FEBRUARY 2026 THE RIDER /25 Section 2


Country Yucca Travel Grants Awarded to U25 Eventing Athletes


Equestrian Canada’s Eventing High Performance Group has


announced the names of the ‘Country Yucca’ grant recipients to help with their travel expenses within North America or overseas.


Ottawa, ON – December 17, 2025 — Equestrian Canada’s Eventing High Performance Advisory Group is pleased to announce the Country Yucca Eventing Travel Grant U25 re- cipients for 2026. Designed to assist young Canadian eventing athletes aged 16-25 in furthering their compe- tition experience either across North America or overseas, $20,000 (CAD) total in grants is distributed once per calendar year to up to four recipients, with $5,000 for travel within North America, or $10,000 for overseas travel.


These generous annual grants


were established and named in honour of Country Yucca, a pony with a huge heart and personality ridden by Nick Holmes-Smith, who later went on to represent Canada in Eventing at the Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 Olympics. This year’s recipients – who


were all named to the 2025 Eventing High Performance Development Squad – are:


Kyle Morton – 22, Cobourg, Ontario (residing in Hamburg, Germany)


Emma McHugh – 21, Beaconsfield, QC (based in Virginia and Florida)


Gabrielle Shank – 23, Sturgeon County, AB


Mégane Sauvé – 24, Saint-Paul, QC Kyle Morton spent 2025 cam-


paigning Shannondale Gambit, his striking grey 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse, at the CCI2*/3*/4* level in Eu- rope. “This grant is incredible,” he said. “To be supported by a federation such as Equestrian Canada, who has always been behind me throughout my career, is second to none. Next season I plan to travel to Ireland for the U25 World Championships in Millstreet, so this grant will be immensely valuable in getting me there!” Emma McHugh had a busy


summer in Canada and the U.S. com- peting her 2* horses Ricochet, Impe- rial and Quality Explosion. She remarked, “I’m incredibly grateful to the Canadian Eventing High Perform- ance Advisory Group, and especially


to Nick Holmes-Smith, for generously supporting Young Riders like me through the Country Yucca Travel Grant. Making it in this sport is ex- tremely challenging financially, and receiving this grant means so much. As a Young Rider working hard to rep- resent Canada at the highest level, this support makes a huge difference. I’ll be putting these funds straight toward my upcoming FEI competitions.” Alberta native Gabrielle Shank


covered a lot of miles this summer, from Washington to Florida, with her 3* horse Billy, a 12-year-old ISH geld- ing. She recently received Rider of the Year honours from the Alberta Horse Trials Association, while Billy earned Horse of the Year. Regarding the Country Yucca grant, she noted, “Re- ceiving this bursary truly means the world to me. As a western Canadian rider working toward the upper levels of eventing, opportunities to compete and train at the FEI level are limited, and support like this makes a mean- ingful difference. This funding allows me to continue developing my part- nership with my horse, Billy, as we work toward the CCI3-L and progress toward Advanced in 2026. It will di- rectly support our winter training and competition plan in Ocala, as well as our return to Rebecca Farm, two key steps in achieving our long-term goals.” She added, “Balancing high-


performance riding with my post-sec- ondary studies can be challenging, and this bursary helps relieve some of the financial pressure so I can stay fo- cused on improving, learning, and rep- resenting the Canadian Eventing U25 Development Team to the best of my ability. I’m incredibly grateful for this support and excited for the season ahead.” This summer, Mégane Sauvé


moved her 3* partner Nuance, an 11- year-old Thoroughbred mare, up to the 4* level at Bromont in August. “Re- ceiving the U25 Country Yucca Travel Bursary not only means financial sup- port for next year, but also that the hard work and effort poured into the sport are coming back around,” said the eventer. “Huge thank-you to the Eventing High Performance Advisory Group and Nick Holmes-Smith for putting this grant together. As a U25 athlete trying to build a career in eventing out of a childhood dream, I am very grateful to have been chosen to receive this grant.”


Country Yucca: The Inspiration Country Yucca represented the


resilience of a true cross-country ath- lete; the pony loved cross-country and he was hard to miss with his signature bald face and four white socks. Some


Continued on Page 26


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Section 2 INSIDE


Country Yucca Travel Grants.......25 Anne Gage Column ........................26 Canadian Show Jumping Team.......26 Lynn Palm....................................27 Oktoberfest Results......................27 Horse Listening............................28 Racing Hall of Fame Updates......28 Lindsay Grice Column.................29 EC National Awards.....................30


Horse Health in Bitter Cold .........30 Calgary Stampede........................30 Colic Risk Factors........................31 Marketplace Directories .........32-36 Real Estate ...................................37 EC Statement on Horse Welfare ..37 CTHS News .................................37 OCEA News ................................38


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