Robert Gielen
Robert Gielen of Flesherton, ON, and his 12-year-old Arabian gelding, More Bang for Your Buck (Doran x Forty Thieves), were the first to cross the finish line at the Fun in the Sun CEI 3* in Williston, FL on March 12. Gielen completed the 160km endurance ride in approximately 12.5hrs, averaging a speed of 12.67km/hr aboard “Bang”, with whom he has competed at the FEI level since 2015.
Lauren Barwick
Source: Susan J. Stickle
Canadian Paralympian Lauren Barwick of Reddick, FL, and Sandrino, Lee Garrod’s nine-year-old Westphalian gelding, scored a CPEDI 3* Grade III three-peat during the ninth week of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), held in Wellington, FL. Their winning run kicked off on March 12 with 75.834% in the Team Test. The next day, they scored 73.088% in the Individual before upping their game even more in March 14’s Freestyle with a remarkable score of 77.656%.
Jim Ifko
Photo Credit: Sportfot
Hot off his win in the $37,000 Restylane 1.45m class on February 12, Jim Ifko, 51, made another trip to the winner’s circle on March 13 during week nine of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL. The Calgary, AB, native was one of 12 entries to return for the jump-off in the $50,000 CSI 2* Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix from the original 45-horse starting field. Riding Un Diamant des Forets, a 13-year-old bay Selle Français stallion (Diamant de Semilly x Papillon Rouge) owned by Eventyre Farms Ltd., Jim was again clear in the jump-off in a time of 32.73 seconds to take the win over Paris Sellon of the United States, who had stopped the timers in 34.12 seconds riding Anna Jo.
Eric Lamaze
Photo Credit: Sportfot
The 2008 Olympic champion was in great form during week 10 of competition at WEF. Riding Chacco Kid, his partner for the past five seasons, Eric Lamaze won the $37,000 CSI 3* Douglas Elliman Real Estate 1.45m on March 18. Held in a speed format that saw the fastest time win, Eric was blistering fast in a time of 58.26 seconds over a course set by Michel Vaillancourt, the only equestrian athlete other than Eric to win an individual Olympic medal for Canada. A total of 66 entries contested the track but none could get home with all the rails in place faster than Eric and the 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Chacco-Blue x Come On) owned by the Chacco Kid Group, consisting of Rick and Sara Mershad, Ludi and Carol Sollak, and Andy and Carlene Ziegler.
Team Canada
Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle
Canada fielded a triple threat Under 25 (U25) team comprised of Camille Carier Bergeron of Mascouche, QC, Vanessa Creech-Terauds of Caistor Centre, ON, and Beatrice Boucher of Saint-Dominique, QC, for the CDIO-U25 Nations Cup at AGDF 10.
The CDIO-U25 FEI Intermediate II test on March 17 determined the team standings. Carier Bergeron led the pack, armed with both team and individual bronze medals from the 2020 Nations Cup. Partnered with Acoeur (Acordelli x Ricardo), a 14-year-old Baden-Württemberg gelding owned by Gilles Bergeron, she captured first on a score of 69.412%.
Creech-Terauds, who had competed in the three previous Nations Cups with two team bronze medals under her belt, came next for Canada on the leaderboard. She and Fleur de Lis L (First Dance x De Niro), a 12-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Diane Creech and Louise Leatherdale, danced their way to a score of 66.529% for fourth place.
Rounding out the team performance was Boucher in her Nations Cup debut – and, impressively, her first-ever FEI level competition aboard Baldacci (Havidoff x Rubiquil), owned by Camille and Gilles. Boucher and the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding placed sixth on a respectable score of 65.323%.
Team Canada totaled a final score of 135.941 – just enough to edge out the United States’ score of 135.295 and find themselves atop the podium for the first time in the Nations Cup’s four-year history.
Camille Carier Bergeron
Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle
Camille and Acoeur added a gold medal to their growing collection in the CDIO-U25 Grand Prix Freestyle on March 19. The duo’s personal bests score of 74.485% boosted them out of reach of Americans, Codi Harrison and Katholt’s Bossco, who secured silver with 74.030%, and Hope Cooper and Hot Chocolate W, who earned bronze with 70.695%.
Chloe Gasiorowski
Chloe Gasiorowski of Toronto, ON, and her 13-year-old Hanoverian mare, Floratina (Fidertanz 2 x Rubin Royal OLD), became a familiar sight pictured with a blue ribbon at AGDF. On March 20 during AGDF 10, they won the CDI-Am Prix St. Georges with a score of 66.588%. The duo returned to the CDI-Am Prix St. Georges ring for AGDF 12, once again topping the leaderboard on April 1 after receiving 68.088% from the judges.
Michelle Filsinger
Michelle Filsinger, a Canadian resident of Rancho Sante Fe, CA, joined her countrywoman, Chloe, as a CDI-Am winner at AGDF 10. Riding Bellmeier (Belissimo x Weltmeyer), her 11-year-old Westphalian stallion, she scored 66.853% to capture the Intermediate I on March 21.
Beatrice Boucher
Returning for the competition’s 12th and final week, Beatrice and Baldacci closed AGDF on a high note, winning the CDI-U25 Grand Prix Freestyle on April 4 with 68.520%.