Dressage

The Equestrian Canada National Team Program (NTP) was created to provide a pathway that increases the number of Canadian athletes achieving international podium performances.

The NTP identifies athletes in the Train to Compete and Learn to Win stages of the Long-Term Equestrian Development (LTED) framework and supports their progression to the Train to Win and Live to Win stages. In addition, the NTP is aligned with EC’s high performance strategies and funding partners, such as Sport Canada and the Athlete Assistance Program (AAP).

The NTP cycle runs from January 1st to December 31st, and athlete nominations are reviewed twice per year in June and December.

The NTP – Dressage is categorized into three levels: National Squad, Development Squad, and Talent ID Squad. Athletes named to the squads have access to a number of benefits to support their training and competition plans.

Through the Athlete Assistance Program (AAP), carded and qualified equestrian athletes can have access to a monthly stipend to help support training and competition initiatives. General criteria and processes are created and implemented by Sport Canada. Sport-specific criteria for equestrian are established by the EC High Performance department.

The carding period for equestrian sport is from January 1 to December 31. All carding recommendations must be based on results achieved in the preceding 12 months, as submitted to EC by the athlete.