Canadian Dressage Riders Win Freestyle Gold and Bronze at NAJYRC

The success continued for the Canadian dressage riders as they captured one gold and two bronze medals on the final day of dressage competition at the 2010 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY July 28 – August 1st, 2010.

The Young Rider Freestyle was held under lights in the main ring Saturday evening, July 31. Jaimie Holland, 21, of Caledon, ON, and her 12-year-old Westphalian mare, Fleurina, won the class with a score of 72.700%, more than two per cent higher than the silver medalist, American Jhesika Wells from Region 5/6, who scored 70.550% riding Intrepid.

“I would like to thank my parents for their support and Tom and Ellen Dvorak for their help,” said Holland. “They have coached me since I was ten.”

Megan Lane, 19, of Collingwood, ON, riding her nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, Caravella, earned the bronze medal in the Freestyle with 70.350%.

The medals were the third won by both Holland and Lane at this year’s Championships. They were part of the Young Rider silver medal winning team on July 28, and earned individual silver (Lane) and bronze (Holland) on Friday, July 30.

“Caravella definitely pushed into a higher gear this week, and I suddenly have more from her than ever before,” said Lane, who was a triple Junior medalist at the Championships in 2009. “I would like to thank my new coach, Albrecht Heidemann, for his help, and Tina Irwin for her help previously.”

Lindsay Seidel-Wassenaar of Bluffton, AB, riding her horse Oslo, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, finished in fifth place with 69.600%. Erika Urff of Langley, BC and her horse Focus, nine-year-old Oldenburg mare finished in ninth place.

In the Junior Freestyle, which was held earlier in the day, Esmee Ingham of West Vancouver, BC, riding Norseman, a 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Esmee and Candie Ingham, won the bronze medal with a score of 70.900%. Ingham was a member of the British Columbia gold medal winning Junior team on July 28.