Ottawa, ON—While preparing for the fall three day event circuit Canadian Olympian Michael Winter of originally of Toronto, ON, and now residing in Newnan, GA, finished in the top spot in the CIC 3* division at the Poplar Place September Horse Trials, held in Hamilton, GA, September 19–21, 2008.

Securing his third 3 star win of 2008, Winter, paired with Wonderful Will, Sher and Elliot Schwartz’s 10-year-old American Thoroughbred gelding, sat in second place following dressage on a score of 51.8. A flawlessly ridden cross-country performance, adding just four time faults, moved the pair up the leader board into first place. After turning in a perfect show jumping round, they secured the victory with a final score of 55.8. 

“I was so happy after the Olympics to come home and have so many great horses waiting to compete at this level” said Winter. “Wonderful Will was fantastic. Finishing on the score that we did was a great achievement. It was my best three star score of the season.”

Not far behind Winter was Jessica Hampf originally of London, ON, and now based in Auburn, AL. Riding her 12-year-old Australian Thoroughbred gelding, High Society III, Hampf finished in third place with a score of 69.5. The pair only added 10.8 cross-country time faults to their dressage score of 58.7.

Noel Clark of Cochrane, AB, finished in fourth with the 14-year-old Canadian Sport Horse gelding, Jack of Hearts owned by Equine Canada.  Clack added just 10.8 cross-country times penalties to his dressage score, 65.5, to finish with 76.3 faults. 

Karl Slezak of Tottenham, ON, finished in seventh and eighth in the CIC 3* at the Richland Park Horse Trials in Richland, MI, held August 21–24, 2008.

Riding his longtime partner, Braveheart, Patricia Fitzgerald’s 11-year-old Canadian Thoroughbred gelding, Slezak was tied for 12th place following dressage with 60.9 penalties. Adding 3.6 cross country time penalties and one show jumping rail, moved Slezak up to finish in seventh with a score of 68.5. With his second horse Kachemak Bay, a 14-year-old Canadian Thoroughbred gelding owned by Frankie Simpson, Slezak moved from 10th place after dressage on a score of 59.4 to eight place overall adding just 10.4 cross-country time penalties and add four show jumping penalties earning a final score of 73.8 penalties.  Diana Burnett, of Blackstock, ON, and Manny, an eight-year-old Canadian Thoroughbred gelding, finished in 12th place with a score of 96.7.

Great Brittan’s 2004 Olympic gold medalist, Leslie Law, and Fleeceworks Mystere Du Val won the CIC 3* division with a score of 47.6.

In the CIC 2* division at Richland Park, Danica Moore, of Salmon Arm, BC, finished in sixth place with a score of 72.1. Anne Zander of Cookstown, ON, and her 11-year-old Thoroughbred mare, Caliente Kisses finished in 12th  place.

At the CIC 2* Plantation Field Horse Trials, held September 19–21, in Unionville, PA, Peter Barry of Dunham, QC, was the top placed Canadian riding his nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Kilrodan Abbott. Sitting in eighth place after dressage on a score of 57.8, the pair a produced a double clear cross-country performance and added only four faults show jumping to finish on a final score of 61.8 and maintaining eighth place. Emily Daigneault of Gatineau, QC, riding Misty Vale Bacardi, her 13-year-old Morgan mare, finished in 20th place with a score of 89.4. In the CIC1* division Nicohl Smith, of Ottawa, ON, and Suzie Q, an eight-year-old Hanoverian mare finished in third place.

At the Twin Rivers Horse Trials, held September 26–28 in Paso Robles, CA. Sara Sellmer of Aldergrove, BC, finished in eighth place in the CIC 2* division with her own Lanzelot Z, a 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding  while 2004 Olympian Hawley Bennett of Langley, BC, won the CIC 1* division on a score of 52.5 penalties partnered with Corner Street, a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Erin Spohr and  placed third on a score of 61.2 with Canadian Spy, Susan G. Church’s seven-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Canadian riders now set their sites on the CCI 3*/CCI 2* Fairhill International Three Day Event taking place October 16-18, in Elkton, Maryland and the CCI 2*/CCI 1* Galway Downs Three Day Event in Temecula California held October 31- November 2.

 

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