Tucked away in the rural section of No. 3 Road south of Steveston Highway is where Sophie O’Bray lives her dream.
During the summer, the Richmond teen is at the Pacific Banner Stables seven days a week, doing everything from barn work to preparing for the biggest competition of her life.
O’Bray leaves for Lexington, Kentucky next week where she will be representing Canada at the prestigious North American Junior Young Riders Championship. She is one of just nine dressage competitors from across the country competing at the Junior Level and is part of the B.C./Quebec team that includes Victoria’s Emma Heusser.
The competition runs from July 14-19. Her horse Trevor leaves later this week for the long trailer ride which is expected to take three days.
“Half the battle is getting him there and dealing with what will be a different kind of heat for him,” explained O’Bray. “You just don’t know how he is going to react. There will be lots of walking the first day or two and then we got an additional five days to get him ready to go.”
Horses have been part of O’Bray’s life from almost as long as she can remember.
Her mom Jennifer began equestrian riding at Pacific Banner Stables in her late 20s. And it was her grandmother, Marcia Westermark, that got her and her younger sister started in horseback riding.
“I think I was two or three when I first sat on a horse and I haven’t stopped since,” smiled O’Bray, who will be entering her Grade 10 year at McMath Secondary in September. “We went on trail ride during a trip to Alberta and I told my mom I wanted to go faster. She didn’t know I could handle it but when she looked back, all she could see was this big smile on my face. That’s when I decided this is what I wanted to do.
“It’s amazing you can have like this special bond with an animal. I don’t think many people get to say my teammate is this 1,200 pound horse.”
Initially, O’Bray didn’t know what equestrian discipline she wanted to pursue. She was introduced to the fundamentals of dressage but also did some jumping at another barn down the street and attended a jumping camp in Vernon. Dressage just seemed like the better fit for a young rider who also happened to be an accomplished dancer.
“I thought it was neat to take the aspects of the other thing I liked to do and put it on a horse,” she said. “It’s really like dancing with my horse. I do think I’m a bit of a perfectionist where jumping it’s mostly about getting through the course as fast as you can.”
She has leaned on the expertise of her one and only coach Marcie Doyle since.
The challenge recently has been putting together a competitive schedule for O’Bray to continue her ascend. The dressage community in the Lower Mainland is a tight one and local competitions are typically limited to Thunderbird in Langley and Southlands in Vancouver.
O’Bray was fortunate enough to qualify for the Canadian team without having to leave the province.
The selection process was based on scoring at least 62 percent on specific tests and on her freestyle ride in competitions. Her grading also had to be done by at least two judges.
It was a goal that didn’t seem possible when O’Bray first teamed up with Trevor after spending the previous four years riding Luke.
“When I first got on Trevor it was just an awful start,” she laughed. “It just wasn’t working. Finally, something clicked and he became my pony. I’m told when I am with him his eyes light up. I think he likes me.
“I took my first shot at (qualifying for Kentucky) last year just to feel the water. The idea was to train through the winter and see where (Trevor) comes out of it. We are ready of it.”
O’Bray’s long term goal would be representing Canada one day at the Olympics. She also hopes to have the chance to train in Europe where the sport has many more opportunities, including equestrian scholarships at Hartpury College in London, England.
For now, O’Bray cherishes her own equestrian world just minutes from home and appreciates the tremendous support of her family.
Not lost is the cost to compete at this level. She does chores at the stables for Doyle in turn for free lessons but it takes much more.
“It’s amazing how much our family has bonded over this, she added. “Between my grandma, my mom and my coach, we are all quite the team. And it’s amazing how much my grandfather has helped me.
It’s been quite the journey so far.”
