91原创 teen Hayley Mercer is going on a cross-Canada road trip accompanied by her horse Gavin.

The pair are headed to Toronto where they will compete at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair for the Canadian Equestrian Team Medal in November.

Mercer placed second at the CET regional finals in September to qualify for the national competition, which is held at Toronto鈥檚 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

The top four under-21 riders from B.C. are moving onto the national finals, where 16 riders compete for the top title.

Last year, Mercer also qualified to compete at the national level.

She said this year, she knows better what to expect.

鈥淚t鈥檚 good to go back a second year because now I know what I鈥檓 expecting.

鈥淚 focus on performance and not outcome. I try to look at it like, 鈥榟ow am I going to do this best for myself and my horse,鈥� not 鈥業 want to win it,鈥� which really helps because it takes away the nervous energy of the show.鈥�

Mercer rides six days a week at 91原创鈥檚 Thunderbird Show Stables.

Her horse Gavin, who goes by the show name Crown Royal, is only seven years old.

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty young. For doing the CET Medal, it鈥檚 not as common.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very technical and competitive so he can always pull something babyish, but I can鈥檛 get mad at him because he鈥檚 still learning,鈥� said Mercer.

Mercer has been riding horses since she was five, and has been riding Gavin for one and a half years.

Mercer said she always had an interest in riding horses, but it was a relative who really sparked the passion.

鈥淲e actually like to blame my grandma. She used to live on the Island, so when we went there she would do something special for us. So one year I went over and had a couple (riding) lessons and it started from there.鈥�

Now, she couldn鈥檛 imagine her life without horses.

鈥淚 see it as an outlet. It鈥檚 nice to go after work or after a rough day.

鈥淓ven if you鈥檙e not riding you can spend time with your horse and it鈥檚 calming. I love the competitive aspect and the challenges.鈥�

Mercer said she likes to focus on the 鈥榖igger picture鈥� during competitions.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of setbacks but you have to look at the bigger picture because things aren鈥檛 always going to go your way. You鈥檙e going to lose 90 per cent of the time and win 10 per cent of the time, so for me, it鈥檚 focusing on the bigger picture.鈥�

Since Mercer will age out of the CET competitions in a few years, she has bigger goals set.

鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to be a Grand Prix rider and compete in FEI. I definitely want to take a run at the Olympics and eventually have my own business.鈥�

Mercer added that she definitely thinks her future career will involve horses.