The Saskatchewan Horse Federation assists athletes in their quest to reach High-Performance (HP) levels of competition through both programming and funding. In the “excellence” category, we allocate grant monies for athletes competing in the recognized High-Performance (HP) disciplines of Dressage, Hunter/Jumper, and Reining. We do this through Athlete Assistance grants, the HP Symposiums, and now, the Pathways to High-Performance clinics.
The clinics will provide training opportunities as well as allow us to keep track of athletes who may be identified to be part of a team to represent Saskatchewan at championship events such as CIEC. The targeted group is High-Performance, but the clinics also support Talent ID Athletes who show the ability, motivation, and competition results indicative of someone who is on the pathway to becoming a High-performance athlete.
Note that the priority is to support HP athletes wherever possible, and to open it up to Talent ID where space permits.
Clinician: Matt Hudson
May 24-26, 2024
Prairieland Park Saskatoon
Matt Hudson is a professional Reining trainer in Ontario. Matt was raised in rural New Brunswick barrel racing and cattle penning with his family. At the age of 13 he participated in his first reining clinic with Sophie Laverdiere. He stayed with her and trained horses for 4 years. He then left to work for Luke Gagnon, NRHA professional. After this, he left to work in Italy and took over Marco Rocitta's training position. He moved back to Canada in 2010 to work for non pro Reiner Andre De Bellefeuille at Excalibur Farm. He then bought a farm and was training horses. Al Rose then asked him to work together and he jumped on the chance. They then started up HR Prospects. They now run Hudson Performance Horses.
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Clinician: Gareth Graves
June 7-9, 2024
Prairie Star Stables Saskatoon
Born and raised in Durban, South Africa, Gareth began riding at the age of 9. However, it wasn’t until his family moved to Vancouver Island, British Columbia that he began to show horses seriously. He began his career by taking the opportunity to ride and learn anything he could. Since then, horses have impacted every part of his life, and continue to lead Gareth on an incredible journey with amazing opportunities, a chance to meet great people, and the ability to see the world. He took his first trip around the International Ring at Spruce Meadows in 2014, a ring he has had his eyes set on since the age of 15 from a trip to watch the Masters Tournament with family friends.
Gareth is currently the head trainer of Highbury Show Stables based in Edmonton Alberta. He has two main competition horses at the moment; an 11-year-old grey Dutch Warmblood gelding, who has been his partner for the last four years. Billy Pukka, a 12-year-old bay Anglo European mare, who has been in the barn for the last three years.
Clinician: Belinda Trussell
June 22-23, 2024
Prairie Star Stables Saskatoon
Belinda Trussell spent her childhood in locations across the globe and dabbled in multiple disciplines before focusing on dressage at age 13. She represented her native Australia in FEI competition until 1994, when she became a Canadian citizen. In 2002, Trussell represented Canada as the youngest member of the Canadian Dressage Team at the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Jerez, ESP, with Royan II. They then competed at the 2003 European Dressage Championships in Hickstead, GBR, and won the Swarovski Canadian League World Cup Final at the 2003 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON. They also represented Canada at both the 2004 World Cup in Dusseldorf, GER, and the Athens Olympic Games.
Trussell returned to WEG in 2010 and in 2014 in Normandy, FRA, where she was Canada’s highest-placed individual in dressage, finishing in the top 25 with Anton. They then representing Canada at the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games, where they helped the Canadian Dressage Team earn the silver medal and break the Canadian record for the highest team average score achieved at a major games. Trussell also broke a Canadian record in Toronto for highest individual score after receiving 75.078% in the Grand Prix Special. Trussell and Anton by broke the Canadian record for the highest score in a Grand Prix Special at the prestigious Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, FL, with 75.529% in 2016. She returned to the Games in Rio de Janeiro, BRA, aboard Anton
Tattoo 15 then took over as Trussell’s top mount; he kept her winning record alive throughout the 2017 season and made his major games debut at the 2018 WEG in Mill Spring, NC. In 2019, Trussell switched her focus to Carlucci, and together the combination helped Team Canada secure the silver medal in the CDIO 3* FEI Nations Cup in Wellington, FL.
