Canadian Cowgirls Drill Team: Putting Horses at the Center of North American Rodeo

The Canadian Cowgirls Drill Team brings speed, precision, and unmistakable red-and-white rodeo energy to arenas across Canada and the United States. With flags flying, their performances showcase the trust, timing, and athleticism required of both rider and horse.

Since the team’s founding, the Canadian Cowgirls have built an impressive legacy at major equestrian and rodeo events across North America, including the Rose Bowl Parade, Calgary Stampede, and more. Behind those milestones is a story that began with a spur-of-the-moment opportunity and grew into one of Canada’s most recognizable mounted drill teams.

The Canadian Cowgirls’ story offers a closer look at the riders, horses, training, conditioning, and nutrition that keep an elite drill team performing at its best. For horses asked to thrive in fast-paced, high-energy arenas, thoughtful management and a horse-first approach help support the condition, confidence, and performance these unique equine athletes need.

The Little White Lie that Started it All

The Canadian Cowgirls began almost by accident, with what founder Terry Jenkins likes to call “a little white lie.”

While attending an equine expo, Terry accidentally bumped into a booth table, sending brochures flying across the floor. As she picked them up, she started reading about Can-Am, a new equine expo that organizers hoped would feature presenters, performances, and both American and Canadian drill teams.

Can-Am had already found a team from the United States, but organizers were still looking for the right Canadian drill team. Terry quickly realized she had an opportunity.

“Terry was there with Gwen Hall, one of our instructors,” team member Zoe Northcott says. “Terry told the Can-Am organizer she had a Canadian drill team. Gwen nudged Terry and whispered, ‘We don’t have a drill team. What are you talking about?'” But Terry held firm, repeating that she had a drill team and they could perform.

What began as an off-the-cuff promise quickly became her mission. Terry gathered a small group of riders, practiced diligently, refined their patterns, and turned a spur-of-the-moment opportunity into the first Canadian Cowgirls drill team.

Zoe’s Story: From Horse-Crazy Kid to Canadian Cowgirl

Joining the Canadian Cowgirls was an opportunity Zoe Northcott never could have imagined. Growing up, Zoe always wanted to ride, but lessons were not financially realistic for her family until she was 14, when her grandmother agreed to pay for two lessons a month.

“Every other weekend when I would visit her, we would go horseback riding,” Zoe says. “After that, I was hooked.”

At 16, Zoe got her first job, and every dollar went toward horses. “I was self-funded, and horses were my priority,” Zoe says. “Horses really kept me out of trouble and on the right path.”

After years of riding English, Zoe found a trail-guide job at TJ Stables, where she met Canadian Cowgirls founder Terry Jenkins. Terry taught her to ride Western and eventually invited her to a Canadian Cowgirls event.

 

Today, Zoe’s persistence and hard work have paid off as she rides into rodeos carrying flags, performs in sold-out arenas, and represents the team. “It’s crazy to me that this is what my life turned into,” Zoe says. “Horses have made my dreams come true.”

Becoming a Canadian Cowgirl

It takes the right rider, the right horse, and the right partnership to earn a place on the Canadian Cowgirls Drill Team.

“Every girl on the team has to try out, and their horse has to try out too,” Zoe says. “Both the rider and the horse have to make the team together.”

 

 

Because the Cowgirls perform fast, intricate patterns in close quarters, safety comes first, but a Canadian Cowgirls horse has to be more than just reliable. Their performances require physical fitness, responsiveness, confidence, and focus.

Terry often describes the ideal mount as a “handy horse,” one with the temperament, training, and confidence to handle speed, close formations, crowds, noise, and constant interaction with people.

The ideal Cowgirls horse also needs to be people-friendly for meet-and-greets and level-headed enough for high-energy environments. Some are even involved with the Acceptional Riders Program, the team’s charity of choice in Chatham, Ontario.

Once a pair makes the team, the real work begins. The Cowgirls’ season typically starts in May, but practices begin months earlier as the team prepares drill patterns and builds toward major performances. That commitment takes significant planning, as many riders balance the team with school, full-time jobs, training, and travel.

“When we have a big event coming up, Terry usually has an intricate idea of how she wants the pattern to look,” Zoe says. “We practice weekly, sometimes multiple days a week.”

Representing Canadian Rodeo Across North America

Many of the Canadian Cowgirls’ biggest milestones trace back to the team’s early years, when Terry and her riders began taking their performances far beyond their home arena and even beyond Can-Am.

