Kilby Brunner of Hillsburgh took home the reserve champion title for the Royal All-Canadian Pony Jumper Championship at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Brunner, 13, won the pony jumper welcome class on Nov. 4, coming in with the fastest time and cleanest run.
In the pony jumper stake on Nov. 5, Brunner came in 3rd and then placed 7th in the pony jumper final later that afternoon. Her collected points earned her the title of all-Canadian pony jumper reserve champion.
Getting to the Royal was a journey for Brunner.
In 2015, her pony Kauri underwent colic surgery at the Milton Equine Hospital.
“In her case, it’s called an impaction so what happened was in her intestines, the food didn’t flow through anymore,” explained Brunner’s mother Kirsten. “So they had to pull all of it out, move the impaction and stitch her back up … Colic surgery is a very big surgery for horses.”
After about two months of recovery, Kauri was back in the ring.
This was the first Royal for the 11-year-old pony, said Brunner.
The pair had to qualify in a circuit during the summer. The pony jumper class takes only the top six riders from Ontario, six from the western provinces, six from Quebec and two from the Maritimes.
Brunner was also competing against older teens with larger ponies. Kauri only stands at 13.1 hands and is one of the smallest in the competition.
But the pair was able to pull ahead and take home the reserve champion prize.
“Exciting, fun,” said Brunner, describing how she felt claiming the honour.
“I was reserve champion last year in the same division, so it was fun to get the same again,” she said.
Kristen said she’s a proud mom, adding there’s a special connection with Kauri.
“The pony’s mother was my show pony and won awards at the Royal Winter Fair in carriage driving with me 20 years ago,” she said.
The Brunners own and operate Beaverwood Farms in Hillsburgh.
