Dana Cooke, equestrian activities director at Kingfisher Farm Park in Rowan County, has begun pursuit of her second straight appearance in the Pan Am Games.

Cooke, 35, competes for Canada and was born and raised in Merritt, British Columbia. She moved to Norwood at age 20 and has been in this area since.

“This past year, 2022, was an exceptional year with some big milestones for me,” she said. “I am still riding the same mare, FE Mississippi, who I rode at the 2019 Pan Am Games.”

In April, Cooke won her division at Bouckaert International Horse Trials in Georgia. She followed that in May with a fifth-place finish at the Land Rover Kentucky three-day event, one of the biggest events in North America. Next came a Millstreet International Horse Trials in Ireland and a 21st place.

Cooke then spent the summer competing on FE Mississippi in England. She had a fourth-place finish at the Burgham International Horse Trials. Her recent successes netted the right to compete for Canada in the World Eventing Championships in Italy in September.

Cooke said, “While we didn’t have the result we hoped for, we completed the competition.”

She hopes to get selected for the 2023 Pan Am Games which take place in Santiago, Chile in October. Kingfisher Farm Park is located on Jackson Road in western Rowan County.