Show Team

If you are looking to compete in the hunter discipline at any level, Wynbrook Farm is your best opportunity for success!  Because our students are taught proper basics right from the beginning,  with correct technique and equitation styles, the show experience  is totally enjoyable and confidence building.  Wynbrook students are developed and supported with only positive learning experiences both at home and at the show.  Our coaches are experienced, professional and caring and we get results at every level.

For our recreational riders, Wynbrook Farm offers an "inhouse funshow" every fall or winter, which encourages students of all ages and abilities to participate with half the classes being serious equitation classes and jumping and the remainder being games and fun activities.  The emphasis is on fun  and personal enjoyment rather than placing, but it is a great introduction to the competition experience.

For our novice and entry-level riders, we travel to local primary hunter shows with students riding Wynbrook Farm's wonderful school horses and ponies.  Every year we receive so much attention and compliments for the quality of our horses and riders and we are proud to represent this level of competition in the Ottawa area for the past 26 years.

Wynbrook's advanced riders are trained and developed to be strong competitors on the Eastern Ontario Trillium circuit where we have enjoyed 100% qualification success for the provincial finals in Toronto.  Yes, that's right - every single rider Joanne has coached on the trillium circuit that has competed in the minimum number of shows to be eligible for qualification has indeed qualified for the Trillium Championships!  Wynbrook Farm has a strong base of boarders well mounted on highly successful horses, most of whom were found by Joanne and Taylor to help each rider accomplish their competition goals.  We are also fortunate to have several top show coaches to assist at the shows, so our riders are never waiting or left without guidance at any time.

And we don't stop at provincial success - several of our top hunter riders also compete nationally at the Quebec and Ontario A shows with our finals in Toronto at the prestigous Royal Winter Fair.  Many Wynbrook riders make The Royal as their ultimate goal and each year we enjoy helping them achieve this very prestigous goal.

 Any dream is possible - let Wynbrook Farm help make it a reality!

Joanne Brooks

Joanne has been riding for over 40 years with most of that time spent breeding, training and showing young hunters and sport horses.  Wynbrook Farm has bred numerous Canadian Sport Horse Champions on the line with top honours going to "Imagination" who won the prestigous and highly coveted Lieutenant Governor's Cup at the Royal Winter Fair in 1991.  Always loving the "babies" Joanne spent many years working with green hunters and showing them at local schooling shows before selling them and starting with the next one.  Flat work has always been Joanne's strong point so it seemed the natural transition to concentrate soley on dressage and she trained with several dressage trainers over the years, always bringing new exercises and insight back to her hunter lessons at Wynbrook Farm.

"When I was showing hunters everyone had Thoroughbreds and they required a very different style of ride than the modern warmbloods that dominate the hunter rings today. Without solid dressage and proper muscle development utilizing dressage training, our horses would not be able to use their bodies properly and jump so amazingly well."

Taylor Brooks

Taylor started her show career at the age of 3 on one of Wynbrook Farm's school ponies and quickly progressed up through the ranks of ponies at local shows.  Her love of showing was obvious and growing up in a busy riding and show barn atmosphere instilled a desire for constant learning and a strong work ethic. 

Joanne recalls a very early memory of bringing Taylor along to the local shows but not needing a babysitter because everyone knew Taylor and looked out for her.  And Taylor just knew how to watch the rings and how they were moving along, how to climb up on a tack box to reach the bridle and saddle, get her pony to move closer to the wheel well of the trailer while she climbed up in the saddle, already dressed by herself in her show clothes.  And there she would come trotting over to the warmup ring at the age of 5 - always on time, impecably dressed and wearing a smile of pure joy! 

Taylor's first Royal experience was aboard her medium pony "Beaverwoods Echo" in 2004 and continued to the Children's Hunters with "R'Olympic", then on to "Monaco" in the Junior Hunters and Jump Canada Medal for another visit to the Royal in 2006.  The "A" shows provided such a learning opportunity for Taylor and she developed her success both as a rider and as a coach for Wynbrook Farm's younger students.  She continued to receive guidance from her mother Joanne, but now needed the help of a few top jumper trainers to make the next step up to the jumper discipline and enjoyed a very successful first season with "Horizons Wasabi M" .  The CET Medal classes were the next goal on Taylor's list and with the help of  a wonderful experienced jumper, "Spencer" and Taylor were off to the Royal for another successful year.  "Empire 181" was an exciting young jumper prospect purchased by Wynbrook Farm and sent out for his early jumper training and showing with a local professional.  But 2011 was Taylor's year to take the reins and she and Empire exceeded everyone's expectations in the CET Medal division finishing up first in both Quebec and Ontario.    

Now a professional, Taylor is gradually taking on more of the coaching and training departments of Wynbrook Farm where she inspires and develops future champions to follow their dreams too.