Equestrian Canada – Ottawa, ON, April 25, 2018 – Canadian athletes showed great promise for a successful 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) with strong finishes at the Dressage, Para-Dressage and Driving WEG Test Event, held in Mill Spring, NC, from April 19-22, 2018.

Canadian Paralympian Lauren Barwick, who resides in Reddick, FL, not only earned a big win, but also cemented her qualification for WEG 2018 during the Para-Dressage WEG Test Event. She and Engelbrecht (Vivaldi x Rimini 41), her nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, won the CPEDI 3* Grade III Freestyle on April 22 with an impressive score of 72.233%. They also earned two second place finishes in the CPEDI 3* Grade III Individual on April 20 (67.402%) and Team Test on April 21 (67.735%).

Canadian Paralympian Lauren Barwick took the top spot in the CPEDI 3* Grade III Freestyle on April 22 at the Para-Dressage WEG Test Event.
Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle

“The last five months of training after having my baby, Viola, have been more difficult than I expected,” commented Barwick. “To have achieved the scores I needed to qualify for WEG in two shows is a huge relief, and allows me to now focus on refining our training. Remembering that the process doesn’t always look like the end product can be hard, especially when you know that you can get decent results by using shortcuts; however, shortcuts leave foundational holes in your training program that show up later.”

Barwick continued, “This was achievable because of my wonderful sponsors and horse owners, Patsy Fyfe and John. And my support team: Pat and Linda Parelli, Lauren Massey, Brenda Ladd, Erin Brinkman, and my husband, Fabian Brandt. Thank you to Clive Milkins and the Equestrian Canada support staff for creating a positive environment for me to be able to achieve success.”

In the CPEDI 3* Grade II division, Sharon Buffitt of Pointe Claire, QC and her 13-year-old Oldenburg cross mare, Elektra II (Radjah Z x Rastar), added another win to Canada’s tally after topping the Individual on April 20 with a score of 66.716%.

Jason Surnoski of Whitby, ON, followed up with a win for Canada in the CPEDI 3* Grade II Freestyle on April 22. He scored 66.878% riding Cynthia Nugent’s Phoenix, a 19-year-old Westphalian gelding sired by Potsdam. He was followed by Buffitt in second place on a score of 66.233%.

That same day, Winona Hartvikson of Langley, BC and the 11-year-old Andalusian gelding she co-owns with Jane Macdonald, Ultimo (Invasor III x Teodoro), earned a spot for Canada on the leaderboard in the CPEDI 3* Grade I division, taking third place in the Freestyle on a score of 68.556%.

On April 21, Laura Hall of Ladysmith, BC, nabbed a third place finish in the CPEDI 3* Grade IV Team Test, scoring 67.125% aboard her 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, Wendolin (Metall x Amethist).

In the Dressage WEG Test Event, Canadian Olympian Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON kicked off the competition bright and early on April 20 with her 15-year-old Westphalian gelding, Tattoo 15 (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son), taking third in the CDI 3* Grand Prix with a score of 70.043%. The duo returned on April 22 for another third-place finish in the CDI 3* Grand Prix Special, scoring 69.319%.

Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON earned two third place finishes at the Dressage Test Event for the 2018 World Equestrian Games (WEG), held April 19-22, 2018, in Mill Spring, NC alongside the Test Events for Para-Dressage and Driving.
Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle

“Tattoo was fantastic this week at the WEG Test Event,” said Trussell. “We had the best canter tour we have had yet in the Grand Prix. The tour flowed from one movement to the next, which is what we have been working towards this winter. Overall, I am very happy with the results and know what I need to work on for the next shows in preparation for WEG. The venue at Tryon is world-class and WEG will be a fantastic event in September!”

Catherine Levasseur of Sainte-Sophie, QC represented the maple leaf in the CAI 2* FEI Single Horse division of the Driving WEG Test Event. The competition was an important stop for Levasseur and Fizz Forever (sired by Whiskei S-148), her eight-year-old American Dutch Harness Horse mare, on their journey to the 2018 FEI World Singles Driving Championships.

Levasseur and Fizz Forever kicked things off in the WEG Test Event with a fifth place finish in the initial dressage phase on April 20 after scoring 63.79. The following day they picked up another fifth place finish in the marathon phase on a score of 91.84. This brought Levasseur’s two-phase total to 155.63for third place overall heading into the final cones phase on April 22. Levasseur held onto her third place finish after guiding Fizz Forever to seventh place on a score of 13.30 in the cones phase, allowing her to finish on a total score of 168.93.

