The Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments took place at Wesley Clover Parks this weekend, one of the biggest shows in the country with more than 700 horses and riders. The prize pot is $50,000, with the showjumping winner getting a third of the pot. “We have the best of the best competing. It’s on grass footing, which is a real luxury. There’s a heritage to the sport on grass, but it’s not so easy to do so. Really special to be able to compete on grass,” said Karen Sparks, executive director of Wesley Clover Parks. The competition is for Ontario and Quebec riders, like Stephanie Bourassa, a 29-year-old rider who started competing when she was 12. Bourassa won first place with her horse Guss De Kergane at the Grand Prix show jumping competition. She says winning first place is a great accomplishment. “It feels amazing. It’s just great. My horse jumped amazing. I went double clear, what I was looking for. I’m very happy. I’m proud of him. Proud of myself. It’s just a great feeling,” said Bourassa. Her mom, who is a veterinarian, got her into the love for animals and horses. Bourassa calls it “a little mother daughter thing.” “The connection with the horse is very important. We build. Like they’re our friends. They’re more than just like an animal. They’re more than just like a partner. We walk them,” said Bourassa. The weather was perfect on Sunday after a severe rainstorm ripped through Ottawa on Canada Day, flooding the nearby creek. “Two of our rings contaminated the footing. We had roads and bridges washed out. We spent Thursday like everybody in our city, cleaning up. We didn’t cancel. We spent the day cleaning up. We actually had horses riding and exercise on site at 2 p.m. that day. Worked all day. Got it ready to compete on Thursday,” said Sparks. The competition was pushed by a day into Monday for this weekend’s competition. “You can see when you’re on site that the horses want to jump. It’s fun for them. The kind of the more excitement, the better. They’re bred for this. They love it and the synergy, that relationship between the horse and rider is really special thing to see,” said Sparks. The 2026 competition continues next weekend, and then back into the rest of the competition next weekend until July 12. A bigger show is coming in August with international riders from the highest level.
