Jump Canada Announces European Show Jumping Tour

Ottawa, ON – Jump Canada is pleased to announce that Amy Millar, Jonathon Millar, Jenna Thompson and Keean White will represent the Canadian Show Jumping Team at CSI4* Chantilly, FRA, from Sept 11-13, and the Promotional League Nations’ Cup Final at CSIO4* Barcelona, ESP, from Sept 16-20.

The European tour is made possible through Sport Canada and the Canadian Olympian Committee’s ‘Own the Podium’ program, a national sport technical initiative designed to help Canada’s summer and winter athletes achieve podium success at the Olympic Games.

Amy Millar, 32, of Perth, ON, will take two horses, Costa Rica Z and Romanov, to Europe. With Costa Rica Z, a 14-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Millar Brooke Farm and Ann Matthews, Millar won the $50,000 Caledon National Grand Prix at the Caledon National on May 24. Paired with Romanov, Millar Brooke Farm’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Millar placed fourth in the $10,000 Marshes Open Welcome held August 14 during the National Capital Show Jumping Tournaments in Ottawa, ON.

Jonathon Millar, 34, also of Perth, ON, will join his sister in Europe riding Contino 14, a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Millar Brooke Farm, and Vianco v/d Rampaarden, an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Bridge Brook Arms & Kelly Soleau. Jonathon Millar and Contino 14 recently won the $10,000 CompetitiveJumpers.com Open Welcome held August 21 at the National Capital Show Jumping Tournaments. Paired with Vianco v/d Rampaarden, Jonathon Millar finished fourth in the $30,000 ConocoPhillips Canada Cup at the Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ Tournament in Calgary, AB.

Jenna Thompson, 21, of Calgary, AB, will be making her Canadian Show Jumping Team debut in Barcelona. Riding Zeke, an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Thompson competed in the $50,000 Equisport Agency Grand Prix, the $30,000 Braman Motorcars WEF Challenge Cup Round IV, and the $75,000 Bainbridge Companies Grand Prix during the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. In June, they placed fifth in the $30,000 Enbridge Cup and sixth in the $200,000 CN Reliability Grand Prix at the Spruce Meadows ‘National’ Tournament.

Current Canadian Show Jumping Champions Keean White, 26, of Rockwood, ON, and Celena Z, a nine-year-old Zangersheide mare owned by Ashland Group and Angelstone Farms, are the fourth and final members of the Canadian Team. White won the 2008–2009 Canadian World Cup League Standings and represented Canada riding Celena Z at the 2009 FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas, NV, in April. The pair was also a member of Canada’s winning team in the $75,000 FEI Nations’ Cup in Wellington, FL, on February 28, 2009. This victory qualified Canada for the Nations’ Cup competition at the Promotional League Final in CSIO4* Barcelona.

“I think it is a very interesting time for Canadian show jumping,” said Mark Laskin, who will act as chef d’équipe in Chantilly and Barcelona, aided by stable manager Lori Green. “We are fielding two international calibre teams at the same time, one at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ and one at Barcelona. This speaks to the depth of talent of our Canadian riders and horses. In addition to gaining valuable experience at the top level of competition, I expect that these riders will go over to Europe and be very competitive at the same time.”

A Nations’ Cup is the only competition in show jumping where riders, competing in teams of four, compete against other countries for top honours. The top three scores from each team are counted towards the final result of the two-round competition.

There are only two Nations’ Cup events held annually in North America – the $75,000 FEI Nations’ Cup at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, and the $350,000 BMO Nations’ Cup at the Spruce Meadows “Masters” Tournament in September.

Complete details about the two competitions may be found at www.jumping-chantilly.com for CSI 4* Chantilly and www.csiobarcelona.com for CSIO4* Barcelona.