by Caroline Soble
Equestrian Canada

The globe-trotting process of Pan American Games qualification isn’t wholly unfamiliar to Canadian eventing athlete, Dana Cooke, as she previously attended the 2011 edition in Guadalajara as a groom. This time around, she hopes to represent Canada from the saddle rather than the sidelines.

These days, you can find Cooke at any number of locations across the western hemisphere: the Nicola Valley native currently resides in Mooresville, N.C., and her eyes are locked on earning qualifying scores at three-day events across North America for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

For four years, Cooke traveled with Canadian Olympian Rebecca Howard as a working student and groom. This invaluable opportunity enabled her to peek behind the major games curtain at the 2011 Pan Ams and 2012 London Olympic Games, and was a critical experience in Cooke’s own development as a high performance athlete.

Dana Cooke (left) is armed with insider knowledge of the Pan Am selection process from her time grooming for Canadian Olympian Rebecca Howard (right). The pair was all smiles after Howard completed the cross-country phase at the 2011 Guadalajara Pan Am Games. (Photo courtesy of Dana Cooke).

By the time she was ready to strike out on her own, Cooke had learned through her time with Howard that the key to major games qualification was to, “Work hard and believe in your program, especially if it’s proving to be successful, and not get too caught up in just trying to get selected. Stick to your plan; make improvements, but not unnecessary drastic changes. [Working as a groom] also helped me be prepared for what to expect during the selection process, and hopefully will help me be prepared for what to expect at the Games themselves. It gives you a good appreciation for what it takes to get there, for both the rider and the groom.”

Now that Cooke is the one with plans to ride for the maple leaf, she is supported by a groom of her own, Tesla Parker (U.S).

“We have a very similar relationship to what Howard and I had,” remarked Cooke. “We are friends, but also have a business relationship and are very good at separating the two. Tesla is not only my groom, but also my head rider and assistant trainer, similar to what I was for Howard. I would say Tesla is my right hand and a lot of the time my left hand, too! I truly couldn’t do this without her.”

Dana Cooke is passing on the lessons she learned with Rebecca Howard to her groom and right-hand woman, Tesla Parker (USA). (Photo courtesy of of Dana Cooke).

Cooke and Parker have many charges under their care, including FE Mississippi, a nine-year-old Dutch Sport Horse owned by the FE Mississippi Syndicate LLC and known simply as “Missi.” Together, Cooke and the grey mare are making a strong case for selection to the Canadian Eventing Team for Lima 2019. The pair nabbed an impressive second place finish in the 2019 Chattahoochee Hills event, held in Fairburn, Ga., from April 5 to 7.

Speaking to their performance at Chattahoochee Hills, Cooke commented, “Missi jumped and galloped super on cross-country. Obviously, we need to be faster for the Pan Ams, but my plan wasn’t to make time at Chatt Hills but to be about 10 to 15 seconds over, which we did. Cross country is Missi’s favourite phase and she loves tricky turning questions. I couldn’t be happier with how she is stepping up this year.”

Having proved their mettle in Georgia, Cooke feels confident in the combination’s chances for selection to the Pan Am team.

“Results like this show that we are competitive in a large field of horses and can deliver a clear cross-country round on a technical course,” she explained.

In addition to FE Mississippi, Cooke hopes to qualify for the 2019 Pan Ams with Whole Lotta Rosie, Kingfisher Park’s eight-year-old Württemberger mare, and seems to be on the right track after earning a top-10 finish in the 2019 Ocala International Festival of Eventing, held April 10 to 14.

With her two major games hopefuls in tow (along with several other young horses with future Canadian Equestrian Team potential), Cooke’s next steps on the journey to Lima will be the Bromont Horse Trials, set for June 5 to 9 in Bromont, Que.

“Dana has paid her dues in all ways, and has put in the hard work and study,” commented Howard. “She has built a great team and I can’t wait to see her fly the flag… this time from horseback!”

When all is said and done, Cooke’s approach to making it to the 2019 Pan Ams all goes back to those life lessons she learned at the hands of Howard: “Work hard, be a good person and a good horseman, and you will get there. I am on a constant path to improve myself and would love the honour of representing Canada.”

Want to support Cooke and other Canadian equestrians on their quest for gold? Donate to the 2019 Lima Pan American Games #RidetoLima Fundraiser here.