Artisan Farms LLC, owned by Andy and Carlene Ziegler, has been named the recipient of the 2015 .
It marks the third time the Ziegler family has been presented with the Jump Canada Owner of the Year Award, having also been named in 2011 and 2013.
Passionate supporters of show jumping, Andy and Carlene were first introduced to the sport when their daughter, Caitlin, started riding ponies at the age of four. Inspired by his daughter, Andy also took up riding, and both he and Caitlin have enjoyed successful competitive show jumping careers.
Through Artisan Farms LLC, the Ziegler family has acted as a pillar of support to the Canadian Equestrian Team, providing world-class horses for Canadian Olympians Tiffany Foster and Eric Lamaze.
In 2015, four horses owned by Artisan Farms LLC were nominated to the Canadian Show Jumping Team for the TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games held in July. Two of those horses were selected as part of the final line-up, and helped the Canadian Show Jumping Team claim the team gold medal for the first time in 28 years.
Lamaze had three horses owned by Artisan Farms LLC to choose from: Coco Bongo, Fine Lady 5 and Rosana du Park. Ultimately, the 2008 Olympic Champion entered the stadium at the OLG Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park aboard Coco Bongo, a 10-year-old Rheinlander stallion (Caretino x Calido) that impressed show jumping fans with his incredible scope over the obstacles. Coco Bongo was originally purchased for Caitlin, but Lamaze traded grand prix mounts with his student over the winter, swapping Powerplay for Coco Bongo.
Also helping Canada claim the team gold medal at the Pan American Games was Tripple X III, a 13-year-old dark bay Anglo European stallion (Namelus R x Cantango) purchased by Artisan Farms LLC in 2014. Foster delivered a critical clear performance in the final round of team competition for Canada with Tripple X III, the horse formerly ridden by Ben Maher to a team gold medal for Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
In addition to owning Coco Bongo and Tripple X III, the Ziegler family are members of the Watermark Group syndicate that owns Showgirl for Yann Candele. Candele and Showgirl were also integral members of Canada’s Pan Am gold medal team.
Soon after the Pan Am Games, Foster and Tripple X III once again represented Team Canada, contributing to a third place finish in the $300,000 BMO Nations’ Cup at the CSIO5* Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament on September 12. Lamaze also rode in the BMO Nations’ Cup, this time partnered with Artisan Farms LLC’s Fine Lady 5, a 12-year-old Hanoverian mare (Forsyth x Drosselklang).
In addition to the TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games and the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ tournament, horses owned by Artisan Farms LLC represented Canada in Nations’ Cup team competition in Ocala, FL, Wellington, FL, and Gijon, ESP.
“It is difficult to even express what the support from Artisan Farms has meant not only to Eric and myself, but also to show jumping in Canada,” said Foster, who first began riding Victor for Artisan Farms LLC in 2010, a horse that has since made eight Nations’ Cup appearances for Canada. “They are 100% committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure that we can compete at the highest level of the sport, whether that be ensuring we have top horses both now and for the future, maintaining impeccable facilities to train the horses, or even just their kind words of encouragement letting us know they are behind us all the way. I am eternally grateful to have their support, and I am thrilled that Andy, Carlene, Caitlin and Artisan Farms are getting the recognition they deserve for all they do for us and show jumping in Canada.”
Carlene and Caitlin Ziegler accepted the 2015 Jump Canada Owner of the Year award on behalf of Artisan Farms LLC on Nov. 8 at the Jump Canada Hall of Fame Gala in Toronto, ON. A special presentation was also held on Nov. 11 at the 2015 Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON, prior to the start of the $125,000 Longines FEI World Cup Grand Prix Toronto.
Jump Canada is grateful for the level of dedication, commitment and support that owners generously provide in order to ensure that its Canadian Show Jumping Team athletes have access to world-class horses, and is pleased to recognize deserving owners through the Owner of the Year Award. To view past recipients, click here.
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