The Thunderbird Show Park in Langley will be filled with horses and their riders set to compete in the $100,000 CSI3* ATCO Cup show jumping event Sunday, Aug. 21.
Overseeing many of the competitions at this show will be Maple Ridge resident Phyllis Attrill.
“I’ve been a judge for about 18 or 20 years, and now I’m a senior jumper judge, which means I can judge at a national level, including at gold shows,” said Attrill.
Not only will Attrill be judging for the $100,000 CSI3* ATCO Cup, but she’ll also be lending her expertise as a jumper judge for the entire Summer Fort Classic, which is currently underway until Sunday.
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Attrill will be one of four jumper judges in charge of the event and is the only judge to hail from the Metro Vancouver area.
But long before joining the Thunderbird team as a judge, Attrill was already putting down roots in the local equestrian community.
“I taught for 40 years at the Maple Ridge Equi-Sports Centre and even rode there as a child,” said Attrill.
As she progressed further in her teaching career, Attrill decided to try something new and dip her toe into the world of equestrian event judging.
“At first, I got my judges card, but only did it part-time until I retired from teaching,” she said.
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The Summer Fort Classic runs from Aug. 16 to 21, with each day involving riders competing in either jumper, hunter, or equitation events.
Aug. 21 will be the day that the $100,000 CSI3* ATCO Cup takes place, where Attrill will truly put her jumper judging expertise to the test.
Admission to the event costs $11.51 for general admission and is free for children younger than five-years-old. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.showpass.com/100000-csi3-atco-cup-150m/.
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