The Greenhorn Chronicles 53: Emily Fitzgerald on Equestrianism (1)

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/02/01

The Greenhorn Chronicles 53: Emily Fitzgerald on Equestrianism (1)

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: This is another equestrian interview with Emily Fitzgerald, a Canadian show jumper. I want to take a narrative approach. So, my first question would be: What was your first moment of becoming involved with horses or interacting with them?  

Emily Fitzgerald: That’s a tough one. My grandmother rode horses, not competitively. Still, she always loved horses, and then my aunt was a bit of a hunter rider back when Spruce Meadows had Hunters. They never followed it; they never really were competitive at this level, and I begged my parents over and repeatedly to let me get lessons and try riding, and they resisted for a very long time. I think I was about nine years old because they knew how expensive it was, and then they finally caved in, and I wouldn’t say I liked it at first. I was terrified of horses, and I was terrified of riding, but I just kept going because I knew it was going to be something better than my first experience. 

Jacobsen: What about early trainers or mentors in the industry? Everyone must come from somewhere and be associated with someone, so how did that develop?

Fitzgerald: Yeah, for sure. My first trainer’s name was Chris Franson. She was out of Cochrane, Alberta, a small town north of Calgary, and the kindest person I’ve ever met. However, she was big on doing the work yourself, putting the work in, and doing everything yourself. Then you start with these not proper fancy horses, and so I got my first horse with her, and I still have him, and then I got a couple more with her. For my birthday, my dad emailed Amy Millar and wondered if Ian did any clinics, and Amy said, “No, you can come ride full-time with us.” So, I went there, and it was like a whole other world. It introduced me to the world’s top show jumpers, and I was like a deer in the headlights. It was wild; I’d never seen horses like this before, and it was quite the experience. Then I got a couple of adorable horses from them, and they pulled me and took me up the rank a little bit. 

I was with them, I think, for about three years, and then I was really getting homesick because I moved out when I was 18. That’s when I met Dayton at Young Riders, and then it just clicked, and I came here. I’ve been here for four and a half years, and it’s been amazing. 

Jacobsen: During the headlights experience with the Millars, how would you characterize the facets of that? What were the areas of the discipline were culture shock for you coming from a place without proper professional horses to get to a higher-end level in the sport?

Fitzgerald: I think probably the most significant initial culture shock was the Millar family, like everyone knows the Millars, like it’s Captain Canada, that kind of thing, and then I got there and how technical every single aspect of riding is and how technical every single aspect of the horses is. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before.

Jacobsen: Many people who have had conversations within the industry, not in a formal interview, have used that word when talking about good trainers: They are technical, she is technical, or he is technical. What do you mean by that?

Fitzgerald: Oh, how do you define technical? It’s like being aware of your hands, where your shoulders are, being aware of where your foot is, degrees of pressure, and being aware of everything you’re asking your horse at every single moment like there was kind of no room to ride off into the sunset if that kind of makes sense. 

Jacobsen: When you’re on the horse, and you’re in a competition ring, as opposed to at home farm, doing just regular warm-up or training or going through a course, what’s the difference in mindset? What is the degree of focus, frame of mind, and this sort of thing? 

Fitzgerald: Well, the most challenging part would be you’re going in on your own, you’re going in with you and your horse, and you must have complete trust in your horse. I could never ride a horse I didn’t trust in the show ring. You must be laser-focused; you must remember every little piece of training you have; you must remember where your weaknesses are; you must remember where your horse’s weaknesses are and try not to let your emotions get in the way, and you just have to be in that moment.

Jacobsen: Have you had any significant injuries?

Fitzgerald: Not major injuries; I’ve had a couple of significant falls. In November, I fell off my horse, Coco, and landed on my face. I flipped like I did like a scorpion kind of thing, and I was fine, but I think that’s how a lot of people break their necks, which was very scary, but luckily, I was fine, my horse was fine, my helmet was totalled, but praise the technology of helmets these days. That was probably my worst of all.

Jacobsen: When you’ve worked with a horse for a long time, I mean, there is a specific bond there, I noticed, between horses and their riders. When you fall, does the horse make moves to avoid harming you?

Fitzgerald: Yes, 100%. 

Jacobsen: What are some of the things that they do?

Fitzgerald: Well, I believe no horse is mean-tempered, mean-spirited, or wants to hurt you. That’s just not in their nature. So, a lot of the time, if you fall, they’ll leap away from you. I don’t know if it’s out of fear or if it’s out of just trying to get out of the way, and I’ve been fortunate that I’ve never ended up underneath a horse, but I know a lot of horses will do crazy things with their body to try and avoid stepping on you.

Jacobsen: What’s the most severe injury you know in the Canadian side of the industry?

Fitzgerald: On the Canadian side, I would say Tidball. I know she had that bad fall where she broke her ribs and broke her pelvis, and that would just be awful. 

Jacobsen: Who do you admire in the industry?

