Summary
Work History
Education
Skills
Languages
Timeline
Generic
Donna Kavanagh

Donna Kavanagh

Foothills

Summary

Dynamic equestrian professional with extensive experience as an Equestrian Canada Recorded Jumper Judge at Cara Stables. Proven expertise in coaching, event management, and judging across 29 disciplines. Adept at fostering competitive spirit while ensuring safety. Committed to continuous learning, I have successfully trained national winners and developed effective strategies for horse show operations.

Work History

Equestrian Canada Recorded Jumper Judge

Cara Stables


  • As an Arabian Horse judge, I Adapted to various equestrian disciplines (29 disciplines/divisions), developing versatility in skills and knowledge.
  • As a coach, I Learned equestrian safety protocols, maintaining a safe environment for riders and horses.
  • As a coach, Promoted positive attitude and competitive spirit during training and gameplay.
  • As a Horse Show Manager, I Coordinated fun, successful affordable equestrian events, showcasing the skills of both riders and their horses.
  • As a trainer, I Coached and trained students in basic care and maintenance of horses and stables in addition to riding technique, form, and skills.
  • As a trainer, I Provided expert guidance to clients seeking advice on purchasing new or additional horses, assessing suitability based on intended use and compatibility with existing equines.
  • As a horse woman, I am always interested in learning. I Actively pursue professional development opportunities by attending training seminars and workshops to continually improve teaching skills, organizing training clinics to help myself and other professionals with their horsemanship and expand industry knowledge.
  • As a barn owner & horse farm manager (breeding, boarding, lessons), I have adapted quickly to changing game plans and strategies. I have established strong relationships with Vets, Farriers, body workers and industry feed suppliers
  • I am the Director of Region 17 for AHA (Western Canada) I have contributed to the development of policies and procedures to enhance overall operations within AHA through committee work fostering more efficient and better ways to run Horse shows for Youth, Amateur and all disciplines.
  • I am the Chair of the Equestrian Canada Breed Sports Committee and I actively work collaboratively with colleagues to develop strategies to increase effectiveness and responsiveness for the horse industries evolving needs.

Education

Business

Mount Royal University
Calgary
04-1989

Skills

  • Riding and Showing Horses
  • My career and love for horses began early I have been lucky enough to begin showing at the age of 6 with my Arabian/Welsh pony Cookie She was my fourth horse, and an angel We did the farm fairs, where we were exposed to diverse equestrian events Riding the saddle seat horses has taught me about how to keep a horse upright and moving their best Showing Western Pleasure has taught me about quiet seat and keeping a horse soft and supple Riding Dressage has taught me all the lateral work that I love and apply every single ride Preparing the babies, who were the production of my parents breeding program, for halter and performance, is all about conditioning and looking forward with a plan All these skills serve me well I have have bred/ trained/ coached National winners in Saddle Seat, Park Horse, English Pleasure, Country English Pleasure, Show Hack, Sport Horse, Dressage, Hunter, Jumper, Trail, Western Pleasure Equitation and Halter In the jumper world, we usually attend Spruce or RMSJ once a month and I am very proud of 2 horses that I own who have has a first every time they compete
  • Coaching and mentorship
  • By my early twenties, I was craving some new knowledge and I found myself an amazing coach and mentor in Claudia Cojocar and my hunger for all things Hunter/Jumper started
  • What a great start and introduction to this industry
  • Judging
  • My quest for knowledge continued into my 30's
  • I was able to pass the grueling AHA 3 day test and go forward with my Arabian judges card on the first try At that time, it had an intimidating 90% failure rate The challenge in judging the breed shows is knowledge of so many disciplines There are so many "may be",, "must be","shall be" and whip lengths to be memorized In addition all the judging specs for 25-30 different divisions, but study I did, and I was committed This exam was multiple choice, short answer, long answer, videos of movement and a long interview from the team Soon after the test changed to the real format of open book, the way it should be Judging horses is about rules, movement and book keeping
  • Event Management and Responsibility
  • I have run horse shows, which has given my the skill to understand the big picture The more people that you work with, the more you learn about problem solving and people skills
  • I have volunteered at many levels including right at the top, giving me a appropriate skill to understand how everyone works together at a horse show
  • I have always been one to read the rules, know the rules, and ask my steward/network when one of those circumstances comes up that you have never seen before I am very competitive by nature and I like to be organized It has always been something that was a big part of showing horses in many different disciplinesIt helps me to be well prepared when i know the rules and pay attention to detail I am not afraid to ask questions when my life experiences hasn't prepared me for the situation in front of me For my shadow judging, I understand my role an responsibility to learn I always told my senior judges, I am not here to be perfect , i am here to learn, so throw it at me I am grateful for all that i learned each day from each one of them and what a team I got to work with at Spruce Meadows
  • Course Designing
  • My boarding barn has hosted pony club over the years and I have taken in a course designing clinic as part of that experience with Donna Hammer and Kris Van Eaton The horse industry as a whole just always keeps us learning I have an amazing grass ring that is 250' X 300' with a grob, dry ditch table top, bank and some gentle slope on the backside Coaching in that ring always makes me smile The challenges that it provides to my students does an incredible job in teaching them how to handle more than just riding down a rail Introducing challenges in a way that builds confidence in an interesting aspect of this industry and always provides an opportunity to learn I am driven to always learn which brought me to where I am today, pursuing my jumper judges card

Languages

English

Timeline

Equestrian Canada Recorded Jumper Judge

Cara Stables

Business

Mount Royal University
Donna Kavanagh