Canadian Dressage Talent Set to Represent Canada at the 2010 NAJYRC

Ottawa, ON – The Dressage Selection Committee for the 2010 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships is pleased to announce the selected athletes who will represent Canada at the Championships, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY July 28 – August 1st, 2010.

The Junior riders will be represented by a total of seven athletes and their horses. This represents all the junior riders who achieved or exceeded the qualifying technical average score of 64%.

Team British Columbia will include the following riders:

Rider / Home Town / Horse / Owner

Esmee Ingham / West Vancouver, BC / Norseman / Esmee and Candie Ingham

Sylvie Fraser / Armstrong, BC / World Star LHF / Janine Little & Susanne Berger

Monica Houweling / Delta, BC / Stentano / Monica Houweling

Team Ontario will include the following riders:

Anneka Sutton / Drumbo, ON / Fidelio / Anneka Sutton

Noémie Gagnon-Bergeron / Kanata, ON / Vavite Fortuna / Noémie Gagnon-Bergeron

Sarah Pfaff / Harrow, ON / Pamaika / Jill Pfaff

Sarah Loewen / Winnipeg, MB / Ricardo / Sarah Loewen

Showing the strength of young rider development in dressage in Canada, a total of eight Young Riders and their horses achieved or exceeded the qualifying technical average of 64%, and all eight have been named to represent Canada at the Championships at the Young Rider level.

Team Ontario will include the following riders:

Amy Jager / Waterloo, ON / Key West / Amy Jager

Jaimie Holland / Caledon, ON / Fleurina / Jaimie Holland

Maura O’Sullivan / Toronto, ON / Pik Czar / Terrence O’Sullivan

Megan Lane / Collingwood, ON / Caravella / Megan Lane

Team East/West will include the following riders:

Erika Urff / Langley, BC / Focus / Erika Urff

Anne-Mylaine Messier / St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, QC / Marzipan / Anne-Mylaine Messier

Santana Rooyakkers / Glendale, NS / Ravallo Son / Santana Rooyakkers

Lindsay Seidel-Wassenaar / Bluffton, AB / Oslo / Lindsay Seidel-Wassenaar

“On our Ontario Young Riders team we have two riders who have moved up from last year’s Gold medal Junior Team and two seasoned riders who were members of the Young Rider Bronze Team in 2008,” said Ellen Dvorak, Chef d’équipe of the two teams from Ontario. “Our Junior Team is comprised of all first time members, but I am very optimistic about our chances heading to the Championships.”

“I have watched the riders from British Columbia develop and compete from Training up to the FEI Junior and Young rider levels, and I am really excited for our teams this year,” said Leslie Steele, Chef d’équipe for Team East/West and Team British Columbia.

“It is exciting to see such strong teams competing for Canada in both the Junior and Young Rider divisions,” said the chair of the Dressage Selection Committee for the 2010 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, Victoria Winter. “We wish all competitors the very best of luck.”