Following is a press release issued on Oct. 29th, 2024 by French press relations agency R&B Presse on behalf of Eric Lamaze:
“To begin, I am truly heartbroken that the community, which I have loved dearly for more than 30 years of my life, would feel as though they were misled regarding my state of health or that I would be capable of such a harmful lie. That was never my intention nor the reality. I have made efforts toward medical privacy only to protect my experimental treatment plan and emotional well-being during this extremely challenging and frightening life-or-death time. Yet instead, vicious rumors arose surrounding the legitimacy of my tumor, among other things, and as they often do, these rumors quickly spiraled far from my control and, most importantly—the truth. I was unable to respond to the accusations against me, the most recent of which dates back to last August, because of the severity of my condition and the advice from my counsel. I only ask that those who rushed to judgment and assumption would instead try to understand why I have struggled with enduring such a vulnerable experience so publicly.
Note: Eric states the medical records detailing his cancer journey, which are currently sealed under a confidentiality agreement put forth by his private treatment clinic, will be made available in 2027.
I’d like to be clear that I don’t feel any real anger but rather a great deal of sadness for having been ostracized by the horse world in this way and seeing my reputation tarnished after a dreamlike career. At times, this has been too much to bear and contributed to a major setback when combined with my illness, which has weakened me immensely, both physically and mentally.
Indeed, I am proud of my career and accomplishments; no one can take that away from me, but even more so to have been part of enabling Canada to regain its place among the best nations in the world alongside a team of many dedicated and hardworking individuals. Having Canada in the finest Nations Cups, from Aachen to the final in Barcelona, has filled me with immense pride. Thus, it is devastating to find myself today completely abandoned by the very federation to which I have contributed so much and without support in the darkest hour of my life. This treatment deeply hurts me and was even denounced by certain commentators during the recent Olympic Games.
In these cases, rumors and untruths led to summonses, and the summonses gave way to more rumors that further tarnished my reputation and sidelined me from a sport that was my whole life and kept me alive in my hardest moments. I’ve never claimed to be perfect; my past excesses are well known, but my symptoms were the result of my tumor and entirely unrelated to any substances.
What I’m suffering from most today is not being able to ride, compete, or be in contact with horses due to this legal harassment. This sport was my passion. With better counsel, better support, and better health, I should never have lost these trials, which shouldn’t have occurred in the first place.
First, I’d like to comment on the Iron Horse Farm Inc.-Aziz family case, in which I was convicted by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on August 8. I sold a dozen horses to the Aziz family (Iron Horse Farm Inc.), and I’d like to stress that these horses met the standard for which they were sold when they changed hands, as I’ll document later. I’d also like to point out that Karina Frederiks Aziz didn’t have the knowledge or experience to perform at the level she sought (1.40 -1.50m). Along with myself, she called on the services of some fifteen trainers (!), including Henk Noreen, Juan-Carlos Garcia, Ian Millar, Beth Underhill, and Ainsley Vince, who was also assigned by the Aziz family in the interest of horse trade and sales. Having or hiring so many trainers is suspect, to say the least, in our show-jumping milieu.
What the Aziz family forgets to mention is that, among other things, several other young horses purchased for Ainsley Vince were successful in reaching Grand Prix level. For example, the horses Top Gun and Cantero were valued at Grand Prix level, and the Azizes received high purchase offers, which they turned down. Others were returned because they were considered “dangerous” or not up to quality, such as Nosco de Blondel, despite accumulating some good results for Karina Frederiks Aziz and Ainsley Vince at the 1.40m level. After they returned Nosco de Blondel, he went on to become individual European reserve champion in young riders (U21) and team bronze medalist at Ebreichsdorf in Austria in 2012 with Petronella Andersson. Perhaps this gelding was not ultimately the desired fit for Aziz, but a medal with a young rider at 1.50m is evidence he was both safe and capable at this level.
It should be noted that all the horses I sold to the Aziz family had naturally undergone a meticulous veterinary examination by the buyer’s veterinarian (Iron Horse Farm Inc.) as specified on the invoices and sales contracts issued by Torrey Pines Stable and therefore accepted following this visit.
Regarding the horses for which I was ordered to pay $786,000 in compensation:
– I sold Jumping Mouse for $100,000, but he was returned to me on the pretense that he was a dangerous horse. As a young horse, Jumping Mouse was developed with care in France by Kevin Staut and Thimothée Anciaume (riders with exceptional experience in developing horses and wise enough to have noted any potentially dangerous behaviors). Once I took the horse back, I sold him to an amateur rider, Samantha Miles of Vancouver, who showed him for several enjoyable years in the Junior Amateur division without any increased risk or danger to herself.
