Almost right away, it was clear that Emily Winkel had special abilities on a horse.
In Winkel's first year of equestrian competition, she and her coach, Corea Anderson, were entered in the same class in a particular show. During the course of the day, Anderson was passing along riding tips to her young student.
And then something unexpected happened.
"She beat me," Anderson said with a laugh. "She parked herself beside me, almost, and I coached her through the whole thing. And she beat me, so I guess I was doing my job."
That was three years ago. Winkel is now 15 and has continued to shine on horseback. She ended last season ranked No. 3 in Canada in most of her categories and is now on the verge of competing in the biggest show of her life.
Today, Winkel and her parents will drive out of Prince George, bound for Brandon, Man., site of the Appaloosa Nationals. Winkel's horse is a seven-year-old Appaloosa named Spot Me a Romance, or Romeo for short, and he'll be in tow for the long journey east.
The Appaloosa Nationals will attract equestrians from across Canada and the United States and will give Winkel the opportunity to test her skills against the elite of her sport. She'll also earn points that will go toward her national ranking.
"I'm very excited, just to see what's out there for Appaloosas and the fact that I get to go and show against more people and get more points," she said.
Winkel will team up with Romeo in several disciplines -- halter, showmanship, hunter under saddle, horsemanship, reining, Western pleasure and trail.
Halter is simply showing the horse or "confirming" it for the judges, while showmanship focuses on the handling and presentation of the horse. Both are done with the rider on the ground. The rest of the events are done with the rider in the saddle and showcase the horse's "way of going" and the rider's ability to control its movements in a variety of circumstances.
Winkel will start competition at the Appaloosa Nationals on Wednesday. Anderson is entered as well. Both will be first-timers at the event.
Winkel's goal is to secure as many top-three placings as possible. Based on how well Winkel has been riding lately, her coach is anticipating a successful meet for her.
"She has improved leaps and bounds since even the middle of June," Anderson said. "We've done a lot of pattern-type work -- horsemanship patterns -- so by doing that, her ability to manoeuvre Romeo around has improved drastically. Last year, she could hardly finish a horsemanship pattern and this year she's winning equitation patterns."
Winkel, who will enter Grade 10 at College Heights secondary school in September, has one long-term objective in her sport.
"I want to ride until I die," she said with a grin.
