Chris Surbey, a 28-year-old native of Calgary, AB, began riding at the age of 11 and won team show jumping silver at the NAJYRC in 2007. He continued riding throughout university, where he received a Bachelor of Commerce Finance (Hons.) degree from the University of Ottawa, and decided to turn professional upon graduation. He has worked for the last two seasons at Spruce Meadows, where his main focus is the development and sales of young prospects, both imported and homebred.

When did you realize that show jumping was more than just a hobby?

I knew from a relatively young age that I was interested in pursuing horses professionally, although the realization that it was actually a viable option didn’t occur to me until close to the end of my junior career. By that time I had not only experience with my own horses, but also many hours spent catch riding and working with horses of all different types that were owned by other people. After completing my university degree, the thought of being in an office every day did not sit well with me, so I decided that I would at least try making it as a professional with horses before I went the office route.

Who are your mentors and what have they taught you?

I’ve been lucky enough to connect with several trainers that have been responsible from my progress as a rider. I spent most of my junior career in Calgary training with Gaia Parker who took me from cross-poles to the high junior/am jumpers. She remains a big influence to me.

Jill Henselwood was another major influence as I was developing and trying to establish myself as a professional. I spent several years at Juniper Farms, learning all aspects of the business as we traveled throughout North America. From her I learned top-level horse care, the logistics of having multiple groups of horses on the road in different places, and starting young home-bred horses. It gave me an up-close look at how Jill and her team can identify and develop raw talent into consistent 1.60m competitors. In my time with Jill, I was able to spend a lot of hours in the saddle and often had multiple horses to compete. Jill really brought out the competitive side of me, and the knowledge I gained from my time with her I continue to draw on to develop my own training programs.

Through Jill, I was lucky to come into contact with Ruth Koch, who used to have a dressage stable just down the road from Juniper. We used to ship to Ruth’s for our weekly dressage lessons, and she has been a big influence on me. Ruth’s passion for teaching is second to none and it is unbelievable to me how much a horse can improve after an hour under her direction. She instilled in me the basics of riding a horse on the flat, and how to teach others to do the same. I continue to train with Ruth a few times per year when she travels to teach clinics. If I’m ever feeling stuck with a horse, I never hesitate to send her an email or a video to see if she can make a suggestion for a new way to approach the situation.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a young professional?

I’ve found the main challenge is finding and keeping a horse that will allow me to compete at the highest levels of the sport. I am lucky enough to have a very good string of horses, some of which allow me to jump in bigger classes, as well as a group of really nice young horses that could one day develop into doing the same. The reality of the industry is that horses get injured or sold, which makes climbing the levels that much more difficult. On the other hand, it is always exciting to try and bring a new horse along and see where the partnership may go.

What is it like having the opportunity to work at Spruce Meadows?

The entire Southern family has built Spruce Meadows into not only a place where the best in the world will come to compete, but also a place where young riders from all over the world have a legitimate opportunity to develop and learn their craft. I am very grateful to be a part of the team and it has been a tremendous boost to my own career.

There is much to be learned from everyone involved in the horse program – and all the other departments – as everyone brings their own set of skills and ideologies to the table. Each rider involved has their own string of horses and support staff, but it is truly a team environment where we help each other to bring out the best in our horses as well as ourselves.

Being exposed to the quality of international riders that attend Spruce Meadows throughout the season has really done a lot of good things for my own riding and approach with my horses. Being able to watch and learn from the best riders in the world on our home turf is truly amazing. As I have always been a very visual learner, I try to take advantage of the opportunity as much as I can to watch how they school their horses both on the flat and over fences.

At the top level of the sport the little details matter so much and the best riders are so meticulous. Particularly with the Masters tournament, there is such a wide variety of styles that all come together in one place and I find it very interesting to see the routines and practices of different riders; each one is unique, but all are extremely effective. I’ve always felt that our international tournaments could be thought of as a series of free riding lessons.

What have been some of your proudest moments?

Whether it’s jumping a good round in an important event or looking back and seeing the progress of a nice young horse over the course of a season, my proudest moments are a compilation of many small events. My favourite part of working with horses is that no two days are ever the same. There are always little changes in the horses from day to day, and it keeps things interesting and engaging. I get to spend the majority of my time outdoors with a fantastic team, which is a lot more than can be said for a lot of jobs!