All the humour, passion and joie de vivre of Wilde’s work is embodied in the eventing career of Brandon McMechan. Life has taken the Toronto, ON, native in and out of the eventing world over the years, but Brandon persevered to become one of Canada’s advanced eventers aboard the cleverly named Oscar’s Wild (“Oscar”), a 10-year-old Thoroughbred he co-owns with his father, Glenn McMechan.
Brandon McMechan of Toronto, ON, and Oscar’s Wild
Photo Credit: Shannon Brinkman Photography
Even though Wilde believed that quotation is merely a “serviceable substitute for wit,” we thought we’d pay homage to the famous wordsmith by telling Brandon’s story through the words of his beloved gelding’s namesake.
“Realize your youth while you have it… Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.” – The Picture of Dorian Gray
Growing up, Brandon’s mother, Barbara, instituted riding lessons to make sure that he and his siblings would be safe around the horses on the family farm. However, she might not have been quite prepared for the degree to which Brandon would take to the sport. He began in the dressage ring, but a desire to sail through the air led him to the closest coach who would teach him how to jump: Norbert Schattmann was an eventing coach, not show jumping, but it was close enough for Brandon.
Norbert took on his new student with the condition that Brandon would travel with Norbert to eventing competitions if he wanted to show.
“So, I said I might as well start eventing and then I can take that into the jumper ring with me,” explained Brandon of his thought process at the time. But things didn’t go exactly to plan: “I only did one event and was eliminated in dressage, but was still hooked. They still let me go cross-country and I was like, ‘That was so much fun! I have to keep doing it.’”
After honing his skills with Norbert, Brandon traveled to Europe, where he dove into lessons and volunteered at events. When he returned to Canada and enrolled at Queens University in Kingston, ON, his eventing prospects initially looked grim and he had to sell his horse to pay for tuition. But Brandon was eventually connected to Burle and Kay Summers of Corbyville, ON, who stepped up to support him with horses while Brandon worked towards earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Life Science.
“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” – The Picture of Dorian Gray
After graduating from Queens, Brandon continued on to the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto while trying to keep up with riding. But his school schedule was grueling, so Brandon found himself once again stepping back from the sport.
Even though he had hung up his tack, it wasn’t so easy to make a clean break from eventing. Brandon found time to go to the Kentucky Three Day Event in Lexington, KY, to cheer on his friend and current coach, EC certified Eventing Competition Coach Specialist Kendal Lehari of Uxbridge, ON. Surrounded once again by the thrill of eventing, the allure was just too strong to resist.
“I can’t not ride, it seems so unnatural,” said Brandon, who decided to look for a horse with the help of his friends upon their return north. “We got back to Canada [after the Kentucky Three Day Event] and they said to come look at this horse. So my partner at the time, Steve, he kind of went behind my back and fronted the money to buy Oscar for me. The goal was just to have fun and see what happens, and he’s been great.”
“Technique is really personality. That is the reason why the artist cannot teach it, the pupil cannot learn it, and why the aesthetic critic can understand it.” – The Critic As Artist
In 11 FEI starts since 2015, the big brave bay has incurred just one cross-country obstacle fault. Based on the pair’s impressive showings, Brandon and Oscar earned invitations to the fan-favourite Horseware Ireland Indoor Eventing Challenge at Toronto’s prestigious Royal Horse Show three years running, where their lighting speed and fearlessness earned second place in 2017 and 2018, and third in 2019.
“We’ve had this crazy bond since the very beginning and he’ll jump everything I point him at, for better or worse,” commented Brandon, who earned top 10 CCI 4*-S finishes with Oscar at the Chattahoochee Hills and Red Hills International Horse Trials in 2019. “He’s as bold as any horse I’ve ever had and the easiest horse I’ve had to ride – the higher the level, the easier it is. After running my first [CIC 3*, now CIC 4*-S, in Bromont, QC] last year, my first reaction popping off him in the vet box was, ‘That was so easy!’ I didn’t have to warn him about anything or set him up, he was cautious but jumped bold and big, was very respectful and didn’t want to take over. That’s the way cross-country is supposed to be, and he’s just continued to improve since. Every time we go to a show he surprises me, I just love him so much.”
