Pine Castle stands strong at Winter Fair

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This article was published 04/04/2022 (1627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s fair to call Pine Castle a dynasty, with five generations involved in horses and a “barn family” that numbers in the hundreds.

They have been a staple at The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair and after the two-year pandemic shutdown and brutal winter, the family and riding team is happy to be back competing.

“It’s wonderful to have the Fair going again, and I think our horses and riders have done a wonderful job, considering it was a difficult winter to train and everything else that was going on,” said Erin Anderson, a third-generation competitor. “We have a lot of ribbons out there.”

The Winter Fair has been one of the main events Pine Castle attends every year. Anderson said her mother and grandmother showed horses at the fair, and this year she had a granddaughter and son in jumping.

Even though they have been doing well, Anderson said the pandemic took a toll on the stable’s overall performance. Restrictions at certain times meant they couldn’t run lessons. Consistent training is paramount for horses and students to improve and condition themselves for competition.

With that hopefully behind them, Anderson said they are looking to the future.

Now that restrictions have been lifted and shows are being planned across the province and Canada, they are getting ready for their first “normal” show season. There are definitely plans to attend a few in Winnipeg, as well as host a few at their facility just south of Brandon on First Street.

They are also looking at some shows in Alberta this year, if all goes well.

While it was a rebuilding year for the Winter Fair and Pine Castle, Anderson said the crowds were smaller, but she was pleasantly surprised to hear the enthusiastic shouts and cheers.

“They were really into every competition,” she said. “I think people want to just get out and enjoy stuff again.”

She added riders share that sentiment. There is a joy she has not seen in years resonating among them to be back in live events.

Pine Castle was originally the Moore Farm, founded by Bill Moore and his wife Dorothy. The Moore family’s first Winter Fair appearance was in 1954, with Bill and Dorothy taking part in the jumping class. The next year they introduced their Clydesdales into the fold. Their kids Karri, Wayne, Valerie (Erin’s mother) and Dena followed in their footsteps.

Wayne soon took over the reins on showing Clydesdales with a six-horse hitch, with the help of his three kids Dari, Warren and Leon.

They stopped showing Clydesdales 12 years ago, when Wayne was unable to drive the hitch due to arthritis.

The family’s connections to showjumping have grown. Jett Decorte competed all week and rated his performance overall as good. There were ups and downs and some learning curves, but that just showed him what he had to work on going forward.

“No one is ever going to be 100 per cent accurate every time,” he said. “Every course you do, you find out what you did wrong and try not to do it next time and figure out what you can do better.”

He has been riding since his parents put him on the back of a horse when he was two years old. Ever since, he has had a strong connection with the sport and the animals they work with.

Even those who used to ride with Pine Castle are still considered family and welcome in their stall. Kylie Andries was busy during the Winter Fair shadowing the veterinarian, but still stopped by to say hello and lend a hand managing their horses. She said she misses riding with her fellow students, but her studies and preparing for her career leaves her no time.

But she is still happy to see everyone else in the show ring.

“It sucks seeing everyone else riding. I wish I could kick Jett off his horse and get on myself,” joked Andries. “But it is great to be back with some type of farm family thing.”

Even though she can’t ride at the moment, Andries said she is going back as soon as she is able. She learned more than riding from Pine Castle. All the time she spent riding and working with the family taught her a lot about horses, she said, giving her a knowledge base for her veterinary career.

» kmckinley@brandonsun.com, with Brandon Sun files

» Twitter: @karenleighmcki1