Canadian Show Jumping Team athletes,Yann Candele of Caledon, ON, Tiffany Foster of North Vancouver, BC, Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, ON, and Amy Millar of Perth, ON are set to compete in the jumping portion of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, BRA.
During the horse inspection on Aug. 12, all four Canadian Show Jumping Team horses were accepted to move forward into competition. Team reserve, Kara Chad, 20, from Calgary, AB also presented her horse, Bellinda (Namelus R x Hors la Loi II), a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Stone Ridge Farms LTD., in the event she is needed. A total of 89 horses were presented from 27 different countries, including individual and reserve athletes. A maximum of 75 horse/rider combinations will compete at the Games.
The jumping competition will begin with the first individual qualifier on Aug. 14. The two-part team event, which will also act as the second and third individual qualifying rounds, will follow on Aug. 16 and 17. The individual medals will be decided on Aug. 19 with a two-part individual final.
Team anchor and 2008 Olympic Champion, Lamaze, 48, will be partnered with Fine Lady 5 (Forsyth x Drosselklang II) in Rio, which represents his third Olympic appearance. The 13-year-old Hanoverian mare, owned by Artisan Farms LLC and Torrey Pines Stables, has carried Lamaze into the winner’s circle on many occasions since they first partnered up in the spring of 2014. Most recently, they picked up two big wins at the prestigious CSIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival, held July 11-16, 2016 in Germany. Going head-to-head with some of the top riders in the world, Lamaze and Fine Lady 5 won both the €62,700 Turkish Airlines Prize of Europe and the €100,000 Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia with quick and double-clear performances.
London 2012 Olympian, Foster, 32, will be paired with Tripple X III (Namelus R x Cantango), a 14-year-old Anglo European stallion owned by Artisan Farms LLC and Torrey Pines Stable. Foster and Tripple X III were part of the gold medalist Canadian Show Jumping Team at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, ON, along with Lamaze, Candele and ‘Captain Canada’ Ian Millar.
“I am thrilled to be representing Canada in show jumping in Rio,” said Foster, who despite her young age has become a veteran of the Canadian Show Jumping team, having competed in 21 nations’ cups and two major games. “The Olympics are the pinnacle of sport; for most athletes it starts as a dream, for the fortunate few it is then a goal and, for the lucky ones, it becomes a reality. I feel incredibly privileged to be one of those lucky ones. I’m looking forward to doing my very best in Rio and making Canada proud!”
Candele, 45, will be making his Olympic debut in Rio, partnered with First Choice 15 (For Keeps x Angard), a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by The Watermark Group. A relatively new partnership, in just over a year Candele and First Choice 15 have earned top 10 results across North America and Europe, and represented Canada in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ this past May at the CSIO 5* Rome in Italy, where the team finished sixth.
Millar, 39, will also be making her Olympic debut on Aug. 14. She will be riding Heros (Canadian River x Clinton I), a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by AMMO Investments. The daughter of 10-time Olympian, Ian Millar, she has had an impressive season to date in 2016, helping Canada finish sixth in the $112,900 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in Ocala, FL, in February and second in the $128,400 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ at the CSIO 4* British Columbia Open in Langley, BC in June.
The Canadian Show Jumping Team will be supported at the Games by Chef d’Équipe, Mark Laskin and Team Manager, Karen Hendry-Ouellette.
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