Kyle Timm
Canadian Kyle Timm of Apex, NC, and Danaide d’Ors (Vagabond de la Pomme x Diamant de Smilly), the six-year-old Selle Français mare owned by Ecuries du Grand Veneur, earned the first FEI win of their partnership to kick off the Jumping International of Vichy, FRA, on June 27. The pair sped through a clear round to beat out more than 30 competitors in the CSIYH 1* class.
Timm returned to the ring on July 6, this time to challenge the CSI 3* competition in Mons Ghlin, BEL. Another clear and quick round secured the top spot for him, this time aboard Apex Equestrian Center’s Double T (Lux Z x Kannan), an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding.
Wesley Newlands
Wesley Newlands of Toronto, ON snagged the win in the Knokke Hippique CSI 1*, held June 28 in Knokke, BEL. She rode Weslands Farm’s 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, Gin Tonic VD Haagakkers (Labor’s VDL Indorado x Saros van het Gestelhof) clear in 62.11 seconds to edge out Belgium’s Juliette Herpoel and Carrera’s time of 63.04.
Gerben Steenbeek
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
Gerben Steenbeek of St. Marys, ON skillfully navigated a team of his stunning Friesian geldings in the Bromont International Driving CAI 2*-H4, held June 28-30, 2019, in Bromont, QC. A final score of 205.43 secured the win with the 14-year-old Remko Stonecreek (Brandus 345 x Gerlof 294), 13-year-old Vincent Stonecreek (Nanning 374 x Wander 352), eight-year-old Liam Stonecreek (Doaitsen 420 x Sape 381), and seven-year-old Marlow Stonecreek (Doaitsen 420 x Sape 381).
Jérôme Drolet
Jérome Drôlet of Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, QC, steered his way into the lead in the Bromont International Driving CAI 2*-H2 division. He piloted his 11-year-old Dutch Harness Horse gelding, MF Dancer (Pandoerava x Balmoral) and Sarah Gagnon Therrien’s seven-year-old Warmblood gelding, Azzaro, to a final score of 184.04 for the win.
Catherine Levasseur
In the Bromont International Driving single horse class, Catherine Levasseur of Sainte-Sophie, QC, nabbed first in the CAI 2*-H1 by scoring 151.09 with her nine-year-old American Dutch Harness Horse mare, Fizz Forever (sired by Whiskei S-1486).
Michelle Courtemanche
Michelle Courtemanche of Guelph, ON, was triumphant in the International Bromont Driving CAI 1*-PS division, guiding her seven-year-old Dutch Harness Horse/Hackney-cross pony mare, Fashionista (sired by Windfall), to a score of 56.02.
Beth Underhill
Photo Credit: Jump Media
Beth Underhill of Schomberg, ON, and Count Me In, owned by Sandy Upton and Robert Caswell, claimed back-to-back victories at the CSI 2* Ottawa International I, held July 10 to 14 at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON. Underhill and the 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Count Grannus x Sherlock Holmes) scored their first win of the week on July 12 by topping 37 entries in the $36,100 CSI 2* Open Welcome. They then followed it up with a win in July 13’s $36,100 CSI 2* Classic, where they were one of seven entries from the 33-horse starting field to qualify for the jump-off over the course set by 2016 Rio Olympic course designer, Guilherme Jorge. Underhill stopped the clock in 44.30 seconds to take the win over fellow Canadian Olympian Amy Millar of Perth, ON, who clocked in at 44.72 seconds riding Truman for owner Millar Brooke Farm.
Braden James
Braden James posted the fastest time of the day in the CSIYH 2* competition on July 17 in Valkenswaad, NED. The Pitt Meadows, BC, native jumped clear and fast to prevail on Heineken (Spartacus TN x Jus de Pomme), a seven-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Waldman Horses.
Ali Ramsay
Photo Credit: Ben Radvanyi Photography
In her competition debut at Wesley Clover Parks, Ali Ramsay of Victoria, BC, scored back-to-back FEI victories riding Casino at the CSI 3* Ottawa International II show jumping tournament held from July 17 to 21 in Ottawa, ON. Ramsay and the 11-year-old bay Oldenburg gelding, sired by Casiro I and owned by Ramsay Equestrian Inc., topped 23 entries to win the $7,000 CSI 3* Welcome on July 17, and followed it up with a win in the $37,000 CSI 3* Capital Classic on July 18. In Thursday’s competition, Ramsay and Casino were one of 10 entries to jump clear over the track set by German course designer Olaf Petersen, Jr. and advance to the jump-off. Julia Madigan, 23, of Vancouver, BC, had held the lead with a jump-off time of 39.24 seconds riding Farfelu du Printemps but Ramsay then used tight turns and Casino’s large, ground-covering stride to her advantage to stop the clock in 39.07 seconds and claim victory.
