Caryl and Claire Doty – Mother/Daughter Partnership
It’s a beautiful competition day at RMSJ, when a ripple of happy chatter can be heard approaching the jumper ring gate. Within moments, there are voices talking over voices, the buzz of excited laughter filling the air as a lineup of riders, parents, and coaches converge along the viewing fence.
The Foxtrail Farms family has arrived!
Matriarch and head coach Caryl Doty, along with lead coach, business partner and daughter Claire, encourage if not outright insist on this mighty troop being present for every ride.
“Watching our own riders and those from other barns compete is like getting a free education ringside”, begins Claire in explanation of their unique philosophy and approach to the job of coaching. “You learn something from every ride you watch, whether it’s about how a course is riding, what the footing is like, distances, problem fences, distractions – like I said, free lessons if you want them,” laughs Claire.
The Foxtrail rider now enters the ring.
Claire’s demeanor becomes intently focused watching her rider approach the first jump on course. Following the ride, a job well done cheer goes up and the usual post ride chatter between coach and rider ensues, inclusive of all the Foxtrail troop present.
We delve a bit further into what Claire wants to bring to the students she teaches.
“I’m not the kind of coach who feels you need to plan every stride your rider should take or every path to the jump they should follow. To me, that creates rider robots, not riders with critical thinking abilities. What happens if a situation arises on course that’s unexpected? A rider must be able to think in the stirrups, see what the issue is, and determine how to solve the problem. They can’t do that if every stride has been planned out for them.”
Continues Claire, “And you teach at home, not at a back gate. Confidence and problem solving is developed in a student’s riding skills long before you are entering the ring.”
Claire undoubtedly learned this wise approach to coaching from Mother Caryl, just as Caryl learned from her equestrian mom Millie, and Millie learned from her US Calvary father.
“Horses, riding, competing – it is in our blood” says Caryl. “Claire is now the fourth generation of rider/trainers in our family,” proudly states Caryl. “I love that about our family!”
Calvary men are chosen for their exceptional riding skills and ability to bond and train their horses to face battle and accept whatever conflicts may arise. Caryl’s grandfather was just such a man.
“My grandfather was a US Calvary man and an exceptional horseman” proudly states Caryl. “When he married my grandmother, and they had my mother Millie, grand dad had her riding from seemingly the moment she was born and passed all his knowledge and values on to her.”
Millie Semmelroth certainly did not misplace the gift her father had given her.
“My mother so valued horses and the need for their exceptional care that when my dad was transferred from New York to California, he negotiated train travel for not only the family but my mother’s beloved horse. The family crossed the country in a passenger rail car, but the horse – that horse travelled in its own rail car, stipulations being that the car be completely empty so nothing could shift or fall and potentially injure the horse. First class all the way,” laughs Caryl.” The family might have been tired and a bit weary upon arrival, but the horse walked off fresh and relaxed.”
Settling in California, Millie got her bearings and started the successful Foxtrail Farms in the southern part of the state. “That valuable training from her father lead my mom to an incredibly successful career as a coach and rider,’ states Caryl. “And she in turn passed on that love of horses and work ethic to me, and I to my daughter.
“When your mom owns a successful and competitive equestrian operation, chances are you will be riding horses in your own string, as well as teaching and training clients and their horses in hunter/jumpers. I rode and competed constantly – in every discipline. Our breeding program then produced a horse that was a ringer for the dressage ring, so I focused on developing him as well, and took him up to 4th level in dressage. I feel my education in the equestrian world is well rounded.”
But being part of her mother’s dream wasn’t always the transition Caryl envisioned for herself.
Off to college, Caryl investigated various career training programs in the medical field and settled on studying to be a dietician.
“I enjoyed the course work and was looking forward to my new career when I completed my training, but being away from the barn certainly had me homesick for my daily barn duties and my riding.
When Caryl completed her program, she was placed in an Oncology based hospital. “Working daily within the sadness of the hospital eventually started taking a toll on me mentally, and all that got me through the day was knowing I could go to the barn afterwards and ride. I realized that the barn and the horses were my calling and made the move to build my career there.”
Together the Semmelroth women continued to build Foxtrail Farms’ success story until… enter Tim Doty!
“I was good friends with Tim’s brother John but had never met Tim because he lived in Florida. John kept saying, you must meet Tim, I think you two will hit it off.”
“Of course, when Tim visited, we met, and we did hit it off”, laughs Carol, “But he lived in Florida, and I lived in California. The question was, can we make this work?”
So started the beginning of the long-distance romance.
Distance didn’t diminish the feelings they had for one another and Tim eventually moved to California and the couple married.
So how does a born and bred fun in the sun Cali girl end up in the cold and snowy wonderland of Alberta you might ask?
