Canadian Dressage Riders Compete on the CDI Sunshine Tour

Ottawa, ON-Canadian Olympian Christilot Boylen and Olympic hopefuls Evi Strasser and Cheryl Meisner enjoyed solid results the CDI3* Sunshine Tour held February 29 to March 2 in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain.

In the Grand Prix, Boylen and the talented 14-year-old Baden-Wurttemberger gelding Gachino (Gardez x China Town), owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hermosilla, were awarded a score of 67.167% to place seventh in a field of 52 competitors representing 18 different countries. This gave the pair a score towards qualifying for the Canadian Olympic Dressage Team heading to Hong Kong later this summer in August. In the Grand Prix Special, Boylen and Gachino improved upon both their score and their standing by riding to a sixth place finish with 68.240%.

Strasser of Sainte-Adele, QC, rode her longtime partner Quantum Tyme, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Quattro x Argentinius), to a score of 66.250% which gave them a top 10 finish in the Grand Prix as well as securing a qualifying score towards consideration for the Canadian Olympic Dressage Team.

Riding John Risley’s Paganini, an 11-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood stallion Paganini (Havidoff x Statuar), Meisner, who hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia, received 64.500% in the Grand Prix test for 18th place in the large competitive field. The pair then moved up 11th place in the Grand Prix Special on a score of 65.240%.

In the Advanced division, Boylen and Alec Murray’s 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding Don Valentino 5 (Don Primero) finished in 12th place in the large Prix St Georges class of 59 entries with a score of 65.167%. The pair continued the trend of climbing the leaderboard in successive classes by placing seventh in Intermediaire I class with a score of 64.500%. Meisner, riding John Risley’s 15-year-old KWPN gelding Lucky Strike (FERRO x HESTIA), placed in the top 20 with 19th place and a score of 64.250%.

Strasser also used this CDI as an opportunity to compete one of her younger horses in the FEI 6-year-old division – the Oldbenburg gelding Argo Conti Tyme (Argentinus x Alina) who is related to Quantum Tyme. The judges awarded their ride in the Preliminary test with 8th place and a score of 73.80% and a 5th place in the more difficult Final test with 76.40%.

All three riders are looking for continued success on the popular Spanish Sunshine Tour which attracts riders from across Europe for a series of 3 back to back CDI3* competitions held February 26 to March 16th, 2008.

The international judging panel at this first FEI competition included Birgitta Bergsten (FEI I – SWE), Marian Cunningham (FEI I – PER), Juan C. Campos Escribano (FEI C – ESP), Wojciech Markowski (FEI O – POL), Mariano Santos Redondo (FEI I – ESP), Barnabas Mandi (FEI O – HUN), Jean Roudier (FEI O – FRA), Maribel Alonso de Quinzanos (FEI I – MEX), Peter Holler (FEI I – GER) and Maria Colliander (FEI I – FIN).