Catherine Levasseur of Sainte-Sophie, QC and Fizz Forever captured third in the FEI Single Horse division at the Driving WEG Test Event, which is a stop on their journey to the 2018 FEI World Singles Driving Championships, taking place in August 2018 in The Netherlands.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Catherine Levasseur

“I’m thrilled with Fizz Forever, who, since the beginning of the season, has given us hope to participate in the World Driving Championships in The Netherlands in August,” said Levasseur. “In addition, I was proud to achieve our WEG qualifying scores in dressage on Friday. Saturday’s marathon was very demanding for the horses; several kilometres of uneven ground on the course proved to us that the mare was equal to the task and in condition for the event. The handling of cones on Sunday was also a nice surprise, allowing us to keep our third place position.”

Full results from the Dressage, Para-Dressage and Driving WEG Test Events can be found here. For more information on the Canadian Equestrian Team on the #RideToTryon, visit www.equestrian.ca/events-results/games/ridetotryon.

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FEI Para-Dressage WEG Test Event – Top 10 Canadian Results

CPEDI 3* Individual Grade I
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
5th / Jody Schloss / Lieutenant Lobin / Jody Schloss / 66.131%
7th / Winona Hartvikson / Ultimo / Winona Hartvikson & Jane Macdonald / 65.714%
8th / Robyn Andrews / Fancianna / Robyn Andrews / 65.357%

CPEDI 3* Team Test Grade I
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
5th / Jody Schloss / Lieutenant Lobin / Jody Schloss / 66.488%
6th / Winona Hartvikson / Ultimo / Winona Hartvikson & Jane Macdonald / 66.345%
8th / Robyn Andrews / Fancianna / Robyn Andrews / 64.405%

CPEDI 3* Freestyle Grade I
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
3rd / Winona Hartvikson / Ultimo / Winona Hartvikson & Jane Macdonald / 68.556%
5th / Jody Schloss / Lieutenant Lobin / Jody Schloss / 68.367%
8th / Robyn Andrews / Fancianna / Robyn Andrews / 65.622%

CPEDI 3* Individual Grade II
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
1st / Sharon Buffitt / Elektra II / Sharon Buffitt / 66.716%
2nd / Jason Surnoski / Phoenix / Cynthia Nugent / 64.461%

CPEDI 3* Team Test Grade II
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
1st / Sharon Buffitt / Elektra II / Sharon Buffitt / 65.758%
2nd / Jason Surnoski / Phoenix / Cynthia Nugent / 65.303%

CPEDI 3* Freestyle Grade II
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
1st / Jason Surnoski / Phoenix / Cynthia Nugent / 66.878%
2nd / Sharon Buffitt / Elektra II / Sharon Buffitt / 66.233%

CPEDI 3* Individual Grade III
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
2nd / Lauren Barwick / Engelbrecht / Lauren Barwick / 67.402%
4th / Sarah Cummings / L.Dorado / Janet Laraman / 61.176%

CPEDI 3* Team Test Grade III
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
2nd / Lauren Barwick / Engelbrecht / Lauren Barwick / 67.735%
5th / Sarah Cummings / L.Dorado / Janet Laraman / 57.598%

CPEDI 3* Freestyle Grade III
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
1st / Lauren Barwick / Engelbrecht / Lauren Barwick / 72.233%

CPEDI 3* Individual Grade IV
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
4th / Laura Hall / Wendolin / Laura Hall / 65.366%

CPEDI 3* Team Test Grade IV
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
3rd / Laura Hall / Wendolin / Laura Hall / 67.125%

CPEDI 3* Freestyle Grade IV
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
5th / Laura Hall / Wendolin / Laura Hall / 64.983%

FEI Dressage WEG Test Event – Top 10 Canadian Results

CDI 3* Grand Prix
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Final Score
3rd / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 70.043%
7th / Evi Strasser / Disney Tyme / Evi Strasser / 64.935%

CDI 3* Grand Prix Special
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Final Score
3rd / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 69.319%
6th / Evi Strasser / Disney Tyme / Evi Strasser / 61.660%

FEI Driving WEG Test Event – Top 10 Canadian Results

CAI 2* Single Horse Dressage
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Final Score
3rd / Catherine Levasseur / Fizz Forever / Catherine Levasseur / 168.93

CAI 2* Horse Four in Hand
Placing / Athlete / Horses / Owner / Final Score
7th / Gerben Steenbeek / Grant Stonecreek, Liam Stonecreek, Marlow Stonecreek, Vincent Stonecreek / Gerben Steenbeek / 291.65

EC Media Contact /
Personne-ressource de CE pour les médias :
Jessie Christie
jchristie@equestrian.ca