Fitzgerald: [Laughs] A lot of people. I admire my trainer, Lisa Carlsen, so much as she deals with many different personalities and other horses. And she comes to work, knows exactly what she needs to do, and has no quits, as I’ve never seen in a person before. So, I do admire her for that. Another person I admire would be McLain Ward; he has a calm, collected disposition on a horse, knows precisely where his horse is and can ride any horse, which I think is fantastic. He has such an excellent outlook on the horses, too. 

Jacobsen: Which horses do you like? Of the horses out there, who do you think is a fantastic horse or an excellent performer?

Fitzgerald: My horse that I’ve always had a love for is the Clockwise of Green Hill Z, Uma O’Neill’s horse; it’s such an athlete, and it just keeps going, and it just is incredible. Another one would be Pia Contra. I don’t remember the rider’s name, but he rides for Mexico, and she’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. 

Jacobsen: How does she ride?

Fitzgerald: She’s careful; there’s no gravity. I’ve never seen a horse jump quite like that. 

Jacobsen: When you come into a ring with a professionally set course that is very technical, how do you analyze that course before you ride it and when you do?

Fitzgerald: Well, for that, we do a lot of exercises at home that can tick all the boxes that a course designer would ask. When I’m analyzing it, I look for my weaknesses, and my trainers also do this. We kind of go over and say, “Over here, you have a great drift; you’re going to have to hold here, you’re going to have to bend this line accordingly,” and rely on your training and the flat work that you’ve done that you’ve got most of the control over a horse. 

Jacobsen: So, places like Spruce Meadows and Thunderbird, I wonder if the Royal Winter Fair is still going with Covid time; those are big venues for Canadian riders. They provide a platform for them to compete at a higher level. What do they bring to the sport, specifically show jumping for riders coming into the discipline in their early 20s and those more seasoned: 30s, 40s, and so on?

Fitzgerald: Spruce Meadows goes without saying; it’s arguably the most complex show in the world based on their courses, course designers, and how things go. If you can get around Spruce Meadows, you can get around anywhere. I quite like the Royal Winter Fair because it’s very much like a championship-type venue. You must qualify, and then it’s at the end of the year, and you get all these amazing riders, and they bring their best horses. Then, there is another show like Thunderbird; I like Thunderbird because they have different shows for everyone if that makes sense. It’s not all five stars; it’s not all tiny jumpers; it’s somewhere in between, like there’s always something for everyone at any level. So, Spruce Meadows is one you must work up to, and I always say you must feel overconfident going into Spruce Meadows. 

Jacobsen: Mac Cone, to me, noted that the sport has changed significantly over time. Also, Tidball said the same; it’s the idea that the safety standards have increased. The cups are shallower, the rails are lighter, things like this… helmets are a thing. These safety measures protect the rider and the horse. What other safety measures have been put in place even in your time coming into the industry and beginning to compete seriously in the sport?

Fitzgerald: I think more recently the increase in the… like your vaccination certificates and the number of vaccines you need for your horses coming into places; I think that’s wonderful to help prevent the spread of disease for the horses. I know that the schooling rules at shows, basically what you’re allowed to do at shows and stuff, have changed, which I think is excellent also. It’s hard because I’m a little bit younger, and I haven’t been in the sport quite as long, but you know, if you jump a solid wall, the wall’s not actually solid, so if you crash through it, it comes crashing with you. 

Jacobsen: A few people have told me the standards of behavior have also changed. How trainers interact with trainees and how the culture conducts itself has also improved over time. It’s become a little less Wild West, in a way. Have you heard the same things?

Fitzgerald: I have, and I’ve seen those things too, especially just coming into jumping some FEI Grand Prix and the number of regulations they have on that; like you must check nosebands, you must check the boots, more and more boots and such are becoming illegal, and taboo and bits and all that kind of good stuff has changed. It’s best for the horses; they’re athletes and animals and don’t get anything out of this sport. So, we need to do everything we can to protect them.

Jacobsen: Another thing brought up is barriers to sports entry. So, it’s not necessarily the skill set that’s been universalized by Morris over time with some variation. It’s more financial. So, barriers of just pure purchasing price of a horse where a certain number of horses are born every year of a particular quality, and the demand for them goes up, so the prices are inflated quite a bit and that prices out certain classes of people from entering the sport at the higher level. So, people might syndicate a horse, have a connection with a wealthy benefactor, or be part of a more famous farm to get those uh access points to better horses. Will there be any mitigation to that price point as an access point?

Fitzgerald: That’s a tricky one too because sometimes it’s the best rider in the world, but they don’t have the money to get a horse, and no one’s going to kind of support you unless you’ve proven yourself, and there’s no way to prove yourself unless you’ve got the right horse. You know you are applying for a job, and they say you need five years’ work experience in this job. So, it’s hard because sometimes the people who excel in the sport have no opportunity, and those who do have the opportunity only sometimes excel. So, it would help if you got that weird balance of the ability and the drive for it. I don’t see the price of horses going down anytime soon; I see it increasing even more, which is always challenging. 

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