Indoor Eventing Debuts at the Royal

Toronto, Ontario – Indoor Eventing debuted to rave reviews at the Royal Horse Show when it was held November 6 and 7 in the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, ON.

Six of Canada’s top eventing competitors jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this new and exciting competition. Presented by Good Crop Services, it marked the debut of indoor eventing in North America. Riders competed over a course of six show jumping obstacles and six portable cross-country fences interspersed throughout the Coliseum by course designer and 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, David O’Connor of the United States. The riders’ times from Monday night were added to their performances on Tuesday, giving a total score to determine the winner.

Despite being only 18 years of age, Waylon Roberts of Port Perry, ON, proved competitive beyond his years, galloping and jumping at break-neck speed to stop the clock at 72.24 seconds. Combined with his time of 81.82 seconds on Monday night, Roberts’ total time of 154.06 seconds gave him the inaugural victory. Even more impressive was the fact that he had only been riding his mount, Slingshot, for a couple of months. The fun and excitement that the riders were enjoying was contagious, and the large crowd enjoyed its introduction to the thrilling competition.

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“It was wonderful, I don’t think there was anything they could have done to make it any better,” raved Roberts, grinning from ear to ear. “The Royal is taking it up a level by including eventing. Now we have all the disciplines at the Royal!”

Although 2006 marked the first time that Roberts was competing at the Royal, the Indoor Eventing was not his only competition. The versatile young rider also contested the Jump Canada Medal earlier in the day, placing sixth. He will also ride in Wednesday’s CET Medal Final, coached by well-known hunter-jumper trainer, Mark Hayes. When it comes to eventing, Roberts’ parents, Canadian Olympians Kelly Plitz and Ian Roberts, are also his coaches.

Penny Rowland, the winner on Monday night with a time of 81.01 seconds, could barely contain her excitement, and encouraged the crowd to clap along to the music. The Orangeville resident was even faster on Tuesday, clocking in at 72.24 seconds, but it was not quite fast enough to catch Roberts. Rowland didn’t mind finishing second, as competing at the Royal was a reward in itself.

Jessica Phoenix, 23, took third place, while Jessica Ruppel, also 23, and her cute little Appaloosa-cross gelding, Naughty By Nature, were fourth. Karl Slezak and the black stallion, Rather Well, placed fifth while BC’s Rebecca Howard rounded out the field.

Given the response, spectators can look forward to seeing Indoor Eventing back at the Royal next year.

Tickets for all Royal Horse Show performances, held as part of the 84th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling 416 872-7777 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.ca. For more information on the Royal Horse Show, including complete schedules, please visit www.royalfair.org.