| By the age of four, Tonya Henning had fallen in love with horses and began participating in vaulting before graduating to riding at the age of six. When she was seven, she had her first pony and started competing by doing the short stirrup and medium pony divisions. Moving onto a large pony, Tonya successfully qualified for the famed Royal Horse Show in Toronto at the age of 11. Having broken her leg, Tonya was so determined to ride at the Royal that she had her cast removed just three days before she was scheduled to compete.
The horse she is most fond of, Skorpio, then entered her life and she began competing in the equitation divisions with the help of coach Mike Grinyer. Moving to train with Eric Lamaze at the age of 13, Tonya acquired more horses and soon found herself competing in the High Junior/Amateur division as well as the Ontario Rising Star program.
After a year's break from competition, Tonya returned to the show ring under the tutelage of Olympic medalist, Tim Grubb. With many young horses to work with at her father's Mill Creek Stables in Cambridge, ON, Tonya began showing numerous prospects in the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series.
In 2005, Tonya made her debut at the North American Young Riders' Championship riding Mill Creek Rosalinde and, one week later riding El Capricho Patrick , won the Paul Scriver Memorial Trophy awarded to the most successful junior/amateur competitor at the CSI-W Caledon Summer Festival . In August, she rode in her first World Cup Qualifier at the Collingwood Horse Show.
Tonya started the 2006 season off strongly on the highly competitive Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Riding under the guidance of current Olympic champion Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil, Tonya enjoyed top five placings in two $10,000 Amateur-Owner Classics riding two different horses. Moving to Belgium in May in order to train full-time with Pessoa, Tonya has been exposed to competition at some of the world's most impressive venues including Cannes, Monte Carlo, Valkenswaard, Lanaken and Brussels.
Tonya is a graduate of St. John's Kilmarnock in Breslau, ON. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and, time permitting, both snow and water skiing.
Mill Creek Rosalinde 1995 black Hannoverian mare, 16.3hh by Ramiro’s Son II
Owner: Mill Creek Stables
Mill Creek Sparky 1998 bay Hannoverian gelding, 17.3hh by Skorpio
Owner: Mill Creek Stables
Mill Creek Valentine 1998 bay Belgian Sport Horse mare, 16.1hh by Hercos
Owner: Mill Creek Stables
Rubesco 1998 bay Hannoverian gelding, 16.3hh by Raphael
Owner: Mill Creek Stables
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