Photo Credit: Andrew Bailini
“Love changes one – I am changed.” – Lady Windemere’s Fan
Brandon, now 37, has sat on countless horses since he started riding at age five, and likely will pilot many more in years to come. But he knows that the relationship he has with Oscar is one that only comes around once in a lifetime.
Brandon said, “I think every horse and rider is a very unique and special combination, but there’s something special about Oscar and me. He’s not the fanciest on the flat or scopiest of jumpers but he will do anything to try and help me get us there – if he has to have more suspension in the trot, it’s like, ‘Okay, Brandon, that’s what I’ll try to do.’ I don’t think any rider could get on this horse and do it, but I got on and something clicked when we first met. We just love each other, so that’s why we’re here and he’s taken me to my first 4* and finished in the top 10. He will throw his heart over the fence before anything else, so I just can’t thank him enough. It’s so terrible, I have a fluctuating top five list: my partner fluctuates between three to five because the top two are already earmarked for the horse and the dog!”
“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.” – The Importance of Being Earnest
While Oscar is always first in Brandon’s heart, you might not always know at first glance that the feeling is mutual.
“If I’m being honest, you’d probably think that he hates me,” said Brandon of Oscar with a laugh. “I probably give him too much love; I have a lot of love to give him and he probably gets a little overwhelmed by it. He pins his ears at me when I walk by, he is cheeky beyond belief but would never actually bite or kick me. As soon as I pull into the driveway at the farm, his head shoots up. He knows his name, so as I’m walking to the barn to get the lead rope I’m like, ‘Hey Oscar,’ and he starts walking to the gate.”
Photo Credit: Tristan Lehari
“People are very fond of giving away what they need most themselves. It is what I call the depth of generosity.” – The Picture of Dorian Gray
Whether with ears pinned or forward, Oscar has carried Brandon to an elite level of their chosen sport. Additionally, Brandon credits the Canadian eventing community at large with providing invaluable backing along the way.
“My partner has been involved in a bunch of other sports and is always amazed at how much everyone supports each other,” mentioned Brandon. “If you show up at an event and your martingale breaks, everyone’s willing to give you another one. We’re competitive and want to win, but want to make sure everyone’s at their best so we can beat them at their best. We’re all here for the love of the sport, so it’s just amazing. I can’t thank everybody enough. It’s so great to be part of the culture here in Canada.”
“It is the duty of every father… to write fairy tales for his children.” – The Happy Prince and Other Tales
Another instrumental part of the Canadian eventing community on which Brandon relies is his father. Glenn’s involvement in eventing transformed from driving the trailer during his son’s early years of competition to becoming an EC certified Level 2 Eventing Course Designer.
“My dad gradually wanted to be more and more involved, he wanted to contribute in a way that he knew how,” explained Brandon. “He was a contractor, he loves building and doing things with his hands, and he was like, ‘You know what, this is where I can help, if he needs something built I can do it.’ In typical dad fashion, he wants it to be 100% right, so he started the process to become a course designer. He knows that he can’t help me in the same way my mom or grooms could, so this is his contribution. He loves the sport and wants to make sure it survives and thrives, so he’s doing everything he can.”
“The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly – that is what each of us is here for.” – The Picture of Dorian Gray
After a long journey, Brandon has ultimately settled into a successful eventing career surrounded by friends, family and fellow eventers, sitting in the saddle of his once-in-a-lifetime horse. Nearly a decade on from graduating chiropractor school, he has figured out the balance between his professional and eventing lives. And so the success that Brandon and Oscar are enjoying comes as no surprise for, as Wilde once said, “Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the results.”
Photo Credit: Shannon Brinkman Photography