It can be seen every year live from Spruce Meadows. Professional equestrian athletes race around the course, leaping over a variety of jumps, fences and obstacles.
The movement of horse and rider is measured and elegant, but there’s a lot more to it.
Show jumping takes confidence, and until recently, Natasha Sukorokoff had none.
Sukorokoff, a Royal City resident and current Douglas College student, quietly dominated the junior division of show jumping in B.C. last season.
She garnered a total of 44 points throughout four competitions.
“For the first two competitions it was mostly just focusing on actually winning, but once I did find out this (the Canadian Interprovincial Equestrian Championships) was an end goal, it was in the back of my mind,” she said.
Sukorokoff didn’t hear about the Canadian Interprovincial Equestrian Championships until she’d already competed in two qualifying competitions.
Lucky for her she’d won them both and went on to win the final two as well.
Sukorokoff finished her equestrian season this August as the top junior show jumper in the province, winning herself a spot on Team B.C.
She credits the newfound success to a new trainer and her own budding desire to win.
“Lately I’ve gotten this really crazy competitive drive,” she said.
This is something new for the 18-year-old athlete.
About four years ago ,Sukorokoff was in a terrible car accident that traumatized her.
She had to seek counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder and really struggled with her riding.
“I had a problem with going fast, and when you’re in a timed event that’s not exactly how you want to ride,” she said.
This season something changed in Sukorokoff, she was suddenly gunning to go faster.
In previous seasons, events that demanded a speedy rider, such as a jump-off, she could never run the course under 40 seconds, even though it’s supposed to take no longer than 37 seconds.
“It’s a shortened course that’s really against the clock, and that’s what wins you points,” she said.
But that soon changed.
“I suddenly started going really fast and winning a lot and being really successful,” she said.
In her first jump-off this season, she remembers walking out and hearing her time announced. The judge called out 35 seconds, her best time ever.
“I heard the time announced and that I was in first position, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I looked at my dad and I pumped my fist in the air because I was so overwhelmed with how much better I had become. It didn’t even matter if I won the class, … that in itself was a huge victory for me,” she said.
Sukorokoff, along with seven other riders from B.C. headed out to Calgary for the Canadian Interprovincial Equestrian Championships held in September.
The team did well at the fledgling competition, which began only three years ago.
B.C. took home a gold medal in show jumping and one in dressage, as well as a team bronze medal in dressage.
While Sukorokoff didn’t earn a medal this year, she said she’d be interested in returning next season to try again.
Until then, her horse Union S, has a few more weeks of holidays before she’ll start training with him again.
Next season, Sukorokoff is looking to advance to the 4-3 jumping division, and if she can do that she said she’ll be looking into a possible professional equestrian career.
But for now she said she’s enjoying her remaining weeks of vacation before she and Union will be back together for more training.
