Dowling and Mocha prepare for World Games

Dr. Trish Dowling of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and her 12-year-old mare ZF Mocha finished a 100-mile endurance ride on May 17 in Jarvie, Alta., with a qualifying time for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky.

Dowling says she and Mocha are now aiming to compete as one of 14 Canadian horse and rider teams at the Kentucky Cup in October 14 — a “pre-ride” for the 2010 WEG endurance competition.

Only six horse and rider teams from Canada will compete at the 2010 WEG endurance ride in Kentucky, and with some luck, Dowling hopes that she and Mocha will be among the country’s top six.

Mocha, whose Arabian sire and Standardbred dam were part of a wound healing study at the WCVM in the mid-1990s, was purchased as a yearling by Dowling in 1998. The small but tough filly’s competitive career in endurance riding began when she was four years old and has taken off in the past few years under the guidance of Dowling, a veterinary pharmacologist and a seasoned competitor in endurance riding.

The pair earned a “Certificate of Capability” at the Fort Howes CEI*** 100-mile endurance race near Ashland, Mont., in 2006 — qualifying them for CEI**** international team events for two years.