“Tim’s family had sold their business and decided to move to Canada years before, so we would visit them here in Alberta. But let’s be clear, Tim only had us visiting up here in the summer,” laughs Caryl. “And in the summer, Alberta is such a beautiful place to be. Tim often joked I had no idea of cold and boy, was he right!”.
After much deliberation, it was decided that the young Doty family, which now included toddler Claire, would make the move to Alberta. After searching in all directions surrounding Calgary, they found a property outside of Okotoks to build their own dream – Foxtrail Farms North.
It is no surprise that the years growing up at Foxtrail North shaped young daughter Claire into an exemplary rider. When asked if she had a favourite discipline in riding, Claire doesn’t hesitate to say, “Oh, I am all about hunters. I love equitation classes, give me a medal class to ride in and I’ll be there, or a Hunter Derby, I’ll be first to sign up,” she laughs. “Hunters and equitation classes require such a high level of discipline and attention to the details of riding. These classes are what makes a good solid rider.”
Claire’s own riding career has seen her mastering and mirroring her own mother and grandmother’s successes. Just as Claire’s grandmother was a fierce competitor repeatedly qualifying for Madison Square Gardens when it was home to the US National Horse Show, and Claire’s mother Caryl a top finisher in the California circuit and in three-day eventing, here in Canada we have seen the talented Claire win the CETs at age 12, and onto the Maclay Finals a year later at age 13. Claire continued her success with wins in Spruce Meadows’ famed International Ring, showing as one of the youngest competitors ever and going clear at the age of 16. Today, Claire Doty is a fixture in the ribbons in many a Grand Prix ring both here and in California and Florida.
Life at Foxtrail Farms has been good for the Doty family. But a near tragic accident in 2016 did change circumstances for the family in a very significant way.
“It was just a regular day, and I was driving along when I had to swerve to miss another truck. Next thing I know my truck is rolling and when it came to a stop, I couldn’t move” tells Caryl.
Badlam follows as rescuers are called, the fire department arrive to start the process of extricating Caryl from the mangled vehicle.
“I had all four dogs with me that day. When we rolled, two took off home to get help, one was MIA until well after rescue arrived and one stayed by my side, not letting the firemen or paramedics get to me until Tim arrived and picked him up and moved him away to let them do their work.”
That work was stabilizing Caryl who sustained nine breaks to her spine. To this day, she mentions her gratitude to the paramedics and Stars Ambulance who were called to whisk her away to surgery.
“I was in a halo for 3 months, and afterwards there was nonstop physio to strengthen my back and neck. It is a miracle that I was able to walk again.”
Tim (crowned by family and friends as The Keeper of Everything) and Claire picked up the additional duties Caryl’s absence from the business created, with Claire making the decision to give up her amateur riding status and turn professional.
“It was always in the plan to eventually move into the business – this accident just moved the plan forward a little faster than anticipated,” states Claire. And thankfully, Caryl made a remarkable recovery and is back to being the principal partner although she has had to put her riding days behind her.
As the seasons go by, business at Foxtrail Farms is thriving, take their riders to competitions in Canada and in California and Florida on a regular basis. Young Claire is now a grown woman with a wedding in Cabo planned for 2025 to her own soul mate, Darren Bordt.
Tim, Caryl and Claire have stayed deeply connected to and grateful for the client community they have built over the years. When asked what Caryl attributes to their success in the equestrian industry, Caryl states, “We appreciate the trust our clients put in us and try to reciprocate that trust by helping them be as successful and fulfilled as possible in their riding careers.”
“We take great pride in having an excellent record of matching riders to horses. I am a firm believer that if you have a horse that is not happy with his job then you need to give him another job that he is happy in. And you need to move onto a horse that will enjoy the discipline you have chosen to ride and is willing to do the job you are asking him to do.”
“And if you have a horse that isn’t comfortable with the height you are jumping at then look at what the problem might be – perhaps he was moved up too quickly or as is occasionally the case, that horse just doesn’t like jumping. Listening to what your horse is telling you is paramount to success.”
It’s little surprise that clients are either still riding with Foxtrail Farms or staying in touch. As Caryl says, “It is friendships and loyalty that help us continue to be a success in our business and in our lives.”
THOUGHTS TO DEVEOP – Carol and Claire’s sense of connection to their client community is another deeply valued commodity to both
Claire’s coaching style is a reflection of how she herself was taught,
– multitude of successes in both the hunter and jumpers rings. And although still a keen competitor in the international rings, Claire’s first love is the discipline of Hunters.
“I love equitation classes, derbies, and medal competitions, an enthusiastic Claire voices. I competed in the McClay Finals,which has tutelage she grew up under the experienced eye of her own mother and successful rider and coach Caryl Semmelroth Doty
