Dressage Canada Announces New Safety Headgear Rule for 2011

Ottawa, ON—Dressage Canada has put in place new safety rules regarding headgear. The Dressage Canada Board has decided that riders at Fourth Level and below will be required to wear ASTM/SEI or BSI approved headgear at all times when mounted on the show grounds. The complete rule is listed below. 

As of May 1st, 2011, the following rule regarding safety headgear will be adopted by Dressage Canada:

Article E 4.0 Safety Headgear

1. ASTM/SEI or BSI approved headgear must be worn by all riders showing Fourth Level and below, regardless of age, when mounted on the showgrounds at EC Bronze, Silver and Gold competitions.

2. ASTM/SEI or BSI approved headgear must be worn by all non-competing riders mounted on any competing horse at EC Bronze, Silver and Gold competitions.

3. All riders of any age while on non-competing horses must wear protective headgear at all times while mounted on the competition grounds.

4. The penalty for contravening 4.0.1 is elimination.

5. Non-competing riders who contravene 4.0.2 and/or 4.0.3 will be instructed to dismount until wearing an ASTM/SEI or BSI approved helmet.

Note: At the tack check which follows the test, the steward may ask the rider to dismount so that the helmet may be inspected for the ASTM/SEI or BSI label.

The Board and the Rules Committee are aware that although the rule will be well accepted by many, there will be those who feel it is an unwelcome imposition. Most of the feedback received in the last year on the subject of helmet safety was in favour of requiring approved helmets.

Given that the rule relates to athlete safety, the Board feels it is important to put such a rule in place as soon as possible.

For the complete Equine Canada Dressage rules for 2011, please visit the rules section of the Equine Canada website at http://bit.ly/eNw9qx. 

Canadians Score Top Marks CDI-W West Palm Beach Gold Coast Opener

Ottawa, Ontario—Shannon Dueck and Dianne Creech each earned top scores at the CDI-W West Palm Beach Gold Coast Opener, held January 21–23, in West Palm Beach, FL, USA.

Riding Ayscha (Welt Hit II x Rouletto), her 10-year-old Oldenburg mare, Dueck, who resides in Loxahatchee, FL, finished in fifth place in the Grand Prix for Freestyle test with a score of 65.787%. The pair then performed a very strong Freestyle, moving them up one place to fourth in the Grand Prix Freestyle with 69.075%.

“Ayscha and I have not been in the Grand Prix ring since last summer, so I was thrilled with how well she handled the atmosphere. The European Tour last summer gave us amazing experience and mileage, and that really was evident in her tests this weekend. I rode too conservatively in the Grand Prix, which resulted in unusual mistakes for us. I decided to just have fun and trust her more for the Freestyle, and I can honestly say I have never had more fun riding a test,” said Dueck. “Ayscha showed off her fabulous ability in the piaffe and half passes. This show was a wonderful confidence booster for both of us.”

Canadian Olympian Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, ON, and Olympic partner Gran Gesto (Grannox x Goldstern), a 16-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Brinc Ltd. and Anne Welch, posted an eighth place finish in the Grand Prix for the Freestyle with 64.149%, and then earned a Grand Prix Freestyle score of 66.000% for seventh place.

Canadians were also well represented in the Advanced division. Diane Creech of Caistor Centre, ON, and Robbie W, Doug Leatherdale’s eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding sired by Rubin Royal, were the top Canadian entries in the Prix St Georges, scoring 67.193% for fifth place.

“It is so exciting for me to have the chance to work with such an incredible horse like Robbie W. Being such a fantastic mover, a beautiful horse to look at and having such an honest and solid character is so very rare to find all in one,” said Creech. “Every day spent with Robbie W is a super day. Thanks to my trainer, Lars Petersen, who found Robbie W in Denmark for us. Keeping Robbie W happy and working towards the Pan American Games is our goal for this year.”

Brooks and Balmoral (Belcanto x Consul), a 12-year-old Canadian-bred Hanoverian owned by Great Swamp Assoc. LLC/Mistover LLC, placed in eighth in the Prix St. Georges test with 65.088%. Riding Ducat Developments Ltd’s 10-year-old Hanoverian mare De La Rosa, sired by De Niro, Lee Tubman of Dunnville, ON, scored 64.386% for 14th place. In 15th place, with 64.298%, was Leah Wilson of Orangeville, ON, riding her 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding Amusant (Alabaster x Weltmeyer).

Creech and Robbie W were the top Canadian entries in the Intermediaire I test as well, scoring 67.149% for fifth place. Placing 12th were Wilson and Amusant with 65.965%, followed by Tubman and De La Rosa in 13th spot earning 65.044%. Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON, and Key West (Charly Chaplin x Arogno), Claudia Demandt’s 11-year-old Trakehner gelding, finished in 17th place with a score of 64.123%.

