After riding for pleasure as a child, Nicole Shinton returned to the sport as an adult and quickly found her hobby turning into a competitive career. At eight years of age, she had participated in the Canadian Pony Club with her first horse, eventually competing in low-level hunters and jumpers, but her interest in horses faded in her teenage years while her love of acting and the theatre became more pronounced. Despite a strong interest in play writing, and even seeing one of her scripts turned into a Toronto stage production, Nicole decided to make a safer career choice by earning her degree from York University and becoming a Private Investigator.
She met her future husband, Alan Shinton, on the job and, while the couple took up golf in their spare time, Nicole found herself dreaming of once again owning a horse. Alan encouraged her to begin taking lessons and, one week later, Nicole was the proud owner of a lovely mare. In five short years, Nicole went from being introduced to the sport of eventing to being the highest placed Canadian competitor at the prestigious 2004 CCI** Radnor Hunt International Three Day Event in Pennsylvania.
Nicole was named the 2004 Adult Amateur Intermediate Rider of the Year by the United States Eventing Association, a remarkable feat for a Canadian rider in such a highly competitive division, and accomplished her goal of competing at the advanced level. Based on her success, Nicole was named to the 2005 Canadian Eventing Team Long List with two horses, Pamela and The Grey Pony, a horse that was saved from slaughter for $300 in New Zealand before enjoying a successful eventing career.
In 2007, a rotational fall from Pamela left Nicole with a shattered ankle that required numerous screws, two plates, and one year of rehab. Returning to eventing, Nicole found the loss of flexion in her ankle hindered her jumping ability and she slowly switched her focus to dressage. Having purchased GB Classic ‘sight unseen’ from Germany in January of 2008, Nicole has never looked back. The pair is now successfully competing at the Prix St. Georges/Intermediaire level.
Married for 10 years, Nicole and Alan own Greenbrier Farms, a 160 acre eventing facility in Uxbridge, ON, that includes 23 stalls, an 80 x 200 indoor arena, and a cross country course complete with two water complexes. Nicole also shares a family connection to the Canadian Equestrian Team - her cousin, Melissa Brown, competed in show jumping at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain.
Pamela 1993 bay English thoroughbred mare, 16.3hh
Owner: Nicole Shinton
GB Classic 1994 bay Rheinlander gelding, 16.2hh
Owner: Nicole Shinton
GB Marko 1996 chestnut Dutch Warmblood gelding, 16.1hh
Owner: Nicole Shinton
O-Topia 1996 bay selle francais gelding, 16.3hh by Inferno
Owner: Nicole Shinton
Chinook 1998 grey Oldenburg gelding, 17hh
Owner: Nicole Shinton
Wallenstein 1998 chestnut Swedish Warmblood gelding, 17.3hh by Warsteiner
Owner: Nicole Shinton
Donnatelli 2002 dark bay Swedish Warmblood gelding, 17.3hh by Don Schufro
Owner: Nicole Shinton
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