Samantha Starratt, a student at the Edge School for Athletes, is making a name for herself in the world of equestrian show jumping.
Samantha’s been riding horses for nearly as long as she’s been walking.
“When I was two, I started riding when my mom put me in lessons,” said Samantha. “Then when I was about five, I started show jumping and started competing when I was seven.”
“I've been hooked on the sport ever since! I love animals and having an animal that you are a team with, it's just really fun.”
Samantha is the top ranked rider in the 12 – 14 age group in Canada following the Fédération Équestre Internationale(F.E.I) children's qualifiers, but she says much of the credit goes to her teammate Oliver.
“My most recent horse that I got, two or three years ago, his name is Oliver, and he's been so much fun to ride,” said Samantha. “He's the best horse I've ever had.”
“He's really dedicated. He loves to jump. If he didn't get to jump, he'd be sad.”
Samantha will be heading to Brazil in December for the World Championships in her 12-14 age group and you can expect to see the young rider at Spruce Meadows in the near future, riding in the international ring with the greats of the sport.
“It's really inspiring to watch the older veterans compete in the sport and learn stuff from them,” said Samantha. “Watching Ian Millar and Eric Lamaze go around and watching how they do under pressure, it's really inspiring for me.”
Samantha Starratt is the CTV Athlete of the Week sponsored by Big Chief Beef Jerky.
With files from CTV's Heath Brown
