Georgia Knight didn't expect to top the U25 rankings at 91原创's Thunderbird Show Park (tbird) last year.
The 19-year-old Vancouver Island rider has been coming to tbird since she was 10 years old, but she had only switched from hunters to jumpers at the age of 16.
"I never really set it as a goal until I started leasing this one horse," Knight said.
That horse was Onyx, an older 鈥� he was 16 when she got him 鈥� leased jumper.
"Before a few years ago, a metre-thirty was a big jump for me," Knight said.
Onyx took her up from jumping 1.2 metres to 1.4 metres.
"He knew his job really well," she said, and credits Onyx with teaching her the skills that led to success in the relatively new youth-oriented category at tbird.
Having a U25 competition at tbird is a big help for younger riders, said Knight. Riders in their teens and early 20s find it harder to get seen in major competitions or to get sponsorships, without events like these to give them more visibility.
She knew she wanted to compete in tbird's U25 last year, but she only realized fairly late in the series that she was actually accumulating a lot of points, and was in a good position to win.
Then she decided to simply focus on staying consistent, which led to her win. Knight also took home a scholarship from tbird that paid her fees for a number of shows this year, which has been a big help, she said.
U25 events take place all over North America, but each is a little different, Knight explained.
At tbird, there are events for the competition running over seven weeks across the season, including competitions at 1.35 metres, 1.4 metres speed, and 1.4 metres Grand Prix.
Competitors accumulate points at each of the events, with their runs from their top horse in each class counting towards their score. Those points build up towards the end of the season to determine the ultimate winner.
The season is already part-way through, but as of the first week of August, Knight was expecting some shakeups in the rankings.
"I think the next two weeks, the scores are going to change a lot," she said.
The competition is more than just vying for points, Knight shared.
"It's a lot of fun, actually," she said. For the core group of young riders, it's a chance to meet up with friends at the competition.
Knight wished everyone taking part good luck for the remainder of the season.
