanship, 6th in English Equitation, and 4th in Hunter Under Saddle. She also showed in Western Pleasure, Horsemanship and Trail. Nice job in all classes. Great effort for your first time ever competing in the Trail Class Caitlyn. I am proud of you for your willingness to do what is best for your team when it might not have been comfortable. Thank you.

Jessica Wassen and Dee Superstar – Jessica showed in Leadline lead by Kelli Shrum. Nice job from both but not placed. Good riding Jessica.

Kaleena Smith on Dee Superstar – Kaleena showed in Walk-Jog but the horse was just not relaxed enough to make it into the cut. Beautiful job Kaleena.

Katherine Porter and Laddie – You have to love this versatile Clyde/Morgan Cross. He was entered into more classes than anyone. The pair had a great showing in the Barrels, Poles, Stake, English Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle, Trail and Hunter Hack. The Trail was set up for the average size Quarterhorse and Laddie attempted all the obstacles but had difficulty with the tight set up. He did go over both jumps in the Hunter Hack quite nicely. Nice job Katherine.

Leigh Adair and An Awesome Irish Te – Leigh showed in the Leadline with Alli leading her. They looked awesome and this little girl rode beautifully. I honestly had them picked for the top 5 but I think she somehow got lost in the crowd. That is “horse showing”. Better luck next year!

Megan Breedon and Cleo – Maggie showed in Barrels, Poles & Stake but didn’t place in the tough competition. Great rides! Courtney Morrison and Amy Davis were not able to attend due to unfortunate circumstances.

Blue Team

Christine Thorne and Indian Elegance – Christine showed in the Showmanship. Although she did not place I am so proud of her because she showed me what she was made of when she went out and did her best when she was very sick with strep throat. She didn’t want to let her team down so I told her to “suck it up”, and pretend that she was well for the time it takes to get through the pattern and she did a beautiful job.

Christine Thorne and Sunny Days – Christine felt a little better as the weekend went on and went in the Barrels, Poles and Stake. She had a bad first barrel so she didn’t place there, but the next day she placed 7th in Poles and didn’t place in Stake as she had equipment failure. Tough weekend for you Christine, but I am proud of the attitude you displayed.

Katelin Atkinson and CR Mighty Jed – Katelin showed in Trail, Western Pleasure and, Horsemanship. I thought she had good patterns in both Trail and Horsemanship but it wasn’t good enough for the tough competition of riders much older than she is. Good riding Katelin.

Kailyn Evans and Colourful Expectations – Kailyn showed in English Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle and Hunter Hack. They showed us how it was done by placing 9th in the Hunter Hack. Kailyn rode this large pony beautifully over the 2 jumps without hesitation. Good going Kailyn.

Kelsie Jones-Beck and So Good I’m Awesome – Kelsie was 1st in the English Equitation, was 7th in the Hunter Under Saddle, made the cut in the Western Pleasure and showed a valiant effort in the Horsemanship. Kelsie had a great show on her 3 year-old and showed me great courage when she went in a class when things weren’t looking too promising. I am proud of Kelsie because she put her team’s needs above what felt comfortable because I asked her to. Congratulations on being close to winning the All-Round Reserve English Trophy.

Liz Woods and Classic Canadian – Liz rode Classy as a backup horse in the show because her horse Mouse wasn’t available for the show due to unfortunate circumstances. Considering this was the second show for this young horse, the pair did extremely well in the English Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle and the Hunter Hack. It was the Hunter Hack that really showed me what Liz was made of when Classy decided to refuse the jumps, not once, but twice before she got the horse over. She showed guts and determination and I appreciate the great attitude from this young horsewoman.

Rebecca Thorne and Sunny Days – Rebecca showed in the Showmanship and placed 8th. This 9 year old placed in this huge class against others as much as 10 years older. She took instruction well and backed up the way I explained to her in the tough pattern that most competitors were doing incorrectly, and took some pointers on jogging her horse correctly from Kelsie Jones-Beck. Rebecca you are a great student and so willing to learn. You will go far in the show ring and in life with that attitude. Keep smiling!

Rebecca Thorne and Lauras Mito – Rebecca (still on a high from the Showmanship), showed in the Walk-Jog and did and awesome job placing 4th. She kept her cool (unlike her nervous mother on the sidelines) and her wits about her, and perfectly placed the horse on the rail in this large class. She did everything that she was taught to do. Way to go! Riley Shrum and Dee Superstar – Riley made a great showing in the Showmanship but the pattern was made tough enough that it challenged even our toughest competitors. Great try Riley.

Riley Shrum and I’m A Sexy Lexy – Riley had a bad slip at the first barrel, and the rest of the run was good enough to be 7th in Barrels. With a bad start in the Poles, Riley was not able to get Lexy into her usual “groove” and being the great horsewoman this young lady is, she made her horse finish the course although she left the ring with “no time”. Riley made a great recovery by placing 4th in the Stake. I am proud of you Riley!

Ty Whiston and Torchy – Ty rode in the Barrels, Poles and Stake. Ty’s times were good in all the classes but he was so close to winning a ribbon in the Stake. He actually finished 11th in the Stake Race which is awesome but it was disappointing to Ty because this is his last year as a youth and he really wanted to place at the tournament this year. Ty is an absolute inspiration to me. The horse and rider combination of Ty and Torchy is one of pure trust. Each one knows their job and trusts the other explicitly to do that job and they do it very well. They are winners in my book! We will miss you on the team next year Ty.

William Woods and Indian Elegance – William rode in the Leadline with Christine Thorne leading him. They both did a great job. William did everything properly as he was coached to do, but it is tough to compete in an English outfit in the Leadline against all those beautiful shiny Western outfits. Good job William.

Brown Team

Felicity Daigrepont and My Hearts A Blaze – Felicity did her best and went in many classes. She showed in Showmanship doing a good pattern, English Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle, Hunter Hack, Western Pleasure and Horsemanship. Felicity worked hard at getting this horse, which is used to going into games classes, to settle down and work in the performance ring. Good effort and great attitude Felicity.

Heather Daigrepont and Blazen Rebel – Heather did a great job going in a variety of classes. She showed in Showmanship doing a good pattern, English Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle, Hunter Hack, Western Pleasure and Horsemanship. Heather, like Felicity, had to work hard at getting her horse, which is used to going into games classes, to settle down and work in the performance ring. Good effort and great attitude Heather.

Jenny Mutter and Red Smoke Charger – Jenny took this young horse in the English Equitation and Hunter Under Saddle and did a great job. Their performance just wasn’t good enough to place when competing against the tough seasoned horses that were there. Great riding Jenny.

Jenny Mutter and Flash Photography – Jenny took another young horse, Flash, in the Barrels, Poles and Stake. Congratulations Jenny on your personal best time in the Poles with 26 seconds. That is something to be proud of.

Kaitlyn McDougal and Spud – Kaitlyn showed in the Barrels, Poles and Stake with this incredibly fast pony. This pony can motor and what an amazing job Kaitlyn does to stay aboard. Kaitlyn was 4th in Poles and 7th in Stake. Awesome job Kaitlyn.

Katherine Hope and Lauras Mito – Katherine showed in the Leadline with Caitlyn Jacques leading her. Both did a great job. Katherine did everything as she was instructed to do and rode beautifully although it was only her second show. It is tough competition, but you did your best, and from the smile you were wearing, I would have to say you had a great time anyway. Good job Katherine and keep smiling.

Katie Hubert and Flash – Katie showed in a variety of classes. She showed Flash in Showmanship and had a good pattern, Barrels, Poles, Stake, Pleasure and Trail. Katie made a great effort in the Trail Class. It was a very tough pattern and you didn’t let that frazzle you. You did the pattern to the best of your ability and came out smiling. Great attitude Katie.

Our teams are made up of very young competitors so we have a great future ahead. I hope that every one of you come back next year to see if we can make it into the top 6 teams in 2006. I want to express my gratitude to all involved in making this team tournament such a success, and I am proud of each one of you on the team. - Yours truly, Kelly Farris