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March 2010

Canadian Sharon Merkel-Beattie Win Grand Prix Special at CDI Burbank

Ottawa, ON — Sharon Merkel-Beattie of Sturgeon County, AB, won the Grand Prix Special at the CDI 3* Y/J Burbank Mid Winter Dressage, held February 26–28, 2010, at Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, CA.

Riding Essence of Glory (Evergreen x PB Goodwill), a 14-year-old Canadian-bred Hanoverian mare co-owned by Merkel-Beattie and Donna Scott, the duo scored 64.042% for the win.

"I was really proud of Essence of Glory. She was steady and attentive. The special is a good test for us, and I was very happy with how the trot portion of the test progressed as it really flowed. We had some very nice moments in our piaffe-passage tour and were rewarded by the judges," said Merkel-Beattie. "I am training with Dirk Glitz at Yarra Yarra Ranch in Pleasanton, California. His help has been invaluable and I look forward to the next month of training."

Lorraine Chappell of Aldergrove, BC, and her horse Carpatino (Carpaccio x Coriolan), a 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding, placed third in the Grand Prix Special.

In the Grand Prix test, Wendy Christoff of Delta, BC, riding Pfalstaff, her 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding sired by Palladium, finished in third, scoring 65.149%, just behind Untied States Olympic Medalist Guenter Seidel and US Pan Am Games Medalist Jan Ebeling. Merkel-Beattie and Essence of Glory earned a score of 64.298% for fourth place. Christoff and Pfalstaff went on to place second in the Grand Prix Freestyle with a score of 65.650%

"It was a fun show and the weather made for very interesting riding and competing. On Friday the weather was good and we rode outside in the assigned arenas, but Friday night a huge storm came through dumping two to three inches of rain and hail during the next 24 hours," said Christoff. "My horse was very good on Friday in the Grand Prix. The entire competition was moved indoors, and I thought he handled the spooky environment very well. I was very pleased with him in his freestyle on Sunday. I am looking forward to competing again in Del Mar as he is getting better with each show."

Ashleigh Luca-Tyson, a Canadian who currently resides in Phoenix, AZ, and Uniek (Gribaldi x Haarlem), a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Luca-Tyson and Sally Williams, finished in fifth in the Intermediaire I test. In sixth place was Lindsey Stroh of Camrose, AB, and Lancelot, a 10-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding sired by Lobster and owned by Vickie Argals. Travolta, a 10-year-old Canadian Warmblood gelding sired by Olympic Ferro, owned and ridden by Joni Lynn Peters rounded out the Canadian entries in seventh spot. Peters and Travolta also won the Intermediaire Freestyle.

Luca-Tyson and Uniek finished in fifth, with a score of 64.123%, in the Prix St. Georges test. Peters and Travolta were sixth and Stroh and Lancelot earned eighth place.

Young rider Jennifer Wood of Nanoose Bay, BC, and her horse Mister (Corleone x Wisconsin), a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, finished third in both the Young Riders Team and Individual tests.

The international judging panel included Canadians Cara Whitham (FEI O), Lorraine Macdonald (FEI I) along with Dr. Jean-Michel Roudier (FEI O—FRA), Mary Seefried (FEI O— AUS) and Jane Weatherwax (FEI I—USA).

Support Canadian Riders’ WEG Dreams
There are still a number of WEG ticket packages available. Each package contains tickets directly behind "C" for four dressage events and are $875 (CDN) each. Dressage Canada also has a few select hotel rooms available at the official Canadian hotel — the Griffen Gate Resort and Spa in Lexington, KY. This is the same hotel where all the Canadian athletes will be staying. The room rate is $329/night plus taxes and the hotel rooms are booked for arrival on Sept 26th for 7 nights.

For more information, visit the Dressage Canada website (www.equinecanada.ca/dressage) and click on the “WEG 2010 Ticket Package Special” advertisement.

About Dressage Canada
Dressage Canada, as a committee of Equine Canada, is the National governing body for Dressage in Canada. Dressage Canada's objective is to foster the growth of Dressage and the pursuit of excellence in the sport at the local, national and international levels. Dressage Canada provides support and guidance to both amateurs and professionals through the following programs: coaching education and programs; officials’ education and programs; rules and qualifying criteria; sport development; and publications and awards. For more information about Dressage Canada, please visit the Dressage section of the Equine Canada site or connect with us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dressagecanada or Facebook at tinyurl.com/lp8cnd.

About Equine Canada
Equine Canada is Canada’s national governing body for equestrianism. A member-driven, charitable institution, it is the executive branch of the Canadian Equestrian Team, and the national authority for equestrian competition; the national voice for recreational riders; and the national association for equine welfare, breeding, and industry. Equine Canada is recognised by the Government of Canada, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), and the Canadian Olympic Committee as the national organisation representing equestrian sport and equine interests. For more information about Equine Canada, please visit www.equinecanada.ca.

