Kristen Senger
Kristen Senger of Sherwood Park, AB, provided the hometown crowd with good reason to cheer on Aug. 21, landing the only Canadian FEI win of the 2019 Summer Fort Festival in the CSI 4*-W Happy Welcome. She and her nine-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding, Clarion SN (Clarimo x Cappucino), beat out the world-class competition to win the jump-off, completing a clear round in 39.94 seconds. Sarah Lambert (CAN) and Damman. O.L finished a close second clear in 41.24 seconds.
Bianca Lafontaine
Bianca Lafontaine of Montreal, QC, pulled out all the stops to win on Aug. 21 at The International CSI 2* in Rockwood, ON. She navigated Canellas (Catoki x Lord Byron), a nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Stall Tjeert Rijkens, clear though the course to top the leaderboard.
Sam Walker
Photo Credit: SEL Photography
Sam Walker of Nobleton, ON, captured the other two CSI 2* wins up for grabs at The International riding his partner from the 2019 North American Youth Championships (NAYC), MarBill Hill Farm’s nine-year-old Holsteiner mare, Coralissa (Com Air x Corrado I). The dynamic duo first showed off their speed in the $36,100 Open Welcome – serendipitously presented by Coralissa’s owners, MarBill Hill Farm – on Aug. 22, winning the jump-off with a clear round in 39.15 seconds. Fellow Canadian, Keean White and Tahiorn, just missed out on the top spot with a time of 39.70 seconds.
Two days later, Walker and Coralissa returned to the ring for the $72,000 Groupby Grand Prix. Once again, they edged out the competition for first, stopping the jump-off timers clear in 38.10 seconds. Canadian Olympian Jill Henselwood rode Eblesse to a second-place finish with a jump-off time of 38.26 seconds.
Ian Millar
Back in Rockwood, ON, for The National competition, “Captain Canada” himself won the CSI 2* class on Aug. 28 aboard Christiano (Canoso x Compliment). Ian Millar of Perth, ON, showed off his untouchable skill to ride the course clear and fast for the win aboard the nine-year-old German Sport Horse owned by Future Adventures.
Jordan Steenbeek
Jordan Steenbeek of Woodham, ON, joined the family tradition of driving at the international level at The Kentucky Classic Combined Driving Event, held in Paris, KY, from Aug. 28-Sept. 1. Steenbeek made his FEI debut in the CAI 1*-H2 division piloting his father, Gerben Steenbeek’s homebred Friesian geldings, 10-year-old Falco Stonecreek (Brandus 345 x Jurjen 303) and seven-year-old Oscar Stonecreek (Doaitsen 420 x Gerlof 294) to a score of 98.93 for first place.
Chris Sorensen
Chris Sorensen of Caledon, ON, and Calgary 56 (Carinjo x Cassini I), a 13-year-old Zweibrücker gelding owned by Quincy Hayes and Sorensen Stables, proudly flew the maple leaf in Opglabbeek, BEL, where they won the CSI 1* competition on Aug. 30. The pair lay down two clear rounds in 34.96 and 28.10 seconds to secure the win over Spain’s Jose Antonio Garcia Diana and Corneto, who came in second with times of 35.33 and 28.47 seconds.
Kelly Houtappels-Bruder
Photo Credit: Foto Šárka
Kelly Houtappels-Bruder, a top Canadian driver residing in Steensel, NED, continued her winning ways at the CAI 3*-H1 CDE in Písečné nad Dyjí, CZE, held from Aug. 30-Sept. 1. There, she and Flip (Fidertanz x Carprilli), an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding that she co-owns with Frank Houtappels, held onto first place throughout all three days of competition, leading the pack with a dressage score of 45.19 and a marathon total of 91.63, adding up to a final score of 136.82 after a double-clear cones phase.
Mélina Brissette
At the Bromont Autumn Classic, held Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in Bromont, QC, Mélina Brissette of Saint-Thomas, QC, earned her first hat trick in a promising career start. Riding Tinkerbell, her 18-year-old Connemara-cross mare, Brissette topped the CDI-P Team Competition on Aug. 30 (65.571%), the Individual Competition on Aug. 31 (63.243%), and finally in the Freestyle on Sept. 1 (66.000%).
