NICK HOLMES SMITH
Nick was winner of two Gold Medals at the PanAm Games, a member of several World Championship Teams as well as the Seoul and Barcelona Olympic Teams. Returning to his home province by 1993 he established an event facility that in the late 90’s hosted one of Western Canada's most important three-day-event, and the only CCI** west of the Rockies and north of California. Rebecca’s first 4*mount Big Wave Dave was named by & purchased from Nick during her 3 year working student tenure at Chase Creek.
Nick and his family (daughters Carmen, Tosca & Collette) now divide their time between home/event facility and their cat-skiing business (Mustang Powder) near Revelstoke in the beautifully snowy Northern Monashee Mountains.
OCET
David O'Connor is one of America's most successful international riders competing for the US Equestrian Team since the late 1986 through 2004. Highlights included 3 Olympic Medals, 2 Pan American Games Medals, a World Championship Medal. He won Rolex twice as a three-star and once as a four-star. He won Fair Hill International CCI*** six times, and in 1997, he became only the second American in history to win the coveted Badminton CCI****. David topped the world rankings in 2001, officially retired from international competition in 2004, and took on the role of Canadian Team Coach in 2005
In 2003 he oversaw the consolidation of the former USA Equestrian and the United States Equestrian Team into the USEF and was awarded the Wofford Cup, in recognition of outstanding contribution to the sport of Eventing in a non-riding capacity. David was the first rider ever to receive this award. He continued on as president of the USEF 2003 through 2010.
In 2009, David and Custom Made were inducted into the USEA Eventing Hall of Fame
Karen is the consummate competitor, taking on four star courses since the age of 21. She first won Rolex in 1991, repeating in 1997 and 1999. Besides multiple runs at Rolex, Badminton, Burghley, Punchestown, Bokelo and no likely countless others…. Karen competed at the Maryland (03) and Rio (07) Pan American Games; the Gawler (86), Hauge (94), Rome (98), Aachen (06) and Lexington (10) World Equestrian Games, and the Seoul (88), Atlanta (96) and Sydney (00) Olympic Games.
JONI LYNN PETERS
Joni Lynn Peters is a Equine Canada Level 111 Dressage & Eventing Coach based out of Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada. She was named to the Canadian 3Day Team on three occasions; and was the Ontario Horse Trials Association Leading Female Rider six of the nine years she spent in that province.
Back in BC since 1994, she was short listed to the National Dressage Team in 98/99 with The Equalizer, her Advance horse that had earlier served on the Canadian Event Team.
Joni has worked (by invitation) with Colonel Carde in France at the French National School of Equitation, and with Udo Lange at his stable in Germany. She is currently Long Listed for the Canadian Dressage Team with her mount Travolta and is training/competing in California this spring with London the goal for 2012.
It was through Rebecca's working student days with Joni Peters that she was introduced to Caroline Bazely (Orangeville, Ontario) – breeder/owner of WEG ride Riddle Master.
Riddle Master is the second home bred Canadian Sport Horse that Caroline (& her mother Jean Watson) has had listed for the Canadian Eventing Team. ―The first being Rupert's uncle "Lord Ramsay" who was developed and ridden at the time by Joni-Lynn Peters.
