Coast-to-Coast Canadian Championship for Hazel McLean and Rosalita at Toronto’s Royal Horse Show
Hazel McLean of Vancouver, BC, made her Royal Horse Show debut a memorable one by claiming the 2025 Junior/Amateur Hunter Canadian Championship title on Monday, November 10, during the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.
In their first appearance at The Royal, McLean and Rosalita, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare sired by Dakar VDL, opened the division with a second-place finish over fences and third under saddle on Sunday before returning on Monday to win the stake on a high score of 91. Along with the division tricolor from a competitive field of 16 horses, McLean was presented with the Murray and Louise Cornblum Challenge Trophy.
“This is our first time competing in the east,” said 17-year-old McLean, who qualified for this year’s Royal Horse Show with successful results at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC. “We flew her all the way here hoping to just get in the ring and have a good experience. This exceeded all my expectations!”
McLean, who trains with Eliza Hunt at Obsidian Hunter Jumper in Delta, BC, has been partnered with Rosalita for less than a year, and was unsure about their future in the hunter ring at the start of their time together.
“She has a lot of blood for a hunter so I was nervous, but she turned out to be the best partner that I could have ever asked for,” said McLean with an ear-to-ear smile. “She’s probably the most incredible horse I will ever ride in my entire life.
“I don’t think I was breathing for any of my rounds,” continued McLean of her first experience competing in the Coca-Cola Coliseum. “Getting in there is an exhilarating experience that will go down as one of my best memories ever.”
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The Royal Horse Show • The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
