About Us

Having been born and raised in the Kawartha region of Ontario, Amber Anderson has always had a passion for all things equestrian, particularly the thrill of competition. She started riding at a very young age and has never gone a day without horses in her life.

Amber started eventing in the early 1990’s and very quickly fell in love with the sport. She competed up through the levels with many horses over the course of that decade. She honed her training and riding skills alongside Percy Robertson, a very successful and prominent CSHA breeder. Amber competed with Percy’s stallions, most notably “Citation”, obtaining his stallion performance approval in record time at eventing venues across Ontario. Amber also worked with Ian Roberts, member of the Canadian Equestrian Team at the 2004 Olympics. 

In the late 90’s Amber worked for former Canadian Chef D’Equipe Tom Gayford, where she learned a great deal about training hunters and jumpers and managing an international calibre facility. After earning a Bachelor of Arts, and then a Bachelor of Education, Amber returned to her eventing roots in the early 2000s and could be found coaching students and competing young horses at OHTA events throughout her years of teaching at Ontario Public Schools. Her belief is that nothing makes a more well-rounded horse or a more talented rider than preparing for a horse trial.

Amber and her husband Travis owned and operated Small Victory Farm in Norwood for 13 years. The 86 acre SVF grew into a very successful and well respected boarding, training, and lesson facility boasting a brand new indoor arena, 3 outdoor rings, hunter/jumper courses, cross-country course, and metered galloping field. It was home to 25-35 horses ranging from school ponies, to eventers, jumpers, dressage horses, Hanoverian broodmares and quality Warmblood young stock. The first Hanoverian filly to be born on property qualified for both the Lieutenant and Governor General’s Cups at the Royal Winter Fair in 2013, and began her eventing career at Grandview Horse Trials in 2014. Since then SVF has produced many talented Hanoverian mounts for people all across North America.

In recent years, Amber’s focus has been on Gold Dressage, working with Melanie Thompson and Tom Dvorak.

Small Victory Farm hosted a hunter/jumper show for the Kawartha Hunter Jumper Association for 6 years and a Combined Test show for the Trilogy Combined Test Series for 8 years. SVF students could be seen showing in both of these series’ and at events and Gold Dressage shows across the province.

Travis and Amber relocated to Kempt Shore, Nova Scotia in 2020.

The name ‘Small Victory Farm’ has a special significance to the Anderson and Lawson families and is derived from a very fitting song by Garnet Rogers called “One Small Victory” that if heard by any horse owner is surely to bring a tear (or ten) to their eye.