Over 300 people attended the Horse Power X2 event held Oakcrest Farm on October 5th in Stouffville ON. Co-hosted by Ontario Has Talent (OHT), Canadian Athletes Assistance Program (C-DAAP), Equine Canada, and Dressage Canada, guests were treated to a fun-filled day of food, vintage cars, and dressage.
The day kicked off at noon with an incredibly delicious rib fest set in a beautiful country backdrop surrounded by an exceptional display of vintage cars while enjoying musical entertainment. It was a lovely day and for many of the guests this marked their first experience with dressage, introduced to the sport through wonderfully creative freestyle performances.
“The event was very successful by all standards. We are really pleased that we were able to showcase dressage talent at such an exceptional venue. It was our pleasure to work together with Equine Canada, Dressage Canada and the Canadian Dressage Athlete Assistance Program (C-DAAP) in our first fundraiser. The freestyles were awesome and the vintage cars were incredible!” said Kim Goodyear, co-founder of OHT. “The volunteers worked tirelessly making this event so enjoyable. Everything was supported by the young and junior riders and their families; we couldn’t have pulled this off without them, and our sponsors, L. H. Lind Realty the event’s Title Sponsor, Dutch Masters our Event Sponsor, Cobblestone Farm that provided the delicious ribs, Dean Jessop our Beer Sponsor, Robyn Eames who provided beverages and SSG Gloves who were our generous Rider Gift Sponsors. We have to thank everyone for the success of this event, it was incredible.”
This fundraiser marked the first joint venture with OHT in support of dressage in Canada. OHT was formed a year ago by dressage moms Gabrielle Sutton and Nathalie Lawson. They have teamed up with the EC/DC fundraising group called the Canadian Dressage Athlete’s Assistance Program (C-DAAP) and their goal is to help boost Canadian results in international competitions such as the North American Junior, Young Rider Championships, World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games.
“The Horse Power x 2 — Rib fest was a great success and brought our community together. Kim Goodyear, Gabrielle Sutton and their team did an outstanding job of organizing this wonderful event, with the Eames family generously providing their beautiful Oakcrest facility as the venue. Almost 300 people came out to show their support in spite of only having a few weeks’ notice,” said Deborah Kinzinger, creator of C-DAAP. “With the support of Equine Canada, Dressage Canada, and our community at large, I will do what I can to help raise funds for our Canadian riders, at all levels. It is an exciting time for the dressage community in Canada. A new feeling of cooperative spirit is in the air, and an enthusiasm for working together towards a common goal has been rekindled.”
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