Ramsay then continued east to the Bromont International in Bromont, QC, where she topped the CSI 3* class on July 28. This time riding Lutz (Lordanos x Pilot), a 10-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Ramsay Equestrian Inc., her clear jump-off round completed in 42.08 seconds edged into first place in front of the 42.20 seconds laid down by Daniel Coyle and CHS Krooze of Ireland.
Jonathon Millar
Photo Credit: Jump Media
Jonathon Millar of Perth, ON, and Daveau won the $134,000 CSI 3* Grand Prix, presented by Brookstreet Hotel, on July 21 on the final day of the CSI 3* Ottawa International II at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON. 27 entries representing five different countries contested the first-round track set by German course designer Olaf Petersen, Jr. Of those, six horse-rider combinations jumped clear on Wesley Clover Parks’ grass grand prix field to advance to the jump-off. As the last to return for the tie-breaker, Millar knew exactly what he had to do to win and delivered the only double-clear performance of the day to claim victory. Ireland’s Jordan Coyle and Picador posted the fastest four-fault performance in the jump-off, 41.49 seconds, to place second while Underhill was third with four faults in a time of 42.13 seconds.
Sabrina Glaser
Sabrina Glaser of Langley, BC, topped the challenging CCI 4*-S division at The Event at Rebecca Farms in Kalispell, MT on July 25. Riding Rembrandt (Galouet x Travelling Victor), Patricia Yust’s 11-year-old Thoroughbred-cross gelding, Glaser won on a final score of 43.9 penalties.
Canadian Dressage Team
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
After fierce competition for the top of the podium, on July 29 the Canadian Dressage Team took Pan Am gold for the first time in 28 years, and earned Canada’s berth to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during the Lima 2019 Pan American Games in Peru.
Team members, Jill Irving of Moncton, NB, Tina Irwin of Stouffville, ON, Lindsay Kellock of Toronto, ON, and Naima Moreira Laliberté of Outremont, QC, were neck-and-neck with the United States during the first leg of the team competition on July 28, finishing a fraction behind. They returned to the Team Final on July 29 with laser focus to achieve their dual goals of gold medals and a spot for Tokyo 2020. Canada’s gold medal was earned on a team total score of 440.111.
Naima Moreira Laliberté
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
Naima Moreira Laliberté contributed two first place finishes to help the Canadian Dressage Team earn its Pan Am gold: she rode Statesman, a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding sired by Sandro Hit and owned by KML S.à.r.l., to win both July 28’s Grand Prix (71.413%) and July 29’s Grand Prix Special (71.787%) as an individual.
Jumping Young Riders Team Canada
Photo Credit: SEL Photography
As the eldest jumping competitors at the 2019 North American Youth Championships (NAYC), held at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, NY, Canada’s Young Riders brought their experience to bear for a gold medal finish. With scores combined over three rounds of competition spread across two days, teammates Dannie Murphy of Charlottetown, PEI, Sam Walker of Nobleton, ON, Samantha Starratt of Calgary, AB, and Mackenzie Wray of Loretto, ON, maintained their composure to come out on top of an extremely competitive field with a final team score of 19.25 on Aug. 2.
Sam Walker.jpg)
Photo Credit: SEL Photography
In addition to the team gold, Sam Walker also secured the top spot as an individual in each of the first two days of NAYC competition riding Coralissa (Com Air x Corrado I), MarBill Hill Farm’s nine-year-old Holsteiner mare. The dynamic duo first topped the Individual Qualifier on Aug. 1 with a clear round, and then led the Team Competition the next day with only one time fault over two exacting rounds.
Tiffany Foster
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
After the July retirement of her former Canadian Equestrian Team mount, Tripple X III, Tiffany Foster of North Vancouver, BC, turned her focus to the other talented horses in her string at the X-Bionic® Summer Tour in Samorin, SVK. On Aug. 2, she flew clear through the CSI 4* jump-off course in 38.84 seconds to win on Vienna (Valentino x Lordanos), Artisan Farms LLC’s eight-year-old Hanoverian mare, over Mexico’s Andres Azcarraga and Xaman, whose time of 39.18 just missed the cut. The next day, Foster turned to another Artisan Farms LLC mount, the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Brighton (Contendro II x Quick Star), to once again earn a place in the winner’s circle. Their clear jump-off round in 38.22 seconds was just enough to beat the 40.74 seconds of Italy’s Matteo Leonardi and Zypern III.
