Canada's best show jumper has won again.
Langley's Tiffany Foster, who also happens to be the top-ranked female show jumper in the world, took first in the prestigious RBC Grand Prix, presented by Rolex, on Saturday, June 15 at Spruce Meadows.
Foster was riding what she described as a "green" horse, the fast-moving 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Battlecry.
Various reports described it as a "stunning" and "sensational" victory over 34 rival teams, with a "phenomenal" horse.
Foster and Battlecry beat fellow Canadian Erynn Ballard and Nikka VD Bisschop by just over half-a-second, coming in first at 42.23s to Ballard’s second-place 42.71s.
"No words for the love and gratitude I feel for this horse and my team," Foster enthused in an online post with the hashtag #battlecryforever following the win.
"Every once in a while a horse does something that means more than they will ever know. Batty did that for me today and I will cherish him forever," she said.
It was Battlecry's first year of competing at that level, and he rose to the occasion.
“I was definitely not at my best today,” Foster said following her win. “I had a little chat with him and just asked him to be there for me today, and he did it. I can’t even begin to describe that feeling that a horse gives you, when he’s giving you his all. He’s still pretty green, but I’ve always believed he could do it.”
Foster praised Battlecry as a "really fast horse,"
"His stride length is incredible,"she noted. "Honestly, that’s where he makes up a lot of ground.”
Foster is currently ranked number 22 on the Longines FEI World Rankings, the highest ranked Canadian rider and the highest ranked female rider in the world.
Originally from North Vancouver, Foster's teenage years were spent training out of Langley’s Thunderbird Show Park under the guidance of Laura and Brent Balisky.
Currently, Foster competes out of bases in Langley, Wellington, Florida, and Antwerp, Belgium
