Naima Moreira Laliberté (Outremont, QC) and Statesman were victorious in the CDI3* Grand Prix Dressage Freestyle at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto.
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
Toronto, ON, Nov. 8, 2024 – Naïma Moreira Laliberté (Outremont, QC,) and her Paris Olympic mount Statesman (Sandro Hit x Brentano II), captured the $20,000 CDI3* Grand Prix Dressage Freestyle, Tuesday, November 5, at the Royal Horse Show, part of the 102nd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.
At 17, Laliberté says Statesman (with whom she has been partnered for the last seven years) has finally “matured”, and Equestrian Canada’s 2024 Dressage Horse of the Year certainly put on a show in the Coca-Cola Coliseum with their fun freestyle set to a mix of Michael Jackson and Eric Martin’s “Good Times.” Laliberté and Statesman, owned by KML, Inc. and Guy Laliberté, were the final pair of the evening, and the crowd was happy to clap along to their passage and piaffe. They posted a score of 75.745% to take the win.
Together, Laliberté and Statesman have traveled the world representing Canada. From Pan-American Games to Olympics, Aachen, Herning and Nations Cups in Wellington, they have grown together and Laliberté feels he is really coming into his own.
“(Statesman) was focused, he stayed with me,” remarked Laliberté after the awards. “We know each other pretty well, so we always try to go mistake free. You’re always learning even with the same horse after all these years.
“I feel like finally at age 17, he’s actually matured in there. When I started with him, every corner, every letter would be like a different personality, a different horse. But I feel like now he’s actually matured for real and he knows what he’s doing and he’s really helping and trying his heart out. I can’t ask more of him.”
Camille Carier Bergeron (Laval, QC) took second place with Finnländerin in the CDI3* Grand Prix Dressage Freestyle at Toronto’s Royal Horse Show.
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
Paris 2024 teammate, Camille Carier Bergeron, 24, (Laval, QC,) rode Finnländerin (Fidertanz 2 x Donnerhall 11) owned by herself and her father Gilles Bergeron to a second place finish, earning a final score of 73.60%. Rounding out the top three, 24-year-old Vanessa Creech-Terauds of Caistor Centre, ON, scored a 70.68% riding Daniel L (Damsey x Wolkenstein II) for owners Louise Leatherdale and her mother, former Canadian Equestrian Team member, Diane Creech.
President of the ground jury, FEI Level Four judge and the evening’s judge at “C”, Cara Whitham expressed how excited the dressage community was to once again be hosting a CDI3* at the Royal, and commented on the crowd-pleasing winning test.
“The choreography (of Naïma’s test) perhaps was not as difficult as some, but it was so beautifully ridden and the technical side of the horse was so correctly presented,” said Whitham. “Those marks kept the score really high and you cannot lower the artistic when you see a good technical performance like that.
“It’s just wonderful to be back at the Royal. We are already looking at people we know out of the country that want to come and compete next year.”
For a complete results as well as the full Royal Horse Show schedule, live scoring, live streaming and more, visit www.royalfair.org.