Foster then brought Brighton to Deauville, FRA, where they collected another win with a clear round in the CSI 3* competition on Aug. 15. That same day, Foster rode Kent Farrington’s seven-year-old Hanoverian stallion, Coolio 40 (Catoki x Satisfaction II) to a clear round in the CSIYH 1* class.
Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt, a Canadian who resides in Royal Palm Beach, FL, saw excellent results at the X-Bionic® Summer Tour CSI 4* on Aug. 3. Riding Concorde (Vaillant x Concorde), a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding he co-owns with The Epic Group LLC, Pratt cleared the jumps in 40.50 seconds to narrowly win the jump-off over Switzerland’s Edwin Smits and Farezzo, who completed their clear round in 40.99 seconds.
Nicolaus Leckebusch-Peters
Nicolaus Leckebusch-Peters of Georgetown, ON, found himself atop the CSI U25-A leaderboard in Donaueschingen-Immenhöfe, GER, on Aug. 3 after executing a clear round on C’est La Vie 145 (Check In 2 x Calato), an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Halton Place.
The dominant duo of Leckebusch-Peters and C’est La Vie 145 returned to the Donaueschingen-Immenhöfe ring on Aug. 16, once again taking the top spot in the CSI U25-A competition by stopping the clock clear in 55.66 seconds.
Erynn Ballard
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
Back at the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games, Erynn Ballard of Tottenham, ON, conquered the show jumping Team Competition as an individual on Aug. 7, riding double-clear with Ilan Ferder’s nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Fellini S (Vermont x Rash R), to best nearly 50 of the top show jumpers from across the Americas.
Jim Ifko
Photo Credit: ESI Photography
Calgary, AB’s Jim Ifko and Eventyre Farms Ltd.’s 11-year-old Selle Français stallion, Un Diamant des Forets (Diamant de Semilly x Papillon Rouge), managed an impressive win to close out the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival CSI 3* in Traverse City, MI, on Aug. 11. A tight jump-off saw five riders finish clear within two seconds of one another, but ultimately, Ifko’s time of 38.59 seconds trumped them all. Ali Wolff and Quirie 2 (USA) followed second with a time of 38.84 seconds.
Jenn Serek
Jenn Serek of Calgary, AB, was the undisputed winner of Aug. 14’s Happy Welcome CSI 3* competition at Thunderbird Show Park in Vancouver, BC. Wicked (Eurocommerce Berlin x Diamant de Semilly), an 11-year-old Selle Français gelding, worked harmoniously with Serek to be the only combination to complete the jump-off, and were clear to boot.
Tina Irwin
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
Fresh from her team gold and individual silver performances in Lima, Tina Irwin gave her Pan Am partner, Laurencio, a well-deserved break and turned her attention to Fancy That (Donnerschwee x Freiherr), a 13-year-old Oldenburg mare that she co-owns with Jaimey Irwin and Rocket One, LLC. Together, they won the Centerline Events @ HITS CDI 3* Grand Prix Freestyle in Saugerties, NY, on Aug. 17 with a score of 72.785%.
Jaimey Irwin
Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle
Tina Irwin was joined at the Centerline Events @ HITS CDI 3* by her husband, Jaimey Irwin of Stouffville, ON. He and Team Irwin Supporters Group’s Donegal V, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, danced their way to first in the Grand Prix on Aug. 16 with 68.870% and in the Grand Prix Special on Aug. 18 with 70.213%.
Brooke Massie
Brooke Massie of Saint-Lazare, QC, emerged victorious in her second-ever advanced start at the Bromont CCI 4*-S, held from Aug. 16-18 in Bromont, QC. Sitting in last place after the dressage phase, she steadily made an impressive climb up the leaderboard riding her 10-year-old Thoroughbred mare, Serendipity (Vibank x Naskra), to a final score of 45.5 penalty points.
Colleen Loach
Brooke Massie’s coach, Colleen Loach of Dunham, QC, made an appearance in the Bromont CCI 3*-S division after participating in the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games with the Canadian Eventing Team. She rode Peter Barry’s seven-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Vermont (Van Helsing x Heraldik XX), to a score of 41.1 penalties for the win.