Canadian Olympian Yann Candele has acquired the ride on international show jumping mount, Farezzo, thanks to a partnership between Eric Lamaze and new supporter, Adam Pearsall.
Lamaze, the 2008 Olympic champion, secured Farezzo as a future major games prospect for Candele. Farezzo, a 12-year-old chestnut Dutch Warmblood gelding (Arezzo VDL x Van Gogh), had been under the saddle of Swiss rider, Edwin Smits, since 2018 and has experience jumping at the five-star level.
“One of the major problems I have recognized with Canadian show jumping is that we need more support in order to be successful on the world stage,” said Lamaze, who is Canada’s most decorated equestrian athlete. “Yann is someone who didn’t currently have any top horses but has always done great things for Canada and is always there in crucial moments when the team needs him. He’s the type of rider you want to have at major games and championships. He has the mileage, dedication, and the nerves to deliver great performances. Together with Adam Pearsall, we have found a way to make our road to the Paris Olympics a little smoother.”
Candele, far left, is pictured with Tiffany Foster, Eric Lamaze, and Ian Millar after winning the team gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Starting Gate Communications)
Canadian entrepreneur Pearsall of Toronto, ON, is committed to the goal of putting the Canadian Show Jumping Team back on the Olympic podium. He will do so through a new foundation, Together Group Canada, that is currently being established.
“The Together Group Canada foundation is on a mission to empower the Canadian Show Jumping Team by acquiring horses to support Canada on the road to the 2024 Paris Olympics,” said Pearsall, who also leads a data intelligence and creative engagement agency. “Working with Eric, we will take the Canadian team to another level in international show jumping.”
Candele, 51, has represented Canada in every major games including the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the 2010 and 2014 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY, and Normandy, France, respectively; and the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, ON, where Canada won the team gold medal on home soil.
“When Eric met with me in Florida this winter and explained his vision for the future of Canadian show jumping, it was very exciting,” said Candele of Orangeville, ON. “It’s amazing that it’s happened so quickly, and I’m thankful for the generosity and the opportunity to be back at the highest level. Through Eric, we have someone who is supporting Team Canada, and I look forward to meeting and thanking them in person. It is very encouraging for Canada, and I hope that other Canadians have the same opportunity.”
Lamaze added, “We started rebuilding for the future with Mark and Tara Rein investing in horses, first by supporting me prior to my retirement and currently supporting Beth Underhill. Now we have Adam’s support in securing a horse for Yann. This is just the beginning of great things to come. We will continue to adapt this model for riders who have past team experience and younger riders who don’t necessarily have the means to get the horses themselves. Working together with this support, the Canadian team will achieve its goals at future championships.”
Candele will be riding Farezzo in La Baule this week:
The Canadian Show Jumping Team has two opportunities to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games through its results at the upcoming 2022 World Championships in August in Herning, Denmark, or the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Lamaze won individual gold and team silver for Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics riding Hickstead and an individual bronze from the 2016 Olympic Games riding Fine Lady 5.
For more information on Eric Lamaze, please visit www.ericlamaze.com.
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