Newmarket, Ontario – October 2, 2003 - The 2003 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series is proud to announce the Ontario Champions in the Six, Five and Four-Year-Old Divisions. Shakira, Kaiser de le Cour and Rio’s Ricardo are this year’s big winners.

The Ontario Champions were crowned following the final event of the Series, the Tournament of Champions, held September 19 in Newmarket, ON. All registered horses, 97 in total, were eligible to earn points at the seven Ontario events comprising the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series.

With two wins, one at July’s Halton Valley Mid-Summer Classic in Milton, ON, and one at the Fox Run Horse Show in Troy, ON, Shakira topped the Six-Year-Old Division to win the overall Ontario Championship title for owner and rider Gord Munro of Tottenham, ON. The grey Belgian Warmblood mare by Coronado and out of the Belgian Warmblood mare, Quina by Calypso, earned 71 points in total throughout the Series.

In second place was another horse shown by her owner. Michael Grinyer of Campbellville, ON, earned 65 points throughout the Series riding Rio’s Roxanne. The Canadian Sport Horse mare is by the sire, Rio Grande by Raphael, while her dam is Sonett, a Canadian Sport Horse mare by the Hannoverian sire, Dimitrij. Rio’s Roxanne was bred in Canada by W. Charlot Farms and successfully competed in the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series as a five-year-old.

With 52 points, Leonidas took third spot for owner Trish Crang. Ridden by two-time Olympian Jay Hayes of Cheltenham, ON, Leonidas won the third event in the Series at Barrie, ON, in June. Bred in Holland and imported earlier this year, Leonidas is a Hannoverian gelding by Libero H and out of a Westphalian mare.

Kaiser de le Cour dominated the Five-Year-Old Division throughout the Series for owner Phil Henning’s Mill Creek Stables of Cambridge, ON. With a total of 74 points, the most in any age division, Kaiser de le Cour easily topped the standings after winning two events in the Series – the opening event in Ancaster, ON, and the Fox Run Horse Show held in Troy, ON, in September.

Bred in Normandy, France, Kaiser de le Cour is by the Narcos II son, Verdi. Henning purchased the stunning chestnut selle francais stallion, recent winner of the Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association (CWHBA) stallion licensing in Ontario, in February of 2001 and imported him the following year. Ridden by Simon McCarthy, Kaiser de le Cour also competed in the 2002 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series as a four-year-old.

“I am a great believer in the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series,” notes Henning, who had a total of 14 horses registered for Mill Creek Stables in the 2003 Series. “I believe it is the best way to develop young horses in this country. We have seen this format work for years in Europe and I am pleased that Canadian owners now have the same opportunities and incentives to showcase their young horses.”

Finishing second overall in the Five-Year-Old Division with a total of 60 points was P-Spice ridden by Liz Gayford. Jens and Natalie Hansen both bred and own P-Spice, a Canadian Warmblood mare by the famous Dutch Warmblood stallion, Voltaire, and out of the selle francais mare, Oh Ma Belle. Figaro, a Hannoverian gelding ridden by Natalie Smith for owner Aeden Ierullo, placed third overall with 53 points.

Rio’s Ricardo was named Ontario Champion in the Four-Year-Old Division with a total of 71.5 points. The Canadian Warmblood stallion is owned by W. Charlot Farm where his sire, Rio Grande, stands at stud. Ridden by Erynn Ballard, a short-listed member of the 2003 Canadian Show Jumping Team, Rio’s Ricardo won two events - Barrie and Collingwood - after tying for first place at the opening event of the season.

“I live for the horses and the nicest part of breeding horses is when you start them,” believes Augustin Walch, owner of W. Charlot Farm. “For me, Erynn is our biggest asset. She has so much feel for the horses, she adapts herself