– The Aziz family then bought Rominka for an additional $150,000 after they returned Jumping Mouse. Once again, the Aziz family opted to return Rominka despite achieving respectable results with both Ainsley Vince and Karina Aziz. However, after an injection by Dr. Cummins of a splint on the left foreleg, Rominka’s soundness faltered. Dr. Cummins was not the usual vet, but one specifically chosen by Greg Aziz. The injection agitated the horse’s leg and worsened the condition, as confirmed by Ainsley Vince’s vet (letter from Dr. William Patterson available).
Greg Aziz called me into his office, requesting that I sell the horse and find him another, which I no longer wanted to do. One might ask why Greg Aziz would continue seeking horses from me if these were as “dangerous” as alleged.
Without any agreement, Mr. Aziz sent the horse back to me along with an invoice for $250,000. Astonished, I made several regular attempts to contact him, but to no avail. I now had Rominka on my hands, costing me boarding fees. I then sold her Brent & Laura Balisky, but at a lower price, because her value had depreciated due to Karina’s riding, the injection, and overall mismanagement of the splint. Yet with the Baliskys, Rominka continued to obtain good results (I myself was placed at 1.45 m with this mare).
– Another of their disputes concerned a mare named Peppercorn, who was purchased for $265,000. An examination of the forelegs, the report of which was reportedly forwarded to the court, suspected a probable neurectomy. A clinical exam certificate from Europe states there were no scars on the horse in question. All horses purchased by Iron Horse Farm Inc. had undergone and passed a thorough veterinary examination by a veterinarian of their choice.
Peppercorn came from François Mathy, with whom I worked a lot, and to my knowledge, there is no veterinary certificate attesting to any trace of a neurectomy on this horse.
It has also been reported that a second microchip was found in the mare’s neck. However, a horse with two microchips would never be accepted in America. It is perhaps conceivable that a second chip could be injected in the event of the first malfunctioning, but to summarize, there was never any doubt about Peppercorn’s identity.
Beth Underhill then rode Peppercorn in competition without the slightest problem, knowing that it is ill advised to ride a horse post neurectomy. To verify, sensitivity tests were carried out on the horse, which reacted to small blows on the hoof, which further suggests the horse never underwent a neurectomy.
As a result of the ruling, I was ordered to pay $786,000 for Jumping Mouse and Rominka, which were originally purchased for $250,000. This leaves $536,000 in what they claimed to be legal fees (they really went all out!) Yet I never received an account of this prosecution nor any documents concerning this process. Odd, isn’t it?
Note: This trial was held in my absence, at a time when I was very weak and suffering from memory problems. I didn’t know the date of the session, and I was not reminded by my lawyer, who then “excused” my absence at this session by producing these (false) attestations of my state of health, which subsequently caused a lot of ink to flow (see below).
It’s also important to consider that Karina Frederiks Aziz’s father, Greg Aziz, CEO of National Steel Car, was indicted in the United States by an Alabama court for his part in a much more serious case. This was a multi-million-dollar scam on the Alabama Teachers’ Retirement Fund, for which he was arrested in 2013 as he stepped off his private jet in Chicago. He was charged with ten counts and placed under judicial supervision. He was finally sentenced to pay $21 million and released on 5 years’ probation. All of this can be easily verified and documented by simply googling Greg Aziz.
So, I was found guilty of a scam that never existed…by a person convicted by the U.S. justice system!
• Regarding my state of health and the forged medical certificates that have been the subject of all this speculation:
I’d like to make it clear that I’m in no way a malingerer. There have been enough witnesses in the horse world—riders, journalists, grooms, dealers, stewards—who have watched me suffer while fighting for my life. I have been plunged into a deep hole, being forced to defend the existence of my tumor while being deprived of the things I love most in this world: horses, show jumping, golf, and precious time with loved ones.
My lawyer produced false medical certificates without my knowledge in an effort to justify my absence in court, which I had never validated, even though he usually made me carefully proofread all the documents he shared. This brilliant Canadian lawyer and former friend inexplicably changed his attitude, for reasons I’m still trying to understand. I had the impression that he suddenly intended to harm me. He was no longer the same lawyer. Instead, he seemed to be defending the interests of the other side.
