For Chris Pratt, it all began with four goats. After spending his first ten years in the city, Chris moved to the country when his father inherited a farm north of Toronto. There were sheep, chickens, goats; every type of farm animal except horses. Tired of hearing Chris ask for a pony, his father finally relented, trading four goats for what would become a lifelong commitment for Chris.
In 1994, Chris made a name for himself by topping the Kanatek Talent Squad, a means of identifying future members of the Canadian Show Jumping Team. It would prove to be an accurate predictor of the future, as Chris soon scored his first grand prix victory in the $50,000 Audi Grand Prix at the 1997 Collingwood Horse Show riding Davos.
Having operated his own business, Performance Horses Unlimited, in Terra Cotta, ON, Chris accepted a full-time position riding for Susan Grange’s Lothlorien Farm in 2004. The move propelled him onto the international stage, and he was named to Nations’ Cup teams for the 2005 Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ tournament in Calgary, AB, as well as the 2006 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, where he delivered two clear rounds riding Mustique to clinch an important victory for Canada. Later that year, Chris made his major games debut riding Rivendell at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.
In 2007, the winds of change took Chris to sunny California where he built up an impressive clientele at his Epic Stables in Middle Ranch. Following a decade of devoting himself to coaching clients and quality horse sales, Chris made a conscious decision to refocus on his own international riding career in 2016 by moving to Edal Ranch in Rancho Santa Fe, considered one of the finest training stables in southern California. The decision quickly paid dividends. During the 2016 HITS Desert Circuit alone, Chris won four grand prix events, including the $350,000 CSI5* Grand Prix, riding three different horses.
In May of 2016, Chris once again led the victory gallop, this time following a win in the $100,000 Grand Prix of Del Mar with the exciting young prospect, Concorde. Chris’s goal of once again representing Canada in major games competition is quickly gaining momentum; it won’t be long before the Canadian transplant is back on the world stage.
Luigi
2006 bay Oldenburg gelding by Larino x Andiamo Z
Owner: Caron Stucky
Concorde
2007 chestnut Dutch Warmblood gelding by Vaillant x Concorde
Owner: Epic Group, LLC
Kalinka de Kalvaire
2010 grey Belgian Warmblood mare by Mr. Blue x Acord I
Owner: Stal Jan Verellen
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