Meet Jacquie
After graduating from the University of Western Ontario in 1990, Jacqueline Brooks was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the Pan Am Games in Havana, Cuba as a groom for Canadian Ashley Holzer. The following year, Finnegan, an Oldenburg gelding, was purchased by Brooks in Germany as a two year old. The duo would later go on to compete in the Swarovski Canadian League World Cup Final in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, Brooks won the Prix St. Georges Derby at the CDI3* in Sydney, Australia, and with her teammate won Silver Medal in the CDI Invitational.
With her 2003 Pan American Games team silver medal mount Gran Gesto, an Oldenburg gelding owned in partnership by Eric and Mary Brooks (Brinc Ltd.) and Anne Welch, Brooks enjoyed considerable success starting with their Grand Prix debut in early 2004 which qualified them for the Canadian Olympic Trials. Second and third placings in 2005 CDI3*s (Ottawa and Toronto) provided the pair with qualifying scores for the Canadian League World Cup Final where they finished in 3rd place. Earlier in October that year, Brooks and her young horse, Balmoral, repeated their victory in the North American Breeders Futurity - this time as a 6 year old - at Dressage at Devon in Pennsylvania. 2006 began in Florida where Brooks competed regularly on the Florida circuit finding successes with both horses: Gran Gesto in the Large Tour and introducing her young horse, Balmoral, to the Small Tour.
Brooks and Gran Gesto earned a place on Canada's World Equestrian Games team and traveled to Europe for preparatory training and competition. Although an ill-timed hoof abscess prevented them from riding in Aachen, they enjoyed impressive results competing in lead-up competition including second place in the Freestyle at CDI3*Pompadour, France, and ninth at CDI3* Fritzens, Austria.
Brooks and Balmoral returned to Canada to put in a great show at the prestigious Dressage at Devon CDI3* where they came 2nd in the Intermediaire I and won the Intermediaire Freestyle. Brooks was named the inaugural recipient of the annual John Perry Memorial Award for outstanding sportsmanship exhibited by a performance sport athlete.
In April 2007, Jacqueline & Gran Gesto were awarded a ‘wild card’ from the FEI to represent Canada at the World Cup Finals. This was the first appearance for Brooks at the World Cup Finals after a number of years competing at the Canadian World Cup League Finals.
Jacqueline and Gran Gesto were named to the 2008 Olympic Games Canadian Dressage Team after an impressive winter competition season in Florida with a win in the Palm Beach Derby CDI-W Grand Prix Speciale and a double second place behind team mate Ashley Holzer at the Wellington CDI3*.
