The FEI has confirmed that dressage athlete Esther Mortimer’s sport nationality has been changed from Guatemala to Canada.

Mortimer was born in Canada and is based in Millgrove, Ontario, where she owns and operates M2 Dressage with her husband and trainer Harper MacKenzie. However, with dual Canadian/Guatemalan citizenship, she has competed internationally under the Guatemalan flag since her CDI debut. Career highlights include representing Guatemala in the 1994 North American Young Riders Championships, 2002 Copa de las Americas, 2003, 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games, as well as the Central American & Caribbean Games, where most recently she earned both team and individual bronze medals at the 2018 event.

The change of sport nationality comes at a critical time, with Equestrian Canada’s qualifying period for the 2023 Pan American Games set to begin on January 1. A first- or second-place finish at the Pan Ams would qualify a Canadian dressage team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

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