Canadian Dressage Riders Conclude European Tour

Ottawa, ON – Canadian Olympians Ashley Holzer, Belinda Trussell and Bonny Bonnello finished in fifth place in the Nations’ Cup Team competition at CDIO 5* Aachen, in Aachen GER, held July 13 – 18, 2010.

In the team competition, which was tallied by combining the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special scores of all three riders, Canada finished with a total of 397.825, ahead of Spain, Denmark, Australia and Sweden. The Netherlands won with a score of 478.640, and Germany finished in second with a total of 442.998. Great Brittan placed third with 423.158, while Belgium took fourth with 407.782. Aachen is one of the most prestigious equestrian competitions held each year, and was the final stop in the Dressage Canada European Tour.

Holzer of Toronto, ON and her 2008 Olympic partner Pop Art (Amsterdam x Cabochon), a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Rusty Holzer and Moreen Nicoll, earned a score of 68.750 % in the Grand Prix Special test to finish in 15th place out of 30 entries.

Trussell of Newmarket, ON and Anton (Antaeus x Melit), a 10-year-old German-bred gelding owned by Robyn Eames, scored 67.125% in the Grand Prix Special to finish in 20th place.

In the Grand Prix Freestyle, Trussell and Anton finished in 12th place with 72.071, and Holzer and Pop Art were 13th with a score of 71.321%.

Holzer also competed in the Prix St. Georges with Jewel’s Sonnenstern (Sandro Hit x Sion), an eight-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Jewel Court Stud VS. They placed ninth with 67.143% in the Prix St. Georges test.

The international judging panel for the CDIO 5* Grand Prix test included 5* judges Leif Toernblad (DEN), Jean-Michel Roudier (FRA), Dr. Dieter Schuele (GER), Wim Ernes (NED), Katrina Wuest (GER) and Gary Rockwell (USA), and 4* judges Andrew Gardner (GBR), Susan Hoevenaars (AUS), Kjell Myhre and Gustav Svalling (SWE).

The European Tour was made possible through the Own the Podium program, a national sport technical initiative designed to help Canada’s summer and winter athletes achieve podium success at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.