The Cowgirls have represented Canada at major events across North America, including the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, the Indy 500 Parade, and the Canada Day Parade.

 

 

“Performing in the Rose Bowl Parade was a major highlight for the Cowgirls. That was a pretty awesome experience,” Zoe says.

The team has also performed for the then-Prince Charles, appeared on the Rick Mercer Report, and earned Best Mounted Unit twice at the Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade. Performing at the Calgary Stampede became another defining achievement for the Canadian Cowgirls team.

Recent Performance Milestones for the Canadian Cowgirls

The Canadian Cowgirls maintain a busy performance schedule across North America. In recent years, the team has appeared at major venues and equine events, including the Texas State Fair, BreyerFest, Equine Affaire, and Horse World Expo.

The Texas State Fair was one of the team’s most demanding recent performances. The Cowgirls performed multiple shows each day and completed more than 200 performances in 30 days, an accomplishment the team is especially proud of.

 

 

What began as a last-minute promise and a small group of riders has grown into an impressive legacy. Today, the Canadian Cowgirls continue to proudly bring their signature red-and-white style, precision riding, and high-energy performances to arenas across Canada and the United States.

Celebrity Endorsement in the Arena

A highlight of The Canadian Cowgirls’ experiences over the years includes sharing the arena with Amber Marshall, best known for playing Amy Fleming on the hit television series Heartland.

During the Royal Rodeo at Toronto’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Amber helps host the rodeo and explains the event to the crowd from horseback while the Cowgirls perform in the show.

For Zoe and other newer members of the team, meeting Amber Marshall in person for the first time at the 2024 International Plowing Match was a full-circle moment.

“I grew up watching her on TV, and suddenly she was right there in front of me on one of her horses,” Zoe says.

“My jaw just hit the floor. She is very sweet in person, she knows her stuff, and it’s obvious her animals mean the world to her.”

Conditioning the Cowgirls’ Horses for Fast, Demanding Performances

The Canadian Cowgirls’ performances may look effortless from the grandstands, but each horse has to be fit enough to handle the speed, tight turns, quick transitions, constant changes in formation, and a demanding performance schedule.

Their signature drill pattern typically runs for seven to eight minutes and requires a strong conditioning program.

 

 

“We’re always monitoring and conditioning our horses and making sure they are as fit as they can be to perform the tasks at hand,” Zoe says.

Because many riders keep their horses at their own facilities, each Cowgirl is responsible for maintaining her horse’s conditioning program between team practices.

“We try to ride our horses at least four times a week, whether that’s an intense training session for conditioning or a trail ride to stimulate their minds,” Zoe says.

That horse-first approach to conditioning took center stage during the Canadian Cowgirls’ recent 30-day run at the Texas State Fair.

After an equine virus outbreak prevented the team from bringing their own horses across the border, the fair supplied horses that had never performed a drill before. Many of those horses were also significantly underconditioned.

“We took it very slow to start and were very careful with how we conditioned them,” Zoe says. “But the girls also had to bring the horses along quickly and strategically.”

By the end of the fair, the difference in their horses’ performance was undeniable. “By the end, those horses were muscled and powerhouses going through the patterns,” Zoe says.

Fueling Rodeo Champs from the Great White North

Because of the physical conditioning and unique traits required of the Canadian Cowgirls’ horses, each horse needs the right nutritional foundation to support energy, training, performance, and mental focus in front of large crowds.

In 2025, The Canadian Cowgirls’ partnered with Mad Barn, and the team received comprehensive nutritional support and a diet analysis for every horse on the team.

The riders have reported healthier body condition, improved muscle tone, shinier coats, and steadier energy. These changes suggest the horses are better prepared to do their jobs and perform at their best.

“We started using Mad Barn products and our horses just started looking better overall,” Zoe says. “Being able to look down our lineup at an event and see all these healthy horses out there, performing their hearts out, and loving their jobs as much as we do has been so rewarding.”

Valley: From High Stress to Focused Performance

Zoe saw the difference firsthand with her own horse, Valley, a 10-year-old Arabian–Paint cross who completed his first full season with the Canadian Cowgirls last year.

Naturally hot, sensitive, and easily stressed, Valley began losing weight and muscle as the team’s travel schedule intensified.