The international judging panel for the CDI-W West Palm Beach Gold Coast Opener included Canada’s Lorraine Stubbs (FEI 4*—CAN); Joanne Graham (FEI 4*­­­—GBR), Natalie Lamping (FEI 4*—USA), Christian Mattiesen (FEI 4*—DEN), Lilo Fore (FEI 4*—USA), Raphael Saleh (FEI 4*—FRA), Lois Yukins (FEI 4*—USA), Bo Jena (FEI 4*—SWE), Charlotte Bredahl (FEI 3*—USA) and Jeanne Mc Donald (FEI 4*—USA).

ATTACHED PHOTO

"Canada’s Shannon Dueck and her her 10-year-old Oldenburg mare, Ayscha, finished in fifth place in the Grand Prix for Freestyle and fourth in the Freesytle at the CDI-W Gold Coast Opener, held January 21–23, in West Palm Beach, FL, USA.”

Photo Credit—Sharon Packer

Photograph may be used one time only, in relation to the above news item.
Photograph also available in high resolution, please e-mail jcull@equinecanada.ca

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Dressage Canada Announces 2010 European Tour Participants

Ottawa, Ontario — The Dressage Canada European Tour Selection Committee is pleased to announce that the following rider/horse combinations have been selected to participate in the European Tour: Ashley Holzer and Pop Art, Belinda Trussell and Anton, Wendy Christoff and Pfalstaff, Shannon Dueck and Ayscha and Bonnie Bonnello and Pikardi.

Toronto native and three-time Canadian Olympian Ashley Holzer won both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle riding Pop Art (Amsterdam x Cabochon), a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Rusty Holzer and Moreen Nicoll, at the CDI-W West Palm Beach Gold Coast Opener, held January 21–24, in West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Holzer won the Grand Prix for Freestyle test with a score of 71.489%. The duo then performed a spectacular Grand Prix Freestyle to earn 76.489% for the double victory.

At the CDI3* Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington FL, held March 18-21, Canadian Olympian Belinda Trussell of Newmarket, ON, riding Anton, a 10-year old German-bred gelding (Antaeous x Saxony) owned by Robyn Eames, scored 70.638% to win the Grand Prix class of 30 entries. They followed up with a score of 73.900% to also win the Grand Prix Freestyle.

For the second year in a row Delta, BC, native Wendy Christoff won the Grand Prix at the CDI 3* Golden State Dressage Festival, held April 9–11, in Rancho Murieta, CA, USA. Riding Pfalstaff, her 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding sired by Palladium, Christoff scored 67.064% in the Grand Prix test and 67.250% in the Grand Prix Special test for their second victory.

At the Kentucky Cup Dressage CDI3* Lexington held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 20–22, Canadian Olympian Bonny Bonnello of Calgary, AB, earned an impressive personal best score of 68.638% to take third place in the grand Prix test riding Pikardi (Point Maker x Daimont), a 13-year-old Canadian Warmblood gelding co-owned by Bonnello and Jean Bell. The duo then earned a second personal best with 70.292% for second place in the Grand Prix Special.

Shannon Dueck of Loxachatchee, FL, scored 66.340% in the Grand Prix test riding Ayscha, her nine-year-old Oldenburg mare by Welt Hit II, at CDI3* Winter Equestrian Festival. Dueck was also a member of the Canadian Dressage Team at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain.

“I am thrilled to be taking five great riders and horses to Europe for a tour of four top competitions: Wiesbaden, Lingen, Rotterdam and Aachen. Giving our athletes this kind of experience and exposure is key to building a medal contending team,” said Dressage Canada technical coach/advisor, Robert Dover. “Beyond this group, there are also some wonderful combinations who have chosen to remain in North America to try out, which is allowed by our selection criteria, as well as several more who are already competing in Europe.”

“All in all, I am confident that Canada will have a very strong team for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky this fall,” added Dover.

The Canadians will be given the opportunity to show and train in Europe. The tour includes CDI4* Wiesbaden, GER, May 21 – 24; CDI4* Lingen, GER, June 4 – 6; CDIO Rotterdam, NED, June 16 – 20; and CDIO Aachen, GER, July 13 – 18, 2010. Holtzer and Pop Art will not compete at CDI4* Wiesbaden, but will join the balance of the team for CDI4* Lingen. Declared riders who are remaining in North America may also attend Cornerstone Spring into Dressage CDI3*, which will be held June 4 – 6, 2010 in Palgrave, ON; Dressage at Blainville CDI 3*, to be held June 18 – 20, 2010, in Blainville, QC; or Edmonton Gold Rush CDI3*, held July 15 - 19, 2010, in Edmonton, AB, in order to earn WEG qualifying scores.

The European Tour has been made possible through the Own the Podium program, a national sport technical initiative designed to help Canada’s summer and winter athletes achieve podium success at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For a current listing of WEG standings, please visit the Dressage Canada website at the following link: http://www.equinecanada.ca/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=833&Itemid=371&lang=en-GB .

