Local trio beat the odds at Appaloosa Youth World Show in Fort Worth, Texas

Sep 10, 2014

It's one of those classic underdog stories, but in this case it was a horse, her rider and their trainer who beat the odds recently in Fort Worth, Texas.

Brittany Doyle of Sydenham, her eight-year-old mare Pearl, and their coach Cindy Steele of the North Fork Equine Center in Piccadilly, traveled to Fort Worth, Texas to compete in the 2014 Appaloosa Youth World Show on July 3, 4 and 5. Brittany and Pearl placed 8th in the Hunt Seat Equitation Over Fences, 10th in the Hunter Hack event, and 5th in the National Snaffle Bit Association competition.

Brittany is a graduate of Sydenham High School and is currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in science and nursing at St. Lawrence College in Brockville. She has owned Pearl and has been riding her since she was seven years old and Pearl was six months old. The two have been training with Cindy Steele for the last two years.

The Appaloosa Youth World Show was Brittany's first time competing at an international level at a world class event, one that attracts thousands of riders and horses from all over the world. Brittany and Pearl have been competing nationally for the last five years and currently they are leading the nation in the Hunter Under Saddle and Western Pleasure. Internationally Brittany currently stands in first place in the Hunter Under Saddle and third in the Western Pleasure, and with one more show to go this year, which takes place in Bethany, Ont. on September 13 & 14, she is hoping for first place finishes in both events.

Brittany first came in contact with Steele and the North Fork Equine Center when she did a co-op placement there as a grade 11 student at Sydenham HS. “I really enjoyed the experience and saw that it was a really well run facility so I decided to board Pearl here and also receive training and coaching from Cindy”, Brittany said when I interviewed the two at North Fork earlier this week.

Cindy Steele has over 30 years experience in the industry and opened the centre 20 years ago. She boards, trains and coaches and also sells horses. She trains and coaches in both English and Western styles and boards close to 30 animals, some of which are champions. She said it is the “small farm-type atmosphere here and the one-on-one coaching” that she has become well known for.

The underdog part of this story came out later in our interview when Brittany informed me that her standings in Fort Worth came quite unexpectedly. Pearl had been in a car accident in August of 2013 when a driver side-swiped the trailer she was riding in, causing the horse serious injuries to her back right leg and hip. As a result the vet said the horse would never jump again. “We talked about how to proceed and in mid-December 2013 we started Pearl back and with the help of a chiropractor and veterinarian we slowly and carefully brought her along'”, Brittany explained.

Cindy spoke of the special bond between the horse and her rider. “This mare has a lot of heart and I really believe that she would jump to the moon for Brittany”. Both Cindy and Brittany are thankful to their many sponsors, Brittany's parents and everyone involved who made it possible and helped raise $10,000 to cover some of the costs associated with their trip to Texas. Brittany dedicated her world-class win to Cindy Steele's sister, Lisa MacDonald, who passed away in August 2013 and who loved to watch Pearl jump.