Laurence Blais Tétreault
Photo Credit: Lily Forado
In the Bromont Autumn Classic Under 25 division, Laurence Blais Tétreault of Montreal, QC, made her presence known aboard Utah (Jazz x Landwind II B), an 18-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by her sister, Mathilde Blaid Tétreault. The pair impressed the judges for a score of 67.206% in the CDI-U25 Intermediate II on Aug. 30 before improving their marks to score 69.231% the following day in the CDI-U25 Grand Prix.
Charlotte MacDonald
Charlotte MacDonald of Orleans, ON, and Simone Williams’ Popcorn, an 11-year-old Appaloosa gelding, made their FEI debut at the Bromont Autumn Classic in the Children’s division. They posted wins for their first scores on record, earning 61.218% in the CDI-Ch-A Team Competition on Aug. 30, and following that up with 59.822% in the CDI-Ch-A Individual Competition on Aug. 31.
Lily-Rose Lemaire
Fresh off an appearance at NAYC 2019, Lily-Rose Lemaire of Drummondville, QC, piloted Lynda Tétreault’s World Lady, a 19-year-old Hanoverian mare sired by Weltmeyer, to success at the Bromont Autumn Classic. The pair kicked off competition by winning the CDI-J Team Competition with 67.020% on Aug. 30, and then placed first again in the CDI-J Individual Competition the next day with 66.569%. Their best score of the weekend came on Sept. 1, where high marks totaling 71.517% in the CDI-J Freestyle secured their third consecutive win.
Camille Carier Bergeron
Lemaire’s Canadian teammate at NAYC 2019, Camille Carier Bergeron of Mascouche, QC, also posted high scores at the Bromont Autumn Classic. She and Sound of Silence 4 (San Amour I x Limes), an 11-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Gilles Bergeron, took on Aug. 30’s CDI-Y Team Competition to score 70.441% for first. The combination also won Aug. 31’s CDI-Y Individual Competition with 68.431%.
Beatrice Boucher
The NAYC connection continued at the Bromont Autumn Classic, with Carier Bergeron’s 2018 teammate, Beatrice Boucher, emerging victorious in the small tour. Partnered with Lynda Tétreault’s Louxor de Lys (Licotus x Weltmeyer), a Hanoverian gelding who is only eight years old, the Saint-Dominique, QC, native topped the CDI 2* leaderboard with 69.118% in the Intermediate I on Aug. 31. Then, Boucher went on to show off a stunning Freestyle that earned 72.917% on Sept. 1.
Evi Strasser
Evi Strasser of Sainte-Adèle, QC, also racked up wins at the Bromont Autumn Classic, but with two horses under her control. She and her 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Rigaudon Tyme (Rosario x Calypso II), danced their way to scores of 67.745% on Aug. 30 and 64.782% on Aug. 31 to win the Intermediate II and Grand Prix, respectively. Also on Aug. 30, Strasser directed her 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Story Tyme (Sir Donnerhall x Donnerschwee), to a score of 69.657% to win the Prix St. Georges.
Mario Deslauriers
Photo Credit: Cara Grimshaw
After returning to North America from the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, Mario Deslauriers, who currently resides in New York, NY, traveled to Bridgehampton, NY, for The Hampton Classic. On Sept. 1, he took top honours in the $300,000 Doha Inc. Grand Prix CSI 4* with Wishing Well Farm LLC’s Bardolina 2 (Clarimo x Landos), a 10-year-old Holsteiner mare. Deslauriers crossed the finish flags clear in 42.82 seconds in the jump-off to clinch victory. Meanwhile, the second place finisher, coming in at 39.60 seconds with four jump-off faults, was his daughter, Lucy Deslauriers, riding Hester for the United States.
Ella Marquis
Ella Marquis of Caledon, ON topped the CCI 1*division aboard Finely Brewed at Foshay International, held Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 in Lower Jemseg, NB. She rode the eight-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Milwaukee Brew x Conquistador Cielo), owned by Mark Marquis, through three strong phases, highlighted by double-clear cross-country and jumping performances, to finish on her dressage score of 32.90 penalties.