POWASSAN – Even the threat of rain storms couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of riders from across the Near North during the Trillium Spring Show held last weekend, May 3 and 4, at Knowlton Ridge Equestrian Centre in Powassan.
“Trillium Shows, which are provincially sanctioned, run both spring and fall, and this is our fourth Trillium level show since we opened the centre,” said Knowlton Ridge owner Gord Cardwell. “We average about 80 riders a show and they come from all over the northeast zone, from Timmons and Sault Ste. Marie to Muskoka. From here, the top riders go on to the provincial A level in Toronto and then on to the nationals, so it’s a pretty significant event for the participants. The rules for this show are the same as for Olympic competition. We’re hoping to take a number of our riders to the Ontario finals in Orangeville this September.”
It’s also a significant event for Knowlton Ridge which had its outdoor show ring designed to meet the provincial hunter and jumper show requirements in order to be approved for hosting Trillium events. “Even rain can’t stop this show,” Cardwell said. “The ring has been designed with six inches of stone dust covered by two inches of sand and specifically sloped so water won’t be absorbed and will run off the sides. It takes a lot of rain before you can’t ride on it.”
The design of the ring also means that summer show riders won’t be encumbered by excessive dust.
“Because of its construction, it’s very easy to keep the track watered in the summer without having it get wet,” said Cardwell. Knowlton Ridge has further ensured a safe summer ring by purchasing the Municipality of Powassan fire department’s used pumper truck, formerly housed at the Trout Creek fire station. “The pumper truck allows us to keep the ring in shape during the hot months, and also gives us added protection if, heaven forbid, we ever have a fire,” he said.
The equestrian centre is currently home to 40 horses, almost half of which are boarders. “It gets pretty hectic here at times,” Cardwell admits, “when we have classes and everyone’s in to look after their horses. We have people coming and going well into the late evening hours.”
Of the participants in the show, and Cardwell’s clients, the majority are young girls.
“At this level, there’s no doubt the sport is dominated by girls,” he said. “However, once you get to the national level, it’s mainly men that are competing. Men tend not to start equestrian sports until they are in college, but girls start around the age of 10. By the time they reach 17 or so, some have become very exciting riders, but by 18 two things happen. Either they discover boys or they go off to university and have to leave the horses behind.”
Having established the Powassan stables on the Trillium circuit, with three years of shows under his belt, Cardwell is starting to plan for future expansion.
“I’m really hoping to be able to host A level shows here,” he said, “but to do that we need to build another outdoor ring and another indoor ring as well as upgrade our practice rings. I’ve been looking at how we might be able to do that and I have some ideas. If we had another mega-dome, we could do just about anything here. The biggest problem though is convincing the regulatory body that now holds all its shows in the GTA that it’s not a five-day trip to get here.”
While he ponders where he might build his additional A Level facilities, Cardwell is also expanding the Knowlton Ridge breeding program to include thoroughbred racers.
“We have two mares that are currently at Windfields Farms in Oshawa, EP Taylor’s farm, to be bred, and hopefully we’ll get into race horses. I’d just love to get a really good race horse, and even to eventually set up a track.”
There’s no shortage of visionary thinking at Knowlton Ridge. Cardwell admits that he’s also on the lookout for a good heavy horse team and wagon that he could put into four horse or two horse hitch competitions.
“I can just see myself sitting up on that shiny wagon, the horses outfitted in gleaming harness and riding around the ring,” he said. “At my age, I’m getting to old to keep falling off horses. I think it’s about time I got a wagon to ride.”
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