One Big Thing: Equestrian Canada Honors Champions of Bromont’s Olympic Legacy at Red, White & Gold Celebration
Flanked by members of the RCMP, Todd Walsh (President, Equestrian Canada) and Peggy Hambly (Chair, EC National Awards Committee) present Bromont CCI Organizer Sue Ockendon with the Equestrian Canada Lifetime Achievement Award at the Red, White & Gold EC Fundraiser. Photo by Cealy Tetley.
Fifty years after the world’s top equestrians arrived in Bromont for the equestrian competitions of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, members of Canada’s eventing community gathered at the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park to celebrate the people whose vision, leadership and dedication have preserved and advanced that legacy for generations to come.
Held during MARS Bromont CCI, the Red, White & Gold fundraising gala brought together Olympians, national team athletes, officials, volunteers, supporters and community leaders to commemorate Bromont’s Olympic heritage while recognizing four outstanding recipients of Equestrian Canada and eventing community awards.
The evening’s highest honour, the Equestrian Canada Lifetime Achievement Award, was presented to Sue Ockendon of Knowlton, Quebec, whose impact on Canadian eventing has been felt by generations of riders, coaches, officials, volunteers and organizers.
For nearly four decades, Ockendon has served as the steward of one of Canada’s most important equestrian venues. Since founding the Bromont Three-Day Event with Captain Mark Phillips in the late 1980’s, she has transformed Bromont into one of North America’s premier eventing destinations, earning an international reputation for excellence in competition management, course preparation, athlete experience and horse welfare. Her meticulous attention to footing, cross-country fence design, safety, plus recruiting the best officials and course designers, has ensured that Bromont continues to evolve and thrive.
Yet her greatest contribution may be measured not in the events she has organized, but in the people she has inspired and supported. Through mentorship, advocacy and opportunity creation, she has helped develop generations of Canadian riders, including athletes who have gone on to represent Canada at the Olympic Games, FEI World Championships, Pan American Games and Nations Cups. Her influence also extends far beyond Quebec: as an FEI Eventing Level 3 Technical Delegate, she has officiated at competitions across North, Central and South America, and played a significant role in organizing and developing eventing programs in Mexico.
Through the Bromont Rising U25 program, which she co-founded with the late Steve Blauner, she has provided mentorship, education, stable management training and financial support to aspiring riders from across North America. Bromont has become a proving ground for future champions and national team athletes thanks in large part to Ockendon’s unwavering belief in young people and their potential.
Canadian Olympian Mike Winter spoke passionately about Ockendon’s impact on the sport and the role Bromont has played in developing generations of athletes, in his acceptance speech for El Mundo receiving Equestrian Canada’s Horse of the Year for 2025.
“Sue and Bromont are pillars of equestrian eventing sport in Canada. There’s not a single one of us in eventing that Sue and Bromont hasn’t had a lasting effect on. It’s created a launch pad for people like Jay Hambly, Peter Gray — people have had long equestrian careers because of the opportunities that Bromont has provided. I did my first FEI competition at Bromont when I was 17 years old and to be a part of this equestrian community in Canada — even to be a small part of it now that I live in England — is really, really special. Thank you Sue and thank you everyone here at Bromont.”
Major International Events This Weekend
Bramham International CCI4*-L (GBR): [Website] [Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]
Aspen Farm HT CCI4*-S (WA): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]
Vittel Grand National CCI4*-S (FRA): [Website] [Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]
US Events This Weekend
Shepherd Ranch Pony Club HT I (CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]
Seneca Valley Pony Club HT (MD): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]
Horse Park of New Jersey HT I (NJ): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]
Silverwood Farm HT (WI): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map]
Golden Spike HT (UT): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]
Full Gallop Farm June HT (SC): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]
Stone Gate Farm Spring Mini Trials (OH): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]
Other Links and Reading
Sponsor Corner: Stable View Camp Run-A-Muck
Thursday, June 25, 2026 – Sunday, June 28, 2026
Camp Run-A-Muck is a 3-Day immersive adult running and wellness camp hosted at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina — an expansive, trail-filled venue that captures the spirit of movement, community, and the great outdoors. This all-inclusive summer camp for adults brings together trail runs, coaching workshops, nutrition seminars, yoga, a self-defense session, and delicious chef-prepared meals — creating an experience that’s equal to education, adventure, and pure fun.
The Bistro at Stable View will provide freshly prepared meals, whole-food breakfast options, and refreshments from Thursday dinner time to Sunday breakfast time. There are professionally designed single and shared occupancy accommodations available.
[Click here to register], closes Thursday, June 18th
Key Retreat Facilitators:
- Coach Victoria Seahorn, Marathon Majic — training program director
- Kayla Fitzgerald, Endurance Nutrition — sports nutrition & fueling
- Andy Watford — personal safety & self-defense
Training Tip of the Day
Join Amelia Newcomb as she takes a lesson with Sue Martin on all things Flying Changes — from quality and straightness to adjustability and carriage:
Go Eventing
Walk the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Bicton course with Laura Collett and course designer Helen West:
