Erynn Ballard
Erynn Ballard of Tottenham, ON, scored a major CSI 5* victory by topping the $134,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup Round 5 on Feb. 7, at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL. Ballard and her 2018 World Equestrian Games (WEG) mount, Ilan Ferder’s 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Darkos Promise, were one of seven entries from the 50-horse starting field to advance to the jump-off over Kelvin Bywater’s course. As the final pair to return, Ballard and Darkos Promise had to beat a time of 39.40 seconds set by Brazil’s Eduardo Menezes aboard H5 Chaganus. Ballard and Darkos Promise proved to be faster, stopping the timers in 39.28 seconds for the win.
Ballard and Darkos Promise were also part of the jump-off field for the $391,000 CSI 5* Fidelity Investments® Grand Prix held two days later, earning Ballard the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider title for Week 5 of WEF. The Leading Lady title is awarded weekly by Jolicoeur, a leading South Florida real estate broker with Douglas Elliman, to recognize top female performances in the weekly WEF Challenge Cup and grand prix classes
Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu
Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle
Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of Saint-Bruno, QC, had immense success during the fifth week of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. She and All In (Tango x Damiro), the 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she co-owns with her father, Craig Fraser and husband, Marc-Andre Beaulieu, kicked the competition off on Feb. 7 with the CDI 5* Grand Prix, where a high score of 71.304% secured the win. The veteran partnership returned to the ring the following day, where a compelling performance set to the soundtrack of the movie, “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” earned an impressive score of 76.520% in the CDI 5* Grand Prix Freestyle.
Vanessa Creech-Terauds
In the AGDF 5 CDI-Y division, it was Vanessa Creech-Terauds of Caistor Centre, ON, who nabbed first place in the Individual Competition on Feb. 9. She and Fleur de Lis L (First Dance x De Niro), a 10-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Diane Creech and Louise Leatherdale, scored 70.324% to take the win.
Scarlett Hansen
Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle
Scarlett Hansen of Outremont, QC, captured two first-place finishes in the CDI-P division at AGDF 5. On Feb. 8, she and Reve de Glatigny (Vierzen x Dornick B), her 14-year-old gelding, scored 66.857% in the Team Competition, and came back to improve their score the next day to 67.432% in the Individual Competition.
Hansen returned to AGDF two weeks later, this time on her 11-year-old gelding, Umour de Glatigny (Doppelspiel x Viersen K). The duo swept the CDI-P division, starting with the Team Competition on Feb. 22 (65.829%), followed by the Individual on Feb. 23 (61.189%), and wrapping up their three-peat on Feb. 24 in the Freestyle (66.000%).
Kara Chad
Photo Credit: Cealy Tetley
Kara Chad of Millarville, AB, topped the CSI 3* division’s c2,180 1.40m Big Tour B Two Phase class on Feb. 22, during the second week of competition on the Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera, ESP. A member of Canada’s 2018 WEG team, Chad bested a large starting field of 82 entries to take the win with a second phase time of 33.89 seconds riding Viva (Now or Never M x Carbid), a 10-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Torrey Pines Stable Inc. Finishing more than a second behind Chad to finish runner-up with a time of 34.94 seconds was Matthew Sampson of Great Britain riding Candy 763.
Jaimey Irwin
Jaimey Irwin of Stouffville, ON, picked up the ride on Laurencio (Laurentio x Donnerhall), a 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding, from his wife and Laurencio’s co-owner, Tina Irwin, for AGDF 7. Together, the new partnership nabbed wins in the CDI 3* Prix St. Georges on Feb. 21 (71.324%) and Intermediate I on Feb. 22 (73.706%).
Branden James
On Feb. 26, Braden James of Pitt Meadows, BC, topped the CSIYH 1* leaderboard at the SHOT Winter Tour in Carmona, ESP, riding Naomi PS Z (Nabab de Reve x Argentinus), the seven-year-old Zangersheide mare he co-owns with Riverwind Farm. The duo cleared the jump-off round in 40.58 seconds to best a field of 14 entries that included second-place finisher, Sammie Jo Coffin (GBR), whose jump-off time was 41.48 seconds, as well as a second seven-year-old ridden by James, Waldman Horses’ Dutch Warmblood gelding, Heineken (Spartacus TN x Jus de Pomme), who placed fifth!