Ottawa, ON — Dressage Canada has announced the first five inductees to its new Hall of Fame. The inaugural Hall of Fame Gala celebrating these dressage icons is set for Sunday, April 25th, 2010, at Toronto’s Eglinton Grand Theatre. Net proceeds from the gala will go to Canadian dressage athletes in their pursuit of excellence at the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG).
The first inductees into Dressage Canada’s Hall of Fame from the various categories are as follows:
• Horse: Dynasty — Cindy Ishoy’s Hanoverian gelding; her 1988 bronze medal winning Olympic partner and World Cup mount in the 1980s.
• Rider: Christilot Boylen — one of Canada’s best-known dressage riders and trainers. At just seventeen years of age, Christilot received special permission to compete for Canada in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. She has since been named to seven Olympic Teams, has competed on four Pan American Games teams. She earned individual gold medals at the 1971, 1975 and 1987 Pan American Games.
• Trainer: Dietrich von Hopffgarten — renowned international German dressage trainer who settled in British Columbia. For three decades in North America, he instilled classical training principles, effective riding skills and amazing wisdom/psychology to all his students.
• Builder Individual: Hans Pracht — founder, along with wife Eva-Marie Pracht, of the International Equestrian Sport Services (IESS), located in Cedar Valley, ON (near Newmarket), host of the 1986 World Dressage Championships.
• Builder Organization: CADORA — the original founders incorporated the national non-profit organization April 1, 1969, dedicating it to the development of dressage in Canada.
A call for nominations was sent to all Dressage Canada affiliates in October 2009, and these first inductees were chosen from the nominations received.
Recently restored to its 1930s art deco grandeur, Toronto’s Eglinton Grand Theatre will provide the elegant venue for this black-tie event. Guests may also don 1930s evening wear. Gala guests will enjoy a three-course dinner of their choice (specified at ticket purchase) as they celebrate the contributions of these long-time members of the dressage community.
Along with the celebrations, organizers are planning a silent auction to raise money for Canada’s WEG athletes. The silent auction will contain many amazing equestrian items and a large selection of general items such as rare Canadian artwork, autographed sports memorabilia, appraised and hand-crafted jewellery, original soapstone carvings, gallery bronze sculptures, concert tickets, getaways and more.
Gala tickets are $200 each and are available for purchase through the official Dressage Canada website at www.equinecanada.ca/dressage.
Additional Way to Support Canadian Riders’ WEG Dreams
There are still a number of WEG ticket packages available. Each package contains tickets directly behind “C” for four dressage events and are $875 (CDN) each. Dressage Canada also has a few select hotel rooms available at the official Canadian hotel — the Griffen Gate Resort and Spa in Lexington, KY. This is the same hotel where all the Canadian athletes will be staying. The room rate is $329/night plus taxes and the hotel rooms are booked for arrival on Sept 26th for 7 nights.
For more information, visit the Dressage Canada website (www.equinecanada.ca/dressage) and click on the “WEG 2010 Ticket Package Special” advertisement.