who i am

Hello!

I’m Annika and I was born in November of 2006. That means that I am a Scorpio and it also means that I am a Young Rider (18-21).

I cannot really remember the first time I sat on a pony, as I was barely 2 years old, but I do know that I have ALWAYS loved horses. As a person who has struggled with anxiety her whole life, they have helped me learn to regulate and trust myself, while improving my confidence and well-being.

My first loves were Bill, Stanley, Jill, Taz and Nalah at Meadow Green Stables in Winnipeg, MB. I did a lot of camps, lessons and schooling shows there and am grateful to Jaime Hasiuk for giving me my start. I spent a little bit of time with Christie Branton at West Wind Stables, as well, learning more on Babe, Henry and Johnny.

Unfortunately, 2018-19 was not a great year for me physically and mentally, and I could not bring myself to ride anymore. When 2020 brought even more stressors for me (and the entire world!), my parents worried about how isolated I was becoming. Enter my Fairy Godmother Liz Crawford and her willingness to let me try her fancy gelding, Remington. Working with Mackenzie Thiessen, I suddenly found myself to be a dressage rider and wanting to compete. Remy was an amazing teacher and I was so lucky to be his last student. Within six months of training, my parents saw a huge change in me and made the investment in a horse to call my own. Savant a.k.a. “Leo” was probably way too smart for me at the time, but I would not change what he has given me for anything. It’s been five years since I first tried to sit his bouncy trot and was regularly told what he thought of my novice riding , but today we have a lot of mutual respect for one other. Plus, he is so darn handsome!

This brings me to my heart horse and best friend, Francis XI. When it was clear that I was determined to put in the work towards becoming a high-performance equestrian, my parents did the unimaginable and bought a second gelding for me to ride. “Fetti” has taken me to heights that I did not think possible. Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself competing provincially, nationally and internationally. With initial help from Evi Strasser, and ever since, from the amazing Dawn White O’Connor, we have developed a very special partnership that gets me out of bed and motivated every single day. He tutored me through FEI JRs and we are now learning FEI YRs together.

It’s amazing to think how far I have come, and it is all thanks to my equine therapists! I hope to help other horses and riders by passing on all that I have learned on my journey.