Blainville, Québec – Team Cavalor won the inaugural Nations’ Cup held Sunday, July 12, at the Classique Internationale Blainville horse show in Blainville, QC.
The unique and fun $5,000 Nations’ Cup, open to amateur riders only, saw a total of nine teams competing over a 1.10m course. Held prior to the day’s featured event, the $40,000 Grand Prix Jumping Quebec, the Nations’ Cup attracted a lot of attention in the grand prix ring. Each team was comprised of three riders, who each jumped two rounds. After the team’s six rounds had been completed, the worst score was dropped from the total.
Team Cavalor was comprised of Kaila Robert, 16, of St. Bruno, QC, Karyne Lord, 28, of Mirabel, QC, and Gabrielle Pelchat, 15, of Lorraine, QC. Robert, as the team’s lead-off rider, posted two clear rounds riding Reality’s Heartbreaker, a 15-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Ecuries la Montee. Pelchat jumped clear in the first round, and then incurred four faults in the second round aboard her own Sunny B. Lord posted scores of five and nine, providing the drop score. When the final scores were tabulated, Team Cavalor had earned the victory with a total score of nine faults.
“I really liked competing as part of a team,” said Robert. “We had good camaraderie and team spirit. Everyone did the best that they could. It was really nice to work together as a team.”
Splitting the winner’s purse of $1,500 three ways, Robert, Pelchat, and Lord each received $500 in prize money. Both Robert and Lord train with Francis Berger at South Shore Farm in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QC, while Pelchat trains with Nathalie Vidricaire.
Cavalor was proud to sponsor the winning team in the inaugural Nations’ Cup at Blainville. Cavalor products are distributed exclusively in Canada by Equus Integral, who was also recently named the exclusive Canadian distributor of Devoucoux saddles.
“At Cavalor, we are proud to sponsor riders like Eric Lamaze and the Millar family, but we also firmly believe in the importance of supporting young up-and-coming riders as well,” said Francis Berger, Equus Integral’s Director of Business Development. “We were happy to be part of the first Nations’ Cup in Blainville, and even happier to sponsor the winning team. The event was a real hit, and we hope that the competition organizers will make it an annual event.”
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