It may sound strange but Dr. Annika Rear, a veterinarian from Ontario, Canada, is having a lot of fun competing in Trail with her 2015 chestnut mare, Maybeline, because she says, much like what she faces in her own profession, it’s never the same from show to show and anything can happen.

“It’s the one class that is really much different than it was when I was showing as a kid,” she said.

Rear grew up in Kincardine, Ontario, Canada and recalls fondly her first mount – a wooden rocking horse that her parents picked up for her as a Christmas gift when she was just 4. After that Rear persisted in asking for a horse every year for Christmas and her birthday until finally when she turned six they arranged for her first riding lesson.

“I’m pretty sure my parents were hoping this would pacify me,” she recalled. “It was on a naughty chestnut pony named Red and he would take off on me every time. Once I got him stopped I would get off and cry, but the next week I would be back for more.”

When she turned 10, Rear’s parents finally gave in and got their daughter her first pony, a 13-hand POA named Skye.

“Then after spending all day, every day out at someone else’s boarding farm, when I was 12, we moved to a small farm so we could keep the pony at our own place,” she said.

Rear’s first competition was at a local  hunter/jumper show where she entered an in hand class, a flat class and a little over fence class.

“I remember clearly that in that first in hand class I was so afraid of the judge but we ended up winning and I went on to compete for a number of years in Pony Club events,” Annika explained.

After outgrowing Skye, Rear got her first registered Quarter Horse, Regal Story (Herb), a a 1987 bay gelding by Story Man out of Regers Bonnie.

“We showed local club shows and attended a few AQHA shows,” Rear said.

But soon it was time for college and then vet school and for the next eight years Rear put showing on the back burner.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, in 2002 and then her  doctorate degree in veterinary medicine from Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph, Ontario in 2006.

After vet school, Rear started working at Ripley-Huron Veterinary Clinic in Ripley, Ontario, the local clinic owned by her mentor Dr. Ken Bridge, where she did her high school co-op and externship. She is now co-owner of the mixed animal clinic and sees a bit of everything, including dogs, cats, horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and even some kangaroos.

“It really is a profession that defines your life,” Rear explained. “There are hundreds of other jobs that I could have qualified for that would have been more money, shorter hours and less stress. Even though there are days when I ask myself why I’m doing this, there are more days that I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’m sure there are plenty of people in the horse industry that feel the same way about their profession.”

Showing horses provides a pleasant diversion, as Rear has discovered. A few years after graduation she decided she wanted to get back into riding and showing, so she bought a horse and found herself a trainer. But within a year her trainer moved and that’s when she found Jason and Suzanne Duquette and her new home at JS Quarter Horses in Glencoe, Ontario, Canada.

“Suzanne and Jason really complement each other,” she said. “The strengths of one lift  up the other and vice versa. With a career that is so demanding, it’s great having my horses in a program where I know they are fat, happy and ready to go show.”

After owning a few different horses, Rear found her perfect match in This Girls Hot, a 2010 mare by Blazing Hot out of Chips Mariah. Over the next few years they competed in all-around events, earning an AQHA Championship and the All-Around Horse title in Ontario.

“When I first got back into competing, I wanted to show the all-round,” Rear explained. “When I was a kid you went in every class. I did it for a little while, but as you get older you realize you’re not 20, but also not a Select rider yet, it was really exhausting. As someone who is not afraid of hard work, or I would have 100% chose a different profession, I came to the realization that I wanted to enjoy the shows on a social level and spend more relaxed time with my horses.”

In 2017 Rear was looking for a new show partner and, with the help of Jason and Suzanne, found Maybeline, a 2015 liver chestnut mare by Batt Man out of RL Sudden Fancy at the Quarter Horse Congress.

“When I first saw her I wasn’t sure if I had ever seen such a cute, little horse,” Rear recalled. “She was that deep, liver chestnut color, pretty with the smallest, perfect ears, deep cheek and big eyes.”

Suzanne rode her and then Rear took her turn.

“She gave us the feeling that she had the mind and talent for more,” she said. “As a 2-year-old she had only shown in Western Pleasure, winning her class at the Tom Powers Futurity and placing in the top five at the NSBA World Show and Top 10 at the Congress. We felt that she was one that could go on to do Horsemanship, Western Riding and Trail.”

Maybeline was purchased and it didn’t take long for Rears and her team to know they got even more than they bargained for.

“I ended up meeting a lot of new people when I bought Maybs, including Jack and Pat Creditt, who bred Maybeline and are part-owners of Batt Man,” she said. “I treasure their friendship as much as I do the support I have always had from my parents, Philip and Kathleen Rear, who have always encouraged my animal endeavors even though they aren’t from an animal or farm background.”

Success came rather quickly for the new team. Last year, Maybeline achieved two of the goals Rears and Suzanne set for her, earning Superior awards in Western Pleasure and Trail. But it’s not all been smooth sailing.

“The pandemic was really tough for those of us in Canada,” Rear explained. “The border was closed between Canada and the U.S. for 19 months; even after the Canadian side opened, the U.S. side remained closed. We had a few shows here in Canada. But the majority of AQHA judges come from the U.S., and the public health measures made it hard to hold events.”

Maybeline had pointed out of Level 1 in Trail just before the pandemic started. At the time, that didn’t seem like an issue since they would have the rest of the year to compete in Level 1 but it wasn’t meant to be.

“It was a big ask for a green horse to not only step up into the Level 2/3 classes, but she was also now a senior horse,” Rear explained. “When we finally were able to attend shows again in the U.S., we went on a real marathon; it was a great experience for all of us.”

This year Maybeline is being shown in Level 1 and Level 2 Amateur Trail and at some shows in Western Pleasure, Horsemanship and Performance Halter Mares by Rear and in Open classes by Suzanne, who plans to show her in Level 2 Senior Trail at the NSBA World Show, the Quarter Horse Congress and the AQHA World Show.

“Trail has taken her a while to learn, as she has a tighter stride,” Suzanne explained. “But now it’s her best class. She really enjoys it. Her greatest strength, I would say, is that she loves going to horse shows. The longer the show the better she gets. And she’s even better if you go from one show directly to another.”

Both Jason and Suzanne enjoy working with Rear because she makes the health and well-being of her horses her top priority. And, she is a serious competitor.

“Annika is very good at hiding or containing her nerves,” Suzanne explained. “Since I’ve worked with her so long I can tell when she’s nervous. But she doesn’t make it obvious. She is very good at competing against herself and being happy with her horse no matter what the outcome of the judging is. Annika has incredible sportsmanship. She always says as long as Maybeline gives her a good go she’s very happy.”

Rear attributes that confidence to Maybeline.

“She has a great feel when riding her,” she said. “She never gets too worried about anything and she is very handy with transitions and turns.”

But it’s her personality that stands out.

“She is more like a dog or a person than a horse,” Rear said. “She loves to be around people and has no problem communicating her likes and dislikes.”

In addition to Maybeline, Rear owns her full-sister, Fancy Seeing You, a 2021 bay filly in training with Jason and Suzanne. She is also expecting a 2024 foal out of This Girls Hot by Enticed in 2024 and embryo transfer foals out of Maybeline by Machine Made and VS Goodride.