Although Elizabeth “Liz” Bates was a city girl and didn’t grow up in a horsey family, she had always felt the pull of the barn and was drawn to horses. She began riding at the age of six and was soon competing on the Ontario Trillium circuit. In her mid-teens, she transitioned to the ‘A’ circuit where she competed in the hunter, jumper, and equitation divisions. A few short years later, Bates got her first taste of team competition at the 2010 North American Young Riders’ Championship in Lexington, KY, where she rode Marvelous 6.
After earning her honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto with a double major in psychology and political science, Bates moved south of the border to work with U.S. Olympic team gold and silver medalist, Leslie Howard, for a year. She then went out on her own and made headlines by winning the $35,000 Brookstreet Grand Prix at the 2015 Ottawa International show jumping tournament riding Wildfire, a horse her older sister had found as a one-year-old at an auction.
The following year, at the age of 27, Bates moved to Europe for the summer and based with Dietmar Gugler in Germany. Impressed by the well-rounded European system of producing horses, from breeding all the way to top level sport, Bates elected to stay. She selected Belgium as her new training base due to its central location and her ability to speak French, and this ideal set-up has allowed Bates to work locally while simultaneously participating in the sport at a global level.
Bates has approximately one dozen horses in training at her Breakaway Equestrian business including her own competition horses and a select number of sales prospects from clients and partners. She also enjoys managing a small breeding program, using quality mares she’s had in the sport to produce a few foals each year. While riding and competing at the highest level is her primary focus, developing and selling sport horses is integral to supporting that goal.
Having had her first taste of team competition at the Young Riders’ Championship, Bates was inspired to ride as a member of the Canadian Show Jumping Team. She met that goal in 2019 when she represented Canada in the €100,000 Nations’ Cup held at CSIO4*-W Rabat, Morocco, riding Chronos 31, a horse she subsequently sold to the U.S.
Her top horses currently include Heartbeat W, King of Kannan, and Coach 11, a Hanoverian gelding that she purchased as a six-year-old after seeing him on-line competing at a national show. All three horses were produced to the grand prix level by Bates herself. When she’s not in the saddle, Bates is scouting young jumper and hunter prospects that she can train and develop for the sales market. She prefers to buy horses with little experience so that she can do the training herself and thereby know the horses better when it comes to finding a suitable buyer.
As a passionate learner, Bates can often be found reading mystery novels or autobiographies and listening to educational podcasts. A former competitive gymnast, Bates now maintains her fitness through varying forms of physical activities and is almost never seen without her beloved dogs.
