Sports

Erynn Ballard comes full circle at Toronto’s Royal Horse Show with international show jumping victory

November 20, 2025   ·   0 Comments

A local equestrian captured a prestigious title at the Royal Horse Show.

Canadian Olympian Erynn Ballard of Tottenham opened international show jumping competition at the Royal in winning fashion by riding Let’s Fly to victory in the $45,000 International Strength & Speed Welcome Nov. 12.

The first competition of the CSI5*-W division – which denotes the highest level of show jumping sport also offering a FEI World Cup™ qualifying grand prix – saw riders competing over a one-round “power and speed” track set by course designer Olaf Petersen, Jr. of Germany. Riders navigated eight fences and, if they left all of them in place, immediately advanced to the speed portion of the course.

Living up to his name, Let’s Fly navigated the course with unmatched footspeed while carrying Ballard to a winning time of 26.85 seconds.

“What a horse to be able to go in and win in his first pass at The Royal,” smiled Ballard as she described the nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Fly x Phin Phin) owned by Roaring Fork Farms.

Let’s Fly was developed by Ballard and Ilan Ferder and is destined to be the mount of owner Djuna Lauder, who has five-star aspirations of her own but is currently focused on her studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

For Ballard, 45, Toronto’s Royal Horse Show is her home show. She first competed at The Royal on a small pony in 1988.

“It took me nine years to get my first Royal win, but I’ve had some pretty cool Royal moments,” said Ballard, who added another memory to her list this week following a five-year absence from The Royal. “This was a nice homecoming; it fit in nicely in our schedule this year and the World Cup Final is on our radar, so it was a nice one to come home for.”

“I have the right horses right now,” said Ballard of her World Cup bid. “They are an exceptional group to have at the high level, but the biggest draw this year is that the final is North American based. Anytime that there is a championship where you think that you can be competitive, it should be on your radar.”

The opening-day win was extra special for Ballard and her entire family. The Royal Horse Show marks the last competition appearance for Looking Back Farm, owned and operated by Erynn’s parents, Sandi and Dave Ballard, as they are retiring after a storied career of developing horses and riders from their home base in Tottenham. Erynn’s late grandfather, Jump Canada Hall of Famer Bob Ballard, was also a regular competitor at the Royal Horse Show, and frequently represented Canada in the Nation’s Cup team competition.

“It’s great to win for them and to also add more Royal memories,” Erynn reminisced. “We’ve had great ones, all the way from small ponies to now five stars!”

Readers Comments (0)