“He definitely got a lot of the Arabian blood,” Zoe explains. “He’s easily excited and burns calories just standing there because he’s always on alert.”

 

 

After longer hauls and new environments added to his stress, Valley was diagnosed with gastric ulcers. Shortly after his ulcer treatment, the Mad Barn team analyzed his diet and recommended Omneity^® Pellets and w-3 Oil to support his overall health, topline, and muscle development.

“I knew he was a little underweight, but I was having a hard time keeping weight on him despite how much I was feeding him,” Zoe says. “I felt like I was pumping him full of hay and grain, and the weight just wasn’t staying on.”

Within six months of starting Omneity^® and w-3 Oil, Zoe noticed major changes in Valley’s weight, topline, muscle, coat, mane, and feet.

“He gained weight and a topline and was keeping it on, and he was staying well-muscled too,” Zoe says. “He used to get really soft soles in the winter, and now his feet are really solid. My farrier said his feet are the best he has ever seen them.”

For Zoe, the biggest change was how Valley felt under saddle. “He went from being a little bit high strung and stressed to completely tuned in,” Zoe says. “He made me feel limitless.”

This year, Zoe added Visceral+ to further support Valley’s gastric health during travel, training, and performances. With targeted herbal ingredients, probiotics, and yeast to help maintain the stomach lining, Visceral+ supports normal mucin production and promotes microbial balance in the hindgut for comfort and performance.

Dutton: Stronger Feet, Better Body Condition, & a Healthier Mane

Another Canadian Cowgirls horse whose owner has noticed changes after starting Mad Barn products is Dutton, a 12-year-old Appendix gelding owned by team member Emmi Matsusaki.

 

 

Emmi bought Dutton last February and quickly realized he was a hard keeper with poor hoof quality. “He had really thin soles and needed front shoes,” Zoe says. “When our farrier first shod him, he could barely get a nail into his foot because he had no hoof wall. He also struggled with his weight.”

After a year on Mad Barn products, Dutton’s feet and overall condition have improved.

Emmi has also seen a major difference in Dutton’s mane and forelock since starting Omneity^® Pellets, which is especially important for the type of trick riding she performs. Dutton’s mane was once so brittle that it would fall out when she touched it.

“His mane is fuller and denser than it’s ever been,” Zoe says. “Emmi hippodromes, a type of mounted trick riding where she pulls herself into position on the horse using his mane. Now, she can use his mane for balance without worrying that it will fall out.”

Apache: Supporting a High-Energy Trick Riding Horse

Apache, a 15-year-old solid Paint Horse owned by Canadian Cowgirls teammate Kylee Nevills, brings plenty of energy to the arena.

Kylee also performs much of the team’s hippodroming and trick riding, and Apache plays an important role in those performances. “He is a firecracker of a horse,” Zoe says. “He’s ready to go at all times and definitely brings the energy to the arena.”

 

 

That intensity also means Apache can be hard on his body. Between fast performances, trick riding, and his natural drive, he sometimes overexerts himself and has dealt with stiffness and joint discomfort after shows.

“Trick riding can be harder on the horse’s body,” Zoe says. “He would sometimes give it his all and then be stiff for a couple of days.”

Kylee has used MSM for Apache for a long time and added Omneity^® Pellets last year to support his overall nutrition and hoof health. Since then, she has noticed improvements in his feet, joint mobility, and recovery.

For a horse who gives so much in the arena, Kylee says that support has also helped him feel better during and after performances. “She has noticed a big difference in his joint mobility when he’s performing and his quicker recovery time afterward,” Zoe says.

Putting the Horse First in Every Performance

For the Canadian Cowgirls, every performance comes back to the horses who make it possible. Behind every drill pattern is a team committed to keeping their horses healthy, confident, and ready to do their jobs. Every detail of the horses’ nutrition, training, and conditioning matters when horses are asked to perform in loud, fast-paced arenas across North America.

That horse-first mindset is what makes the team’s partnership with Mad Barn especially meaningful. The difference in body condition, energy levels, and overall comfort is visible across the team’s equine lineup.

With the right support behind them, the Canadian Cowgirls can focus on what they do best: showcasing precision, horsemanship, and partnership at every performance. Their success is a reminder that great teams are built not only on skill and dedication, but on the daily care that helps horses feel their best.

From the barn aisle to the arena spotlight, the Canadian Cowgirls continue to show what is possible when performance starts with respect for the horse.