The ‘Lunch in the Country’ fundraising event, held June 7th during the Grand Prix Freestyle competition at the CDI-W CornerStone Spring Into Dressage in Palgrave, ON, raised close to $18,000 to support the Canadian Dressage Athlete Assistance Program (C-DAAP).

Held in the new pavilion at the completely renovated Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park, the ‘Lunch in the Country’ fundraising event hosted more than 200 guests, many experiencing the sport of dressage for the first time. A large and plentiful buffet spread included Cobblestone ribs, Resers salads, and an array of cakes from Niche Bakers Corp for dessert. Featured wines were a 2012 Castello Romitorio Morellino di Scansano and a 2012 Silvia Cellars North Coast Chardonnay from the Wine Lover’s Agency.

A silent auction attracted heavy bidding for such items as an original pastel painting by Canadian artist Debbie Goldring, box seats and dinner at the 2014 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and a year’s worth of paper products from Irving Tissue. Additional silent auction items were donated by Bahr Saddlery, Cavendish, Cityline, CornerStone, Deer Ridge Equestrian, Equinus International, Four Seasons Toronto, Greenhawk Equestrian, JD Irving, Langdon Hall, Omega Alpha Pharmaceuticals, Polo Management Services, Roberts Gallery, and the Toronto Blue Jays.

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