Jump Canada Announces Bursary Recipients for 2009

Ottawa, Ontario—Jump Canada is pleased to announce the young athletes who have been named recipients of the Jump Canada Bursary for 2009.

In recognition of the difficulty that young riders’ face as they strive to continue their education while also competing at high levels of equestrian sport, Jump Canada developed the Bursary program for competitors aged 14-21 in the hunter, jumper and equitation divisions. Since its inception in 2002, the Jump Canada Bursary Program has been made possible by a leadership donation of $5,000 from the Samuel Group of Companies. Jump Canada matches that donation to offer a total of $10,000 in bursary monies.

The following young athletes were awarded Jump Canada Bursaries in the amount of $2,000 each.

Taylor Brooks, 18, of Vars, ON, has been successfully competing on both the provincial and national hunter circuits for a number of years. Brooks began competing in the Short Stirrup division at the age of eight and, with that first year of showing, developed a love of competition. Brooks has qualified for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Horse Show twice - once with her medium pony Beaverwoods Echo in 2004 and, in 2007 she competed in the Jump Canada Medal and Junior Hunter Division with Monaco. Riding Horizon’s Wasabi M, Brooks entered the jumper ranks at the national level in 2009. Brooks currently has her sights set on qualifying for the FEI North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championship and is training to reach that goal with her new horse, Empire 181.

Brie Etcheverry, 21, of Calgary, AB, has been a successful competitor on the national circuit for many years and has also earned numerous Alberta Show Jumping Association awards. For the past two years, Etcheverry has competed at the North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championship (NAJYRC) with her own horses, Capitan (2008) and Pilgrim v/d Paddepoel (2009). In both her NAJYRC appearances, Etcheverry won the Farewell competition in the Young Riders’ division. Etcheverry also won the ATCO Structures Double Slalom at the 2009 Spruce Meadows “National” Tournament. She is currently attending the University of Calgary while her equestrian goals are geared toward earning a future place on the Canadian Equestrian Team.

Quincy Hayes, 18, of Aurora, ON, has been showing on the national circuit since the age of five. In 2002, she was the Grand Pony Hunter Champion at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Horse Show. Hayes had a tremendous year in 2008, capped off by winning both the CET and Jump Canada Medal Finals at the Royal. In 2009, Hayes trained as a working student in the United States and qualified for the USEF Finals, the USET Finals and the ASPCA Maclay Finals, as well as the Jump Canada Medal Finals. Hayes is presently attending the University of Guelph and will continue to compete while simultaneously pursuing her Bachelor of Arts.

Katherine Macoun, 15, is a grade 10 student from Calgary, AB. Having shown both ponies and horses on the national circuit, Macoun attended her first out-of-province horse show in 2008 and qualified to represent Canada at the 2008 FEI Children's Final held in Bogota, Colombia, where she finished in 12th place riding a borrowed horse. In 2009, she was the winner of the 1.20m Final Four at the Spruce Meadows “Skyliner” Tournament and was profiled as a CTV ‘Athlete of the Week.’ Her future goals include being named to the Junior Team for the NAJYRC. She would also like to earn the opportunity to attend additional international competitions around the world.

Karley Skaret, 15, is from Calgary, AB. In 2009, Skaret moved into the jumper ring and was champion in the 1m division at Bow Valley Classic II in Calgary and reserve champion at Rivervalley Horse Show in Edmonton with her horsem Celebrity. The pair also won a 1m class at the Rocky Mountain Classic Horse Show in August. Skaret plans on qualifying for the Alberta Select Rider Team in 2010. Skaret has been on the Gold Honour Roll every term to date in high school. Once she completes her secondary studies, Skaret plans to pursue an equestrian scholarship at university in order to continue competing while obtaining her degree.

Each year, Jump Canada selects worthy recipients of its Bursary program based on the strength of applications received. Elements considered in the application process include a transcript of grades and outline of academic curriculum; future educational plans; equestrian experience; commitment and dedication to their sport; a positive image within the sport; achievement of notable competition results, whether at the local, regional or national level; goals within the equestrian industry; and financial need.

About Jump Canada
Jump Canada is the committee of Equine Canada responsible for all hunter, equitation and jumper activities in Canada from the grass roots to the international level. Jump Canada is governed by a board, the majority of whose members are elected by the stakeholders in the sport. For more information regarding Jump Canada programs and activities, visit www.equinecanada.ca/jumpcanada.

About Equine Canada
Equine Canada is Canada’s national governing body for equestrianism. A member-driven, charitable institution, it is the executive branch of the Canadian Equestrian Team, and the national authority for equestrian competition; the national voice for recreational riders; and the national association for equine welfare, breeding, and industry. Equine Canada is recognised by the Government of Canada, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), and the Canadian Olympic Committee as the national organisation representing equestrian sport and equine interests. For more information about Equine Canada, please visit www.equinecanada.ca.