Ottawa, Ontario  — Equine Canada certified coach Marie-Helen Lessard of Orangeville, ON accompanied three Canadian university student riders to the International Student Riding Nations’ Cup in Buchs ZH, Switzerland, April 19-22.

An Equine Canada English Level 2 coach, Lessard coaches with the Canadian University Riding Club Associations (CURCA), and was the chef d’equipe for the university students at the Switzerland Nations’ Cup. 

The Nations’ Cup featured university student riders competing in the disciplines of Dressage and Show Jumping. Forty-five riders from 15 different countries, including Germany, Switzerland, France, Ireland, Estonia, Croatia, Spain, Italy and the USA competed in teams of three.

Elizabeth Hawley of Caledon, ON, who attends Western University in London, ON represented Canada in the Dressage, putting in a solid first round, which required a synchronized team performance in front of three judges. Each horse was ridden by three riders and the rider who got the highest score on the horse moved to the second round. Hawley rode her second test, which included pirouettes and counter canter, to finish in 15th place. The fourth round dressage was designed to further test the riders, including a kur, as well as serpentines with lead changes, and half passes. The dressage competition was won by Epp Keel from Estonia, followed closely by Niki Sermont of Belgium.

In the show jumping competition, a similar format to the dressage competition was used in the first round. The jumping height was set at one meter, with the first two rounds being judged primarily on style. Fellow Western University student Alexandra Douglas of Tottenham, ON and Guelph University student Jessica Spindler of Toronto, ON were the Canadian representatives. Both riders put in clear first rounds, with Spindler earning her place in the second round. She completed the 1.10 meter course to finish in eighth place. Swiss rider Corina Sorg won the last round, which was set at 1.40 meter, with Susie Cave of Ireland finishing in second.

“CURCA gives Canadian riders a fantastic opportunity to get international exposure and experience, and is an inexpensive way to travel and make international connections,” explained Lessard. “I hope to see more students interested in participating.”

The CURCA, (Canadian University Riding Club Associations) is hoping to send a Canadian team to the Nations’ Cup in France at the end of June. For more information on CURCA, visit http://www.curca.ca.

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