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3 5 Frid ay, Ju ly 29, 2011 O A K V ILLE B E A V E R w w w .in sid eH A LTO N .co m By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF For a first show, it wasnt bad, Neal Bertin says. The first annual 3ft/$3,000 Jumper Classic horse show went off without a hitch Wednesday afternoon at Bertin Riding Stables on Dundas St. The stables, and the Bertin family, have been an institution in Oakville for the last four decades. Bertin, president and owner of Bertin Riding Stables, is following in the footsteps of his father, Jim, who is retired but still never far from the family operation. Despite the property suffering the loss of the former family homestead to a fire in 2009, the riding stables continued to operate and Bertin also opened the nearby Oakville Equestrian Centre. Throughout the year, Bertin Riding Stables holds monthly derby competitions for its riders and the Oakville Equestrian Centre holds horse shows. My father used to hold junior interna- tional jumper competitions, but this was my idea, said Neal Bertin, breathing a sigh of relief and smiling shortly after Oakville mayor Rob Burton assisted in doling out the ribbons to the top eight riders in the larger- scale show. The three-hour event featured a two- round horse show with qualifying riders tak- ing part in a jump off. Leading the way in that final competition was Erin Manning riding The Mighty Quinn. The Mighty Quinn, wearing burgundy l bl ' f h h ff h f lLoca sta e s irst orse s ow goes o wit out a au t Photos by Eric Riehl / Oakville Beaver SHOW TIME: Bertin Riding Stables hosted the first annual 3ft/$3,000 Jumper Classic Wednesday after- noon at its Dundas St. facili- ty. Pictured from top left, Katie Pearce guides Reno; Brooke Haydar competes atop Prom Queen; Meaghan Prior leads Dolce Vita over a jump; and Pat Allen rides RCS Shadrach. See Bertin, page 36