Bradley Champagne and Nicciola KW (“Nikki”) compete at the USEA Young Event Horse Championships in 2022. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Bradley Champagne didn’t set out to become a young horse specialist.
Like many ambitious event riders, he once had (well, still has, to be fair) Olympic dreams and a scrappy horse named Taz from a backyard in Northern Ontario that he was convinced would take him there.
But careers in the horse industry often evolve in unexpected ways, and over time, Bradley found himself drawn to a role that not only suited his skills but also filled a growing need in the sport.
Now, after more than a decade riding for Boyd Martin, he has carved out a niche that allows him to shape the next generation of event horses, from their first steps under saddle to the early stages of their careers.
Bradley grew up around horses but wasn’t immersed in formal competition until his late teens. His introduction to eventing was a local Pony Club clinic, where he realized that the cross country skills he’d been practicing—jumping logs in the woods and galloping through snowbanks—actually had a place in organized sport. Dressage, at first, was an obstacle to be endured. “I hated it with every ounce of my body,” he admits. “But I knew if I could just get through that 15-minute ride, I could go jump.”
Bradley and his pony, Ace, test out some cross country “back in the day”.
That early love for the jumping phases carried him through his first competitions and eventually led him to the U.S., where he took a chance on a job with Boyd Martin.
At 19, he wasn’t sure where he wanted his riding career to go, only that he wanted to keep learning. The opportunity at Windurra was a deep-end dive into top-level eventing. “I didn’t really have a plan. I just knew I wanted to be doing this, and I figured if I was going to do it, I might as well jump into a program where I’d either sink or swim,” Bradley says.
For years, he was an all-around team member, doing whatever needed to be done. Like many riders who start in top programs, he rode a variety of horses, from schoolmasters to young, developing horses. Slowly, a pattern emerged. He gravitated toward the ones that needed a little more time, a little more patience—the ones with quirks to figure out. He found he had a knack for working with young horses, and eventually, Boyd noticed, too.
One day, while discussing future plans, Boyd made it official: Bradley would take on the role of young horse manager.
What started as an organic shift has now become his specialty. These days, Bradley spends most of his time starting horses that will either join Boyd’s string or go on to other riders. It’s work that requires a unique blend of patience, adaptability, and trust in the process.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to producing young horses, something Bradley has learned through experience. Some take to it quickly, jumping small courses within weeks. Others require months of slow, deliberate work before they’re comfortable enough to move forward. The key, he says, is to avoid forcing anything: “The biggest thing Boyd taught me was to trust what I know and take it slow. There’s no rush. The last thing you want is for them to have a bad experience.”
Bradley works with a young horse in the roundpen at Windurra.
Bradley’s goal isn’t just to produce talented event horses. It’s to develop young horses in a way that gives them the best possible foundation, no matter where they end up. “One of my main goals is definitely to be known for producing young horses in a way that sets them up for a successful career in whatever discipline they end up pursuing,” Bradley affirms. That philosophy means creating positive early experiences, building trust, and ensuring that each horse leaves his program with a solid education, whether they go on to be eventers, show jumpers, or even amateurs’ trusted partners.
Letting them go is the hardest part. It’s an inevitable reality of the job, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Some move on to Boyd’s upper-level string, while others are sold to new homes.
“As much as I want to tell myself I won’t get attached, I do,” Bradley admits. It’s just a part of the job. If you aren’t forming some sort of bond or attachment, chances are, you’re not actually setting the horse up for success. “You have to form a connection. Otherwise, you’re just putting them through the process.”
Still, he wouldn’t trade the feeling of seeing his young prodigies succeed, whether it’s in a major event or simply moving smoothly through a new challenge.
One of Bradley’s proudest moments came with a mare named Nicciola KW (“Nikki”), a dressage-bred mare who was originally purchased off a video by an owner of Silva Martin’s. After getting her started under saddle and realizing her potential in the jumping, he brought her through the levels and eventually took her to the Young Event Horse Championships in Maryland. “She placed third and won the show jumping portion, and that was such an unreal feeling—to be in that victory gallop on something I’d done every step with.”
Bradley Champagne and Excel Star Bravo 2. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Though he still has his own competitive goals–and a small string of talented young horses with which he’s got a shot to accomplish those–Bradley doesn’t feel torn between developing young horses and chasing upper-level ambitions. He’s keeping an eye on a few promising young prospects, but he doesn’t get too far ahead of himself. “I used to think, ‘I’m going to win the Olympics on this backyard horse from Northern Ontario.’ Now, I focus on what’s in front of me and let the rest happen,” he says.
For other riders looking for a career in the sport, young horse development is a path more should consider. It requires a specific skill set and the right learning environment, but it’s a viable and deeply rewarding way to stay involved in high-performance horses without the pressure of maintaining an upper-level string. “You have to be under someone who knows what they’re doing and can really teach you,” Bradley advises. “And you have to be patient—really patient.”
This role, one he came to, in some ways, by accident, is one Bradley finds much fulfillment from, and it’s a model that others can realistically follow. As U.S. eventing builds its breeding and development pipeline, riders like Bradley are playing a crucial role in producing the sport’s future stars. It’s a job that requires long-term vision, a deep understanding of horses, and a willingness to trust the process. And while not every young horse he starts will go on to the top levels, every single one will leave his program better prepared for whatever career lies ahead.
