Edited press release from Thunderbird Show Park

When Tiffany Foster (CAN) brought Com Es Ta (Comme Il Faut 5 x Caretino 2) into the Fort Grand Prix Arena for the CSI3* 1.45m Kubota Canada Winning Round competition, she decided to let the mare loose.

Foster set out to use the Summer Fort Welcome and Summer Fort Classic at tbird in Vancouver (CAN) to test some new “theories” with the 10-year-old Oldenburg mare. She outfitted Com Es Ta with a new bridle and even changed up her style of riding to best support the mare’s stride and natural speed.

Things came together Saturday evening, as Foster secured her first international victory with the mare. Besting the 10 combinations that returned for Joey Rycroft’s shortened course, the pair’s winning time was 37.82 seconds.

Ben Asselin (CAN) and The Freshman (Namelus R x Chin Chin) made the best run at the winning duo but came up just short (37.23s). Carly Stevens (CAN) and ESI Jet Set (Balou du Rouet x Quidam Junior) finished third (39.25).

“I was pretty fast to the tbird oxer [midway through the short course],” Foster said. “I didn’t even have to pull my reins to get that turn. I just turned my head and she turned like a little fish. I think that was probably where we got [Asselin].”

In the Winning Round competition, the top 10 combinations advance to a jump-off-like shortened course, all with a clean slate. That opens the door for riders who may incur faults in the first round to advance, so long as they are within the top 10 combinations. But in this case, 12 jumped clear in the first round, meaning two combinations that jumped clear were left on the sidelines. It set the stage for a competitive finish.

“She’s an extremely fast horse—just naturally, her canter stride’s really quick, and she’s quick across the jump. She’s a competitive horse,” Foster said of Com Es Ta. “Her right turn usually isn’t her best turn, but today she was right with me and sort of picked up on all the good [distances].”

Foster and Com Es Ta’s partnership has offered both success and inconsistency. Owners 5 Roosters purchased the mare as an 8-year-old, but shortly thereafter, an injury put her on the sidelines.

“So, it took me a little bit to kind of get going with her, [but] I had a good run with her in Florida this year,” Foster shared. “She was third in one of those big 1.50m classes [at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL], and then we kind of hit a little bit of a rough spot. I really wanted to use Thunderbird of try some new theories, new bridle, new way of riding her. I think she likes it.”

After representing Canada at the Paris Olympic Games, Foster is planning and placing the younger and up-and-coming horses in her string for the future. For Com Es Ta, there’s infinite possibility.

“I think one of her best qualities is how competitive she is. I think she’s also very scopey, but I think she’s a super fast horse,” Foster shared. “I’d like to see where she ends up, but I think I’m going to slot her in as a bit of a speedster for a little bit. I think that will just grow confidence for both of us, and hopefully we can go that fast over big jumps, too.”