Elaine Steele | Jul 15, 2010


(Elaine Steele and her husband Rick are the owners of Lost Creek Farm near Mountain Grove)

Canadian Champs Elaine Steele on Zena Warrior Princess (left), and Roxanne Mollahan

On July 1, 3 & 4, I competed in New Lowell, Ontario, as part of Team Ontario in two different National Championship events. I competed on July 1 in the 50 mile Endurance race on Chanticleer Shadow, my 14-year-old Arabian Gelding, and on July 3 & 4 in the 70 mile Competitive Trail Ride on my Pinto Mare, Zena Warrior Princess - a total of 120 miles of riding over the three days.

This was the first time I have competed in the Endurance portion of the Canadian Championships. Riders from nine different countries, including Poland, India, and Great Britain, competed in the Endurance rides. My teammates were Linda Byrne from Arva, Wendy Benns of Pontypool, and Deb McBride of New Hamburg. I finished the 50 miles in 4hrs. 53 minutes, my fastest time ever. Our horses all completed in great shape, and we won the GOLD medal for the teams. I also won the individual GOLD, Linda Byrne (one of my team mates) took the individual silver, and Audrey Lapoint from Quebec took the bronze. I also received an engraved clock for having the BEST CONDITION HORSE, a much sought-after award. Chanticleer Shadow finished this ride in amazing condition, and is ready to go on to the next event of the season.

On July 3 & 4, the temperatures were in the 30s with high humidity for the Competitive Trail Ride. Originally the Competitive Trail Ride was to be 40 miles each day to make a total of 80 miles, but with the heat and humidity, the ride management decided to shorten the trail by 10 miles on the second day, for the safety of the horses. Also, at this level of competition, the competitors are normally not allowed to have any help with their horses while in competition. Due to the high heat and humidity, the president of the association that governs the Canadian Championship Ride made a ruling that we were to have emergency heat relief stations for the horses. This consisted of volunteers going out to different points on trail with barrels of water that we could pour over our horses to keep them cool. The trail was tough with a lot of deep sand, and a lot of dust due to the number of horses on trail. A lot of horses were not able to complete the ride for various reasons. A team for the Competitive Trail Ride consists of three horses and riders, with the two best scores to count. In this event, my team mates were Roxanna Mollohan from Warsaw, and Theresa Falls of Ottawa. Unfortunately, Theresa’s horse was pulled after the first day of competition, so Roxanna and I both had to complete to still have a team. Fortunately, we both were able to finish the ride and we came out with a SILVER medal for the team.

Both events were very tough competitions, and I was very grateful for the ground support that I had at the two rides. I would like to thank my husband Rick for being the Chef d’Equipe and the Team Manager; my son Michael for being my pit crew and my official post. He only started crewing for me this spring at one of our local rides, but he seems to have a real talent for crewing. Thanks also to Meghan White, who helped as my groom, my daughter Mandy who helped with all sorts of behind the scene things, and my 10-month-old grandson Corbin for being there and cheering me on as I passed the finish line.

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