Ashley Mytting's bond with horse Hannah has taken on an international flavour.
Two years ago, the pair combined to win multiple dressage events, including earning two gold medals and a team bronze for Zone 8 at the 2010 British Columbia Summer Games.
Since then Mytting said she's concentrated on moving up levels in her training.
In May, the duo entered their first Prix St. George Level testing event during the Spruce Ridge Pony Club's event in Prince George. Prix St. George is the first testing level in dressage for international competitions.
"It was a good experience," said Mytting. "I never thought I'd get here so it's a bit surreal.
"It's just a very hard, high level to get to when you start at the very bottom," said the 18-year-old. "To get to one of the top levels is a big deal."
Prix St. George Level adds movements with a higher degree of difficulty than Mytting and Hannah were competing at up to Level 4, including the cantor half past, multiple flying changes and entrance at a cantor.
Mytting and Hannah competed last weekend at the 2012 North Central Cadora Dressage, Hack and Jumping Show, held at the P.G. Agriplex. They placed first with a 64 per cent score in the young rider individual competition. Mytting also rode Prussia, a horse she's training, in a pair of tests placing second both times with a 73 per cent in Test 3 and 71 per cent in Test 2.
A graduate of Duchess Park secondary school's French Immersion program in 2011, Mytting is balancing her dressage training with her post-secondary education at the College of New Caledonia where she's taking the four-year registered nursing program.
Mytting said her goal right now is to earn enough points in order to qualify for the 2013 North American Junior and Young Rider competition in Kentucky where she can compete up to age 25.
"You get two qualifying scores throughout the next year for a minimum of 62 per cent - the higher the better," said Mytting. "There's [usually] a couple of different kids that go from across Canada to compete on a Canadian team against all different countries."
With school and then establishing her nursing career a priority, Mytting said she has no plans to compete at higher level competitions after that.
Mytting began competing when she was seven but started riding at three.
"My mom has rode horses all her life starting when she was 13 and I started on horses in a little baby carrier," said Mytting.
Her mom is Susie Ramsay, the 1989 B.C. Summer Games dressage champion who coaches young riders as part of Susie's Girls in Prince George, including three who are in contention for the B.C. Summer Games in Surrey, July 19-22.
Ramsay said watching her daughter and Hannah in dressage events never gets old.
"When I see Ashley riding it's like watching a ballet in motion, very smooth," said Ramsay. "They're definitely best friends."
