About
Career Bio
A trail ride in a freezing northern Ontario winter only sparked Sarkis’ passion for riding. From that day on, then 9 years old, Sarkis signed up for regular lessons with Cathy Inch of Foothills Farm near Sudbury, Ontario. Many horse shows ensued and Sarkis became an employee and instructor and developed a successful junior rider career. She topped the Junior Hunter and Equitation divisions, qualifying to compete at the hunter and jumper Medals finals held at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and she finished 7th overall in the then CEF medal.
At nineteen, she moved to Guelph to continue riding on the A circuit and start university studies. An initial visit to Michael Grinyer Stables offering her services as a groom and rider became a long partnership of grooming, catch riding young and experienced sale and privately owned horses.
In 1995, she took a year to work in Dinard, France as a horse trainer and instructor for Jean-Pierre Briaind at the beautiful Centre Equestre du Val Porée.
Back to Canada for two more years of competing under the tutelage of Michael Grinyer, she was hired on as barn manager and successfully competed several young and experienced horses.
During these years, she completed her degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph and graduated with a Mention of Distinction.
With her studies complete but only the desire to ride more, she returned to France, accepting the job of horse trainer for well known breeder Xavier Ribard, breeder of Cor de la Bruyère. There, she trained a stringof young horses aged 4-7 to ready them for the young horse finals at Fontainbleau, near Paris.
She married Gordon Skinner and started a small equine facility design business in Normandy, France while working for M. Ribard. She went on to catch ride with veteran Gilbert Doerr for three years before moving to Bermuda with Gordon.
In Bermuda, she trained and campaigned hunters and jumpers for private owners as well as bringing along her own jumper mare, Ojoysie on which she won both grand prixs in 2004-5. After a clinic with USA’s Molly Ashe she she traveled to Spruce Meadows in 2005 with Ojoysie to successfully compete on the summer circuit, bringing the mare up from 1m20 division to the 1m35.
Moving back to Canada with her husband one more time, Sarkis, returned to veteran horseman Mike Grinyer to continue competing Ojoysie and partnering up with private owners to purchase and develop quality young horses.