Leading the way for the red and white was Chris von Martels, a resident of Wellington, FL, aboard Eclips (Apache x Olympic Ferro), the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding that he co-owns with Barbara Soederhuizen. On April 23, the pair warmed up with a third-place finish on a score of 70.522% in the Grand Prix. On April 24, Chris and Eclips returned to the ring with guns blazing: they posted a spectacular personal best of 79.095% to claim victory in the Grand Prix Freestyle.
Chris von Martels and Eclips were one of five Canadian combinations to record impressive high scores at the Tryon Spring Dressage 1 CDI 4*, held April 22-25, 2021, in Tryon, NC.
Photo Credit: Sharon Packer
“Achieving nearly 80% is a great reason to celebrate, but actually, I’m mostly just grateful for my horse and all the amazing people I have in my circle that help me get to this level,” said Chris. “Obviously, it’s always nice to win with a great score like this but for me the countless hours and years of experiences, friends you meet along the way, the ups and downs, new and old horses and the road to success is as enjoyable as the success itself. Eclips is an incredible horse so I’m very much looking forward to the near future with him!”
Back on the Grand Prix leaderboard, Tina Irwin of Stouffville, ON, sat less than 0.1% behind Chris in the saddle of Fancy That (Donnerschwee x Freiherr), a 15-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Jaimey Irwin in partnership with Rocket One, LLC. They scored 70.456% for fourth place before going on to record a fifth-place finish of 70.702% in the Grand Prix Special on April 25.
Lindsay Kellock, a Toronto native who resides in Wellington, FL, and Sebastien (Sandro Hit x Fidermark), Enterprise Farm Equestrian, LLC’s 15-year-old Rheinländer gelding, came to the Tyron Spring Dressage 1 hot off back-to-back wins at the World Equestrian Center Dressage III CDI 3* in Ocala, FL (71.522% in April 16’s Grand Prix; 72.021% in April 18’s Grand Prix Special). In the ring at Tryon, the Equestrian Canada (EC) National Team Program (NTP) Dressage National Squad combination secured a significant personal best score in the Grand Prix Freestyle: 79.095% for second place.
Jill Irving of Moncton, NB, and Windhaven’s Arthur (Jazz x Contango), who are also on the NTP Dressage National Squad, extended the list of Canadian successes in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Her and the 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding’s score of 72.860% earned fourth place.
Concluding the weekend in the Grand Prix Special was a third NTP Dressage National Squad combination, Naima Moreira Laliberté of Outremont, QC, and Statesman (Sandro Hit x Brentano II), KML Inc’s 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion. They added another high score to their already impressive record with 70.979% awarded from the judges, claiming fourth.Equestrian Canada wishes to thank Sport Canada for its support of athletes through the Athlete Assistance Program.
For full results from the Tryon Spring Dressage 1, click here. Visit the EC website for more information about dressage programs and services.