The Canadian Show Jumping Team delivered when it counted, qualifying for the Team Final with a fantastic performance on Thursday, August 11, at the ECCO FEI 2022 World Championships in Herning, Denmark. In the individual standings, Tiffany Foster of Langley, BC, moved up from sixth to fifth place after delivering another clear round riding Figor.
A total of 22 countries started in the first round of team competition on Thursday with the top 10 qualifying for the team final on Friday night, August 12, under the lights in the Stutteri Ask Stadium beginning at 9 p.m. local time. The track will once again be set by Dutch course designer Louis Konickx.
Canada was sitting in 12th place coming into Thursday but moved up to finish eighth overall and secure its starting position in the team final where medals will be decided. Sweden maintained its position at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 3.69 while France also added nothing to its total to hold onto second place with 5.44 penalties. Germany moved up to third place in the provisional standings with a team total of 11.76, putting the show jumping powerhouse less than one rail ahead of eighth-placed Canada on 15.56 penalties.
“What we saw today was total class,” said Canadian Show Jumping Team chef d’equipe, Eric Lamaze. “They were perfect all day long and we saw beautiful, skillful riding. Amy’s horse gained in value, Erynn is on top of the world, Beth is producing on a nine-year-old, and Tiffany is riding like she’s going to win the whole thing. No words can express it. This is the first major championships without me or Ian Millar participating, and this result confirms that the future is bright for Canada without the two old guys.”
Canadian Olympian Beth Underhill of Mulmur, ON, got things rolling for the Canadian team by delivering a fantastic clear round aboard Nikka vd Bisschop, a nine-year-old bay Belgian Warmblood mare (Emerald x Nabab de Reve) owned by Rein Family LLC and Torrey Pines Stable Inc. Having added nothing to her score, Underhill jumped up the individual standings from 61st to 23rd position. At the age of 59, Underhill is riding in her first major games since 1999 when she was a member of Canada’s bronze medal team at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, MB.
Erynn Ballard, 41, of Tottenham, ON, was next on course for Canada riding Gakhir, an 11-year-old chestnut Dutch Warmblood gelding (Spartacus TN x VDL Indorado) owned by Ilan Ferder and Esperanza Imports LLC. A rail coming out of the triple combination at fence nine was their only mistake, elevating the pair from 66th position on Wednesday into 50th individually with a total of 10.40 penalties. Ballard made her major games debut for Canada four years ago at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, NC, riding Darkos Promise and also represented her country at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with Fellini S.
Foster, 38, and Figor had impressed in Wednesday’s opening speed round and continued their faultless form on Thursday, producing another masterful clear round for Canada. Adding nothing to her score, Foster is now fifth in the individual standings with .95 penalties. Julien Epaillard of France continues to top the leaderboard with a perfect score of zero riding Caracole de la Roque followed by Scott Brash riding Hello Jefferson with .23 penalties for Great Britain. Two Swedish riders, Peder Fredricson riding H&M All In and Henrick von Eckermann with King Edward, both of whom were members of the gold medal team at the Tokyo Olympics, hold down third and fourth positions with scores of .40 and .58 respectively.
“I really wanted to have another clear round today,” said Foster, a two-time Olympian, of her performance riding Figor, an 11-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood gelding (Querly-Elvis x Indoctro) owned by Foster and Andy and Carlene Ziegler’s Artisan Farms LLC. “He tried his absolute heart out. He has a little bit of nervous energy that we try to manage. He’s a bit of a handful sometimes but when you get him in the zone, I feel like he gives everything. It’s been a journey with him because it hasn’t always been easy.
“We bought this horse when he was seven; Carlene and Andy Ziegler bought him with the thought that this was a championship horse,” continued Foster, who is being cheered on by Carlene Ziegler in Herning. “This is the first championship that we’ve brought him to. I have high expectations because there’s no course he can’t jump. He has so much scope and he gives you so much confidence. He just flies!”
The pressure was on Canada’s anchor rider, Canadian Olympian Amy Millar, 45, of Perth, ON, and Truman, a 13-year-old Selle Français gelding (Mylord Carthago x Kolibri) owned by Millar Brooke Farm Ltd. and Overlund. A rail at the double combination at fence five would be the pair’s only mistake, giving Canada a total of four faults in the team competition after counting the best three scores. Added to Wednesday’s speed penalties of 11.56, Canada ended Thursday’s competition with a total of 15.56, which briefly dropped Canada out of the top 10. However, mistakes from the Irish, American, and Brazilian teams saw Canada rise back up the leaderboard to finish in eighth position. Individually, Millar moved up from 54th into 46th position.
“We were slow out of the gate yesterday but quickly got on our game,” said Lamaze, who took over the position of chef d’equipe earlier this year after riding himself at the past seven consecutive World Championships, including 2010 where he won the individual bronze medal riding Hickstead. “We were ready to do this. We did it at home and we did it well, and we’re ready to do it here.
“If people think they can come and do this type of championship without working together, sweating together, then they are telling themselves a story,” continued Lamaze. “The training camp and having Michel Vaillancourt build courses for us was such a helpful experience. We needed a course designer that knows this level of competition and could build combinations that we might face at the championship. That’s how you get ready for a championship. These women are ready, and their horses are ready. We left no stone unturned, and we’re going to keep going. We’re not stopping.”
The Canadian Show Jumping Team, including chef d’equipe Eric Lamaze (second from left), celebrate Tiffany Foster’s clear round riding Figor. (Arnd Bronkhorst Photography)
All athletes carry their scores forward to the team final where medals will be decided on Friday, August 12, beginning at 9 p.m. local time. Athletes placed in the top 60 who are not members of the top 10 teams will compete first to confirm their individual scores.
Following a day of rest, individual medals will be decided on Sunday, August 14, beginning at 2 p.m. local time. The top 25 ranked athletes in the individual standings following Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday’s competitions will jump in the opening round with the top 12 returning for round two, plus a jump-off if necessary, to determine the individual medal winners.
For more information on the ECCO FEI World Championships, visit https://herning2022.com/.
For full results for all disciplines, visit HERE.
Live streaming of all events is available with a subscription to FEI TV/ClipMyHorse
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