Some of Canada’s brightest up and coming dressage athletes proved they’ve got what it takes as many competed for the first time in the CDI ring this past weekend at the CDI-W world cup qualifier that was held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank California.
In a field of nineteen horse and rider combinations entered in the Prix St. Georges, Leslie Reid of Langley, BC, and Fine and Smart, a 10-year-old Westfalian gelding owned by Juliet Sears Le Dorze, finished in 8th place. Wendy Christoff of Delta, BC, atop Di Scansano, her own 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding placed 12th, and Verena Mahin riding out of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, and Ulliman, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Beverly Gepfer, rounded out the Canadian performances finishing 13th.
In the Intermediate 1, Reid riding Fine and Smart took fifth place with a score of 67.281%, followed by Christoff in 14th and Mahin in 15th.
Monica Houweling of Delta, BC, took first place with a final score of 66.032% in the Under 25 Intermediate B test aboard Rifradin, a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Linda Houweling.
Courtenay Fraser of Surrey, BC, and Birkegardens Lukas, Fraser’s 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, placed 7th in the Grand Prix Special, while fellow Canadian Lindsey Stroh of Beaumont, AB, and Lancelot, a 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Vickie Argals, finished 9th.
The esteemed judges panel for the CDI-W consisted of: Ground Jury President Gary Rockwell (5* USA), FEI Foreign Judge Jean-Michel Roudier (5* FRA), FEI Judge Cara Whitham (5* CAN), FEI Judge Magnus Ringmark (4* SWE) and FEI Judge Jayne Ayers (4* USA).
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