Golden opportunities for Maeva Tridon & Jackie Daniels

When Maeva Tridon traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, in 2024 to compete at the APHA Youth World Games for Team France, she thought trotting into the John Justin Arena would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The experience planted a seed that—through thoughtful tending from horsemen a world apart—grew into another opportunity for Maeva to experience the APHA World Championship Show once again. Armed with big dreams and an even bigger support system, the 16-year-old from Champagnier, France, headed to Texas in June 2026 for a golden opportunity.

A pair of Markel/APHA Professional Horsemen jumped in to help turn Maeva’s dreams into reality. APHA Past President Kelly Boles Chapman of Bellevue, Michigan, had previously crossed paths with the Tridon family, and Maeva’s skill and tenacity had made an impression. She contacted John and Jill Briggs of Pilot Point, Texas, to see if they’d be willing to help.

“I said, ‘Sure, what do we need to do?’ “ John said. The first order of business was finding a horse on which Maeva could compete. “We started scouting out a horse for her. I asked Kelly to send some videos so I could see [Maeva’s] ability, so I would know how to set her up with a horse that would match her.”

The Golden Opportunity

It can be difficult to not only find a horse that can compete nearly sight-unseen with a new rider, let alone an owner willing to go along with such a plan. After months of searching, John and Jill located Jackie Daniels, a 2020 palomino overo mare owned by Anita Wiescamp of Quitman, Texas. “Jackie” was a great horse, Anita said, but she’d been turned out and had never before competed. After trying the mare, the Briggs put the wheels in motion for Maeva to lease Jackie.

Less than two weeks before the APHA World Show, Maeva and her family arrived in Texas. The Briggses’ intuition about Jackie’s suitability was spot on.

“The bond between Maeva and Jackie got really strong,” John said. “You could tell the mare just liked her a lot.”

“She’s magnificent,” Maeva said about Jackie. “She is super sweet. She has an incredible temperament, and we get along really well. She is really super. I love her very much.”

The pair got to work, completing a World Show bootcamp of sorts at Briggs Show Horses. Maeva speaks a bit of English and has been working with a tutor, but the language barrier still proved challenging. Thanks to technology, Maeva and the Briggs settled into a method of translation-app-assisted coaching to refine cues and practice fundamentals they’d encounter in the World Show arena. 

“We really had to slow our day down a little bit, take a breath and be patient with the language barrier,” Jill said. “But a few days into it, we got real comfortable.”

Believe in Your Dreams

Grateful for the opportunity to compete at the World Show, Maeva’s ambitions extended beyond judges’ placings.

“My goal is really the experience, to learn new things, because this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a little French girl,” she said. “I have horses, and my objective is to take home what I learned here, the new cues, to put them on my horses. To be with Jackie, to ride her every day, to take care of her, is awesome.”

When they finally arrived at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Maeva felt a mix of nerves and excitement—not unlike many other World Show exhibitors. John’s parting advice before their first class was simple.

“We were just trying to kind of give her as much confidence as we could going into it,” John said. “The last thing before she walked into the tunnel gateway into the arena, I said, ‘Just remember how you show in France: put your hand down, put a smile on your face and just show like you know how to show.”

Maeva’s grin was infectious, and Jackie rose to the challenge of her first World Show, too. Together the pair earned a reserve world championship in Novice Youth Ranch Pleasure, three Intermediate reserve championships, two bronze championships and more Top 10s.

For John, watching Maeva’s dreams come true made the challenges of getting her to the U.S., finding a horse and forging a bond in just 10 days all worthwhile.

“I feel like there’s a need to really help in these situations,” he said. “If I can help in any way to do that, I felt it was kind of like my responsibility.”

Maeva’s golden opportunity turned into golden buckles and memories she’ll cherish for a lifetime—and golden horse Jackie will stick around, too. The Tridon family decided to purchase the mare, who will arrive in France in a few months to continue her blossoming partnership with Maeva.

“Always believe in your dreams,” Maeva said. “And always be passionate because that’s important. Always do it for fun and not because you’re obligated.”