Veteran Canadian dressage athlete, Ashley Holzer, made a triumphant return to international competition with her 2012 London Olympic Games partner, Breaking Dawn, during the final week of the prestigious CDIO 3* Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL.
Breaking Dawn (Akribori x Eveline), a 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, spent the majority of the 2016 winter season competing with owner P.J. Rizvi, while Holzer, who currently resides in the US, campaigned several other mounts. However, it was with Holzer in the saddle that Breaking Dawn danced his way to victory in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle on April 2.
“I’m very honoured to ride such a wonderful horse,” said Holzer. “Thank you P.J. Rizvi for this amazing opportunity. Breaking Dawn is a very special horse. Cantering down the centerline with him is always a thrill. I just love riding him so much.”
Despite the pair having never ridden the musical freestyle routine together in competition, they performed flawlessly, impressing the judges to earn an extraordinary 75.600%. Two days earlier, they captured second place in the FEI Grand Prix with 72.680%.
Fellow Canadian Brittany Fraser also enjoyed a strong showing in the FEI Grand Prix. The New Glasgow, NS, native finished seventh aboard All In (Tango X Damiro), the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Craig Fraser, with a score of 68.520%.
Chris von Martels of Ridgetown, ON, was the top-placed Canuck in the FEI Grand Prix Special on April 1, scoring 70.314% with Divertimento (Di Versace x Ferragamo), a 14-year-old Westphalian gelding, to finish fourth. Owned by Lövsta Stuteri AB, Von Martels only began competing with the veteran grand prix mount at the beginning of the season. Divertimento previously competed successfully with Swedish Olympian Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfvén.
Rebecca Cowden, currently training out of Tewksbury, NJ, and Arami (Akinos x Fanal Prydsholm), a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Pam Wildman, topped the Canadian contingent in the FEI Prix St. Georges, finishing sixth with a score of 68.000%. Denmark’s Lars Petersen took the win with 71.763%, but less than one percent separated the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth-place finishers.
Several other Canadians also saw success at the Small Tour level, with Jill Irving of Moncton, NB, claiming fifth with 68.333% in the FEI Intermediate I aboard Donatella 79 (De Niro x Canaster I), and Evi Strasser of Ste-Adele, QC, capturing third in the FEI Intermediate I Freestyle riding Rigaudon Tyme (Rosario x Calypso II) with 68.292%. In addition, Lindsay Kellock of Toronto, ON, rode Royal Prinz (Royal Diamond x Dream of Glory) to a fourth-place finish in the Intermediate I Freestyle with a mark of 68.167%.
Up-and-coming Canadian talent had time in the spotlight as well. Naima Moreira Laliberté of Outremont, QC, finished the 12-week AGDF with a win. Riding Sancerre (Sir Donnerhall x Walkina), a 10-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Fiducie Naga Trust, the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) veteran earned a score of 72.91% to capture victory in the FEI Young Rider Freestyle Test, and finished second in the FEI Young Rider Individual Test with 69.386%. Rakeya Moussa of Edmonton, AB, landed in third with a 68.684% in the Individual Test riding Topper (Welt Hit II x Aktion), a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Diana Rose.
For more information and full results on the AGDF, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.
Top Canadian Results – CDIO3* Wellington (AGDF XII)
FEI Grand Prix
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
2nd / Ashley Holzer / Breaking Dawn / P.J. Rizvi / 72.680%
7th / Brittany Fraser / All In / Brittany Fraser & Marc-Andre Beaulieu / 68.530%
FEI Grand Prix Special
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
4th / Chris Von Martels / Divertimento / Lövsta Stuteri AB / 70.314%
FEI Grand Prix Freestyle
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
1st / Ashley Holzer / Breaking Dawn / P.J. Rizvi / 75.600%
FEI Prix St. Georges
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
6th / Rebecca Cowden / Arami / Pam Wildman / 68.00%
8th / Evi Strasser / Rigaudon Tyme / Evi Strasser / 67.711%
10th / Lindsay Kellock / Royal Prinz / Teresa Simmons / 67.026%
FEI Intermediate I
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
5th / Jill Irving / Donatella 79 / Jill Irving & Windhaven Farm / 68.333%
6th / Lindsay Kellock / Royal Prinz / Teresa Simmons / 67.895%
FEI Intermediate I Freestyle
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
3rd / Evi Strasser / Rigaudon Tyme / Evi Strasser / 68.292%
4th / Lindsay Kellock / Royal Prinz / Teresa Simmons / 68.167%
FEI Young Rider Team Test
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
2nd / Rekeya Moussa / Topper / Diana Rose / 67.763%
3rd / Naima Moreira Laliberté / Sancerre / Fiducie Naga Trust / 67.018%
FEI Young Rider Individual Test
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
2nd / Naima Moreira Laliberté / Sancerre / Fiducie Naga Trust / 69.386%
3rd / Rekeya Moussa / Topper / Diana Rose / 68.684%
FEI Young Rider Freestyle Test
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
1st / Naima Moreira Laliberté / Sancerre / Fiducie Naga Trust / 72.917%
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