The Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON hosted the inaugural Royal Dressage Derby on Canadian soil, with riders from Canada, Guatemala and the United States descending on the Coca-Cola Coliseum to delight crowds with a unique new format for the popular dressage night on Nov. 6, 2018.

The Dressage Derby was held as an exciting exhibition competition that challenged riders to perform a test at the FEI Prix St. Georges level on a horse they’d never ridden before after just five minutes of preparation.

Competing for bragging rights as the first-ever Canadian Dressage Derby winner were Esther Mortimer of Guatemala, Adrienne Lyle of the United States, Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON and Jaimey Irwin of Stouffville, ON. Held in a knock-out style format that proved to be a battle of the sexes, the women kicked things off, competing head-to-head on an unfamiliar horse for a spot in the final round.

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