Discovering these documents were forged on my behalf without my knowledge, understanding, and approval was shocking and devastating. The articles refer to THREE attestations/mailings, one of which was written in Dutch and was clearly a forgery as it was allegedly signed by one of my doctors, who does not even speak the language.
One wonders who could have drafted this document in a language that no one around me speaks and for what purpose. I had always stipulated to my Canadian lawyer not to use my illness to obtain postponements or influence any judgment from the Court.
Furthermore, my treatment is guarded by a confidentiality agreement between myself and my doctors until 2027, at which time it will become available to confirm my medical journey. However, I struggle with feelings of betrayal for being forced to air such intimate details regarding my illness to defend my character against such harmful and salacious rumors. As anyone in my position would, I desire respect for my privacy. Yet, those closest to me can also attest to my honesty, as they have watched me go through this aggressive and debilitating illness with their own eyes.
That’s all I can say today about these false certificates, which I’m currently still investigating myself and working to understand. Especially as this Canadian lawyer produced them without being asked to do so, and where he had no legal right to intervene, to then provide these forged documents to other authorities such as the FEI or the Florida court, which convicted me in absentia in the Guthrie and Brandmaier (Nikka vd Bisschop) case. I’m also in the process of unraveling this case, having begun to identify further inconsistencies and procedural flaws, and will offer further comment at a later time.
This ordeal has consumed my life and has affected me in ways I cannot put into words, and I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I require a great deal of mental health support moving forward in order to process and overcome these events.
To conclude, I’d like to end by expressing my deepest gratitude to all the people who have supported me and continue to support me. The anonymous people who have given me moral courage and the friends who have never given up on me, who have helped me emotionally and financially. I know how much I owe them, and they’ll all know who they are”
~ Eric Lamaze
NB: The statements made here by Éric Lamaze are his alone. However, having helped him put together this press release, we were able to gain access to the documents proving, in particular, those of the horses incriminated in the Aziz affair. Everything Lamaze asserts, including the performances of the horses returned by Iron Horse Farm Inc. with other riders afterward, are entirely verifiable. We also contacted Ainsley Vince’s stable manager, Jennifer C., who confirmed:
“I took care of Karina Aziz’s horses from the beginning until she left the barn. The horses were all nice and healthy when they came to our barn. They were very good jumpers, competitive, and nice to take care of. Karina was starting to move up into the jumper category. I never felt stressed or scared to see Karina compete in the ring with all her horses. She was getting results and was moving up. Rominka was never a bad horse or dangerous whatsoever. The horse was treated and started to have problems when the Aziz vet came to inject a splint on the front leg, and it got bigger after the injection. Right away, I told the vet about it, but he didn’t seem to care at first. I had to keep putting pressure with a bandage because it kept getting more swollen. The vet kept coming to treat it, but it never went away. I don’t have bad memories of those horses with Karina.”
Other individuals close to this case confirmed Lamaze’s comments about the Aziz horses after adding a few clarifications. This additional context is crystal clear and refutes all of the arguments on the merits of the case reported in the press that led to Eric Lamaze’s conviction on August 8 by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
The deplorable doubts and speculation about his state of health between 2017 to present day are unjustifiable. As Eric points out in his text, there were enough witnesses to his condition during the period when he tried, despite everything, to continue competing. We received a testimonial from his physical trainer, Alex Moraes, known in Wellington for his work with many of the world’s top polo players and riders. Alex Moraes accompanied Éric Lamaze to the last competition he was physically able to take part in, in Toronto at the end of 2020. This physical trainer tells us in detail:
“In December 2017, we started training like usual to be ready for the season, and I noticed something off about him. He never told me at that moment about his health situation, but I figured it out with some other people around us. It was a brain tumor. After that, we talked and made a plan for his workout program. After that moment, I did my best to keep him in one piece, but I noticed the loss of his balance and, in general, that he started to show some deterioration in his body.
In 2018, he asked me to help him, so I traveled to train him and supported him to the best of my ability. We went to Calgary, Belgium, and Geneva, and I was next to him 24/7. He had some bad days where he couldn’t ride or even eat correctly. At that point his body got weaker and more fragile, and with some surgeries on his head, it was a hard year for him”.
We also had the opportunity to see photos of his hospitalization in a debilitated state consistent with someone receiving cancer treatment, photos that are confidential for the reasons set out in his text.
Éric Lamaze feels he has been defamed and convicted at a time when he no longer had the ability or means to defend himself. In any case, he came across as very affected by this situation and very weakened, mustering all his strength to try and build his defense despite the few means at his disposal today.
