Provincial dressage champion Clark dies in highway crash en route to nationals

Okotoks dressage rider Sheila Duchek is mourning the loss of her champion horse, Lino Van Het Hevelhof Z—known around the barn as Clark—after a highway collision near Rogers Pass, west of Revelstoke, B.C., on October 6th.

Clark was en route to the 2026 Canada West National Dressage Championships in Langley, B.C., when the commercial trailer carrying four horses collided with a rock wall. Three horses died in the crash; a fourth was transported to a veterinary hospital in critical condition. The 73-year-old driver was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Clark was a rising star in the discipline. Provincial champion this year in his first year competing in dressage, Clark was previously a champion show jumper. Stabled at Silver Creek Equestrian Centre near Okotoks and trained by Tim Webber, the centre's owner, Clark had been ridden by Duchek since January—though Duchek purchased him only in May.

Duchek, who witnessed the crash, said she does not blame the driver. "We left early so that we wouldn't be rushed (and) we hired a professional hauler," she said. "It was just tragic." She was in second place in her division heading into nationals and is uncertain whether she will return to the sport.

Two other horses died in the same crash: Fearless, owned by Mackenzie Abbott, and Rosaria, owned by Kate Wall. Both were owned by Lisa Paterson of Solace Stables near Winnipeg. Duchek expressed gratitude to first responders, bystanders who stopped at the scene, and the Selkirk Saddle Club for their support. "Even though it's so tragic, there are so many people that cared about what happened," she said.