Dressage Tradition Continues at Toronto’s Royal Horse Show

Toronto, Ontario â€“ The Royal Horse Show will host the inaugural ‘Royal Canadian Freestyle Championship’ during the 2007 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair held November 2-11 at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, ON.

Six horse-rider combinations will perform Musical Freestyle programs over two nights, Wednesday, November 7, and Thursday, November 8. The two scores will be added together to determine the overall winner, who will then be crowned the Royal Dressage Freestyle Champion.

The introduction of the Royal Canadian Freestyle Championships comes following the International Equestrian Federation’s (FEI) decision to institute a North American World Cup League, thereby eliminating the need for a Canadian League Final, which the Royal has long hosted, attracting sold-out crowds.

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“The Royal has a wonderful tradition of hosting the finest dressage in Canada, and we are looking forward to holding the inaugural Royal Canadian Freestyle Championships which we have formatted in conjunction with Dressage Canada,” said John Dunlap, Chairman of the Royal Horse Show. “Over the years, dressage has proven to be one of the hottest tickets at the Royal Horse Show, and we are very pleased to bring two nights of dressage freestyle competition to our audience.”

Riders will qualify for the Royal Canadian Freestyle Championships during the 2007 competition season. Full criteria will be available on the Dressage Canada website at www.dressagecanada.org. The top six Canadian horse/rider combinations will be invited to compete at the 2007 Royal Horse Show.

The Grand Prix Freestyle sees riders choreograph required movements, including passage and piaffe, to the music of their choice. Horses and riders seemingly dance as one to the music in a thrilling demonstration of harmony and grace.

For more information on the Royal Horse Show and the 85th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, please visit www.royalfair.org