Road to Rebecca, Presented by Bieman de Haas: Behind the Scenes with Team Canada

We're excited to follow along with Bieman de Haas sponsored rider Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration as they compete in the CCI3* at The Event at Rebecca Farm. Joining her on this adventure are sisters Ella and Eva Marquis, who are representing Canada at NAJYRC. Read all of their blogs here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Holly Jacks-Smither with Eva and Ella Marquis. Photo by Mark Marquis.

Yesterday was another beautiful day in paradise at Rebecca Farm and the first day our whole team was together. It was also the first day back in work for the horses after their long ship down to the farm. The horses are settling in well and happy with their stalls and surroundings.

The day started with an early morning flat lesson. Hollywood, AKA Lurch, was very good and felt great after his long haul down. He can sense the excitement. The grounds are filling up with lots of horses. More than 700 entries in total are expected for this event.

Hollywood, AKA Lurch, in his flat lesson. Photo by Mark Marquis.

As for Polly she was better than expected considering she is usually quite hot and wild, especially when arriving in new territory! The afternoon led to team hacks in the beautiful fields of Montana with a gorgeous mountain view and lots of grazing and walking.

Everyone went on the hack except Polly. The crazy little nugget had yet another short flat ride in the afternoon, improving on her first. She was finally more relaxed and supple and she felt amazing.

Polly settles in during her second flat lesson of the day. Photo by Mark Marquis.

It was great getting to know our lovely teammates and their families throughout the day. We shared many stories of our early days learning to ride. Chloe Duffy’s stories of jumping her pony in a halter with bailer twine had us roaring.

It seems Tosca Holmes-Smith has been on a horse since she was 2-years-old, so she is definitely the most seasoned and experienced on the team. Her past experiences at Young Riders will definitely help the rookies out.

Ella and Polly show off their shades. Photo by Mark Marquis.

We finished the day with some photo ops with the team and had pizza for dinner at a local restaurant. A great evening.

We look forward to what today has in store for us and the team with the horse inspection and draw this afternoon. Stay tuned!

The Canadian Young Riders CH-J* Team. From left, Eva Marquis with Hollywood, Ella Marquis with Meadowbrook’s Pollyanna, Chloe Duffy with Oro, and Tosca Holmes-Smith with Fiat.