Albertans sweep first night of Gambler’s Choice

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/03/2022 (1450 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The first night of competition at the 2022 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair Monday was marked by Alberta-based hunter jumpers claiming the top three spots in the Gambler’s Choice event.

Karissa Enders from Calgary placed first in the hunter jumper competition with her mare, Ginny Fizz, securing 1,070-points.

“I wasn’t riding my best, but she was super, she’s a winner,” Enders said. “She’s a firecracker. She’s hard to deal with sometimes on the ground, but when you’re showing, she’s game on. She just goes for it.”

Enders also placed seventh with her other horse Fort Knox WF.

Seven-year-old Ginny Fizz will get anxious as they approach the gate for a ride, because she is so eager to get to jumping and scoring points, the rider said.

Enders praised her mare and the relationship they have been able to build as a team. The duo has been riding together since Ginny Fizz was two years old.

The team will be showing all week in the hunter jumper competitions.

The Gambler’s Choice show marked Enders’ first time at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. It took years of preparation to reach the elite level of riding needed for the competition.

“I ride the horses six days a week. I jump them at least two or three times a week to keep them fit.”

She has spent her life preparing for competitions, getting in the saddle before she could even walk. Her mother Joyce Enders has been her biggest supporter, helping her get into the sport. Her family has trained around the Calgary area for years, including at Spruce Meadows.

Femke Courchaine, from Red Deer, took home second in the Gambler’s Choice with her horse Lemonade BF. The pair finished with 1,030 points.

Courchaine, who has been competing at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair since 2001, said it feels good to be back in the ring, because she has missed the staff, volunteers and crowds at the show. She will be showing at the fair all week with two horses she brought.

“It feels really great. The barn staff and the volunteers, they just feel like family because we’ve been coming so much.”

She was unsure of what to expect for the ride in Gambler’s Choice because her horse is only six years old — the youngest in the competition.

“Sometimes she can kind of get a little stressed out, but she was quite nice [tonight].”

Lemonade is in her second year of showing. Last year the team competed in five-year-old classes and Lemonade had a baby the year before, preventing her from showing.

Lemonade is still a little green in the ring but ready to compete, Courchaine said.

“We’re just really happy to be back.”

Justin Prather, from Calgary, finished third with 980 points with his horse, Ferdinand.

Prather competed at the fair many years ago as a youth, and 2022 has marked his first time back in recent years.

Prather said he feels like he is off to a solid start for the competition and is optimistic about the remaining days ahead.

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp