For Jocelyn Donaldson, there’s no greater thrill or honour than representing her country on the global stage.
The Harcourt-based equestrian competed for Team Canada at the 2026 International Mounted Games Association (IMGA) 2026 World Team Championships, in France Aug. 10-16. She was one of five Canadian riders, which Donaldson said is the pinnacle of the mounted games circuit – an extreme form of horse racing.
“The mounted games is a series of military-based tactical relay races played on horseback,” Donaldson said. “Riders have to be comfortable racing at a canter or a gallop and be prepared to lean or even jump off the horses to retrieve different items in motion. It’s very competitive.”
Mounted games were originally inspired by Prince Philip, with the first event in London in 1957. He introduced the games via the Canadian Pony Club, which runs competition in dressage, showjumping, eventing and mounted games.
Tryouts for the national team were held in Newmarket last October, with Donaldson making the squad alongside one of her best friends, Karen Foell. That made the experience even better, Donaldson said.
The first two days were spent learning the course and developing relationships with the ponies they’d be riding.
Because it was overseas, Donaldson said it would have cost more than $10,000 to ship each rider’s personal horse. After that, it was four days of racing.
Donaldson had a far-from-ideal start, saying she wasn’t a match for her first pony and had to quickly bond with a second.
“We’re really relying on them to keep us safe, so there has to be a lot of trust built up very quickly,” she said.
The Canadians were one of 13 countries competing. Team Canada finished fourth in the ‘B’ finals, or consolation bracket.
With a second worlds appearance under her belt, Donaldson said she’s not sure she’ll pursue a third – wanting to focus on training the next generation of riders. She said she’s working with three young equestrians looking to get involved in the mounted games.
“Mounted games exist in Canada right now, but at a very small level. It’s a bigger thing in the U.S. and definitely Europe, so it’d be great to get this out there more, because I feel like people have no idea,” Donaldson said.
Next up for her is an appearance at a national event in Ocala, Florida in October, where she’ll be taking her 14-year-old Arabian horse, Darsha. She’s doing some fundraising to help get there, including raffles.
