In the Grand Prix 16-25 CDIO-U25, presented by Diamante Farms, Canada’s shining young star Camille Carier Bergeron continued her brilliant week with Gilles Bergeron’s Sound of Silence 4. They improved upon their winning team performance for Canada to earn 69.640% in the individual test.
Watch Camille Carier Bergeron’s winning test!
Carier Bergeron has had Sound of Silence 4 for five years, but their relationship took time to develop. Initially, the 14-year-old Westphalian gelding by San Amour I x Limes did not have the motivation to do the job he was being asked to do, and Carier Bergeron questioned their trajectory together. Over time, though, with persistence and positivity, ‘SOS’ gave more and more and has become a true partner.
“He’s actually such a sweet horse,” said Carier Bergeron. “It’s my first horse that I was able to bring up the levels to grand prix, so I know him inside out. We’ve been through difficult times and great times too, and he’s the horse I’ve created the biggest bond with.”
She continued, “I see him, and I know exactly how he feels. Today, even in the barn before the test, I could see he was happy and how calm he was. He was definitely feeling good.”
Now that SOS sees Carier Bergeron as his person, he actually enjoys being at the shows.
“He loves to show because I have so much time just for him!” said Carier Bergeron with a laugh. “I spend almost eight hours taking care of him at the barn giving him so much care, so much love, and so much attention, so he’s very happy I’m with him all the time.”
The high temperature and humidity this week had riders adapting their preparation accordingly, with Carier Bergeron particularly mindful of the week’s long schedule for SOS. This morning they walked and loosened up and had a short warm-up before the test, which paid off.
“We still have the freestyle to do, so we have to plan a little bit how we’re going to keep his energy level up. I thought our preparation for today really helped. He just felt more supple and through,” Carier Bergeron explained.
Riding in only their fourth Under 25 class, Carier Bergeron was aiming for a clean test and was elated with SOS achieving that goal.
“I’m thrilled. I’m so excited and so proud of my horse,” she expressed. “I had a big smile after my one-tempis. I had to come back and refocus because I had the trot transition coming. The changes are for sure a strength for SOS, and the fact that we were finally able to show it off was really, really exciting.”
Carier Bergeron, who was the highest internationally ranked U25 athlete in February and currently sits in second with her other mount Acoeur, was particularly delighted with the win this week representing Canada.
“This week is one of the most important, biggest weeks of the show season,” she noted. “It’s so nice to represent Canada at an event in Wellington. It feels like we’re part of a family. Everybody is supporting each other, and everybody is cheering for everyone. We have an awesome team atmosphere, especially our chef d’equipe, Denielle Gallagher, is amazing. It’s great, and I love it.”
Benjamin Ebeling (USA), who is competing as an individual in the CDIO-U25 this week, finished second aboard Status Royal OLD with an overall percentage of 68.718%. Rounding out the podium was fellow Canadian athlete, Vanessa Creech-Terauds, who piloted Fleur de Lis L to a score of 66.410%.
Complete results here.
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