Support Canadian Riders’ WEG Dreams

There are still a number of WEG ticket packages available. Each package contains tickets directly behind “C” for the four dressage events and are $875 (CDN) each.
For more information, visit the Dressage Canada website at www.equinecanada.ca/dressage and click on the “WEG 2010 Ticket Package Special” advertisement.

Olympians Holzer and Trussell Score a Triple Victory for Canada at CDI-W West Palm Beach Gold Coast Opener

Ottawa, Ontario—Toronto native and three-time Canadian Olympian Ashley Holzer, who currently resides in New York, NY, won both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle at the CDI-W West Palm Beach Gold Coast Opener, held January 21–24, in West Palm Beach, FL, USA. More...

Dressage Canada Announces 2010 Short and Long Lists

Ottawa, Ontario—Dressage Canada’s Senior High Performance Committee is pleased to announce the 2010 Dressage Short and Long Lists. The horse/rider combinations were selected based on criteria that considered 2009 competition results. Lists...

Canadian Olympians Holzer and Trussell to Represent Canada at Exquis World Dressage Masters in Florida

Ottawa, Ontario—Canadian Olympians Ashley Holzer of Toronto, ON, and Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON, will represent Canada at the at the $145,000 Exquis World Dressage Masters, to be held February 4–6, 2010 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, in Wellington, FL, USA.  More...

Diane Creech and Belinda Trussell Named Dressage Canada Red Scarf Equestrian Athletes of the Month for November

Ottawa, ON— Diane Creech of Caistor Centre, ON, and Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON, have been named the Dressage Canada Red Scarf Equestrian Athletes of the Month for November.

Both riders participated in the Dressage Canada 2009 European Fall Competition Tour.  The Tour was a development tour aimed at providing valuable European competition experience for some of Canada's up and coming combinations, and Creech and Trussell had outstanding results on both stops—Kaposvar CDI3*, Hungary, October 9–11, followed by the Weikersdorf CDI3*, Austria, on October 14–18. Read more...

July 23, 2009                                                          

Ontario Junior Dressage Team Captures Gold at 2009 North American Junior & Young Riders’ Championships

Ottawa, ON—The Ontario Junior Dressage Team won the gold medal in the FEI Junior Team Competition today at the 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Riders’ Championships, held July 21-26 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.

The Ontario Gold Medal Team, comprised of Zachary Ball of Mountain, ON, Alexandra Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON, Megan Lane of Collingwood, ON, and Maura O'Sullivan of Toronto, ON, scored a decisive win with a Team total score of 196.433, almost six points ahead of the silver medal team.

"They are great riders. There was definitely the potential for this to happen,” said Ellen Rumball-Dvorak, chef d’équipe. "Good training, good horses and good attitudes really paid off today.”

With a score of 67.189%, Lane, 18, handily won the class with Caravella, her eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare. In third place, with a score of 65.568%, was O’Sullivan, 17, riding Terrence O'Sullivan’s 13-year-old Hanoverian Pik Czar. Alexandra Dvorak, 18, and Fling, Thomas Dvorak’s nine-year-old Westphalian gelding, scored 63.676% for sixth place. Ball, 16, and Karajan, Sarah McIlwham’s 12-year-old Trakehner gelding, rounded out the Ontario Team effort scoring 59.459%.

“My test went really well and my horse was very good at a venue like this,” said Lane. “We were both really focused and it came together for us today.”

“The footing is fantastic. We rode a very clean test, and my horse was a very good boy,” remarked O’Sullivan.

“This venue is unlike anyplace I have ever ridden in before,” added Dvorak.

The USA Region 3 Team took silver with a score of 190.594 and USA Region 1 earned bronze, scoring 189.026.

Team Canada West made up of Ariana Chia of Winnipeg, MB, Sylvie Fraser of Armstrong, BC, Monica Houweling of Delta, BC, and Devon Luca of Pitt Meadows, BC, finished in fifth place overall with a team score of 182.325.

The Team Championship test also acted as the first leg of the Individual competition for the Junior Rider division, which continues on Saturday, July 25.

Exclusively for Junior riders, aged 14–18, and Young Riders, 16–21, the NAJYRC gives up and coming riders the opportunity to experience representing their country as a team, and prepares them for future international competition. Featuring the disciplines of Dressage, Eventing, Show Jumping and Reining, the 2009 edition of NAJYRC is also featuring the FEI discipline of Vaulting for the first time. Another first for the Championship is the presence of the FEI President, Princess Haya. This is the only time that a current FEI President has attended the prestigious event.

The Championships, presented by Gotham North, are being hosted at the site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, giving these young athletes a taste of what’s to come next year for their senior counterparts. 

For more information and complete results for NAJYRC, please visit www.youngriders.org.

FEI Seminar for Dressage Stewards Announced

Blainville, Quebec will be host to an FEI Seminar for FEI Dressage Stewards on June 23-24th, 2009. The seminar will be conducted by FEI Dressage Steward General, Jacques Van Daele of Belgium for FEI Groups IV, V, VI and if space permits, National Federation Senior Stewards. Details...