Words Cassidy Nunn
Photo Nunn Other Photography
Four young, talented dressage riders and their horses, all based out of Bonnie Brae Farm on the Saanich Peninsula and training with Brittney Simpson of Eastgate Dressage, recently returned from an incredible trip to Traverse City, Michigan where they represented Canada at the North American Youth Championships (NAYC).
The show was held from July 29 to August 3 and brings the top athletes from 12 to 25 years old from Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean to compete. It’s a large competition held over multiple days and includes both individual and team events. Canada sent 12 dressage riders and it was an incredible achievement to have four young riders all from one barn qualify together.
The four horse and rider combinations consisted of Imogen Hawes (18) and her mount Knights Cavallo Dolce, or “Curly” as he’s known around the barn, a nine-year-old Friesian/Arabian cross; Alison Campbell-Wright (18) and her horse Slapstick or “Slappy”, an 11-year-old Hanoverian; Gwendolyn Joinson (14) and Blind Date AT or “Bentley,” an 11-year-old Westphalian; and Estella Gosniak (12) and her newer-to-her horse Impact or “Paco,” a Dutch Warmblood, former show jumping horse who is also 12-years-old. They all worked hard throughout the year, attending many off-Island dressage shows in order to achieve their qualifying scores and overcoming challenges as they went.
In October 2024, Gwendolyn had her third open heart surgery to treat complex congenital heart defects. The recovery time post surgery is 10 to 12 weeks, but she was soon begging her doctors to allow her back in the saddle to start training again, with her sights set on NAYC. Once cleared by her doctors, she started out carefully by riding one of the steady ponies at the barn before moving back onto her own, much taller horse. Over the next few months she trained every day and soon was back competing and achieving the qualifying scores she needed for NAYC. She achieved high placings and personal best scores at the show – a testament to her determination.
For Imogen, it was a dream come true to attend the championships: “I’ve dreamed of going since I was a little girl,” she says. “It was quite emotional for me,” she adds, citing the moment in the arena when she thought back to how she’d brought her horse along from the start through all his training to get to the upper levels. She had a very successful show, placing fourth in the team test, fifth in the individual test and seventh in the FEI Junior Freestyle.
Alison, who rode as an individual and as a part of the junior team with Imogen, is no stranger to the NAYC, this being her third time competing in the show. While it would have been her fourth time at the competition as she had qualified in 2024 as well, she unfortunately had a fall from another horse that year and fractured four vertebrae, missing the show as a result. She spent three months rehabbing and continued to stay focused on getting strong enough to begin riding again. She came back more determined than ever and earned her qualifying scores for this year’s competition.
Estella, the youngest rider on the team, showed such grace, resilience and maturity beyond her years when dealt a difficult situation at the show. Although she and Paco had passed the mandatory jog, which is the initial veterinary inspection each horse and rider combo have to go through in order to be allowed to compete, during her second event Paco took a misstep during a movement and was eliminated, citing concerns over the horse’s soundness. Shortly after, Paco was cleared by the veterinarian, but as stated by the rules, once eliminated she was no longer eligible to compete for the rest of the show. “Brittney really helped me and supported me through it,” reflects Estella on the challenging moment. Estella has not let the experience set her back one bit; she’s also qualified for the Canadian National Dressage Championships and looks forward to competing again then.
The riders all spoke so highly of their coach Brittney, who took several days to drive all the horses to Michigan and back again. They also thanked the many sponsors and the community that rallied behind them to help them fundraise for the many costs involved in attending such a show, as well as their parents who’ve been incredibly supportive. “All the mums – it doesn’t matter if you’re their kid, they’ll jump in and help!” says Imogen.
Memories of a lifetime were made and for these four enthusiastic dressage riders, they’re ready to get back to training, with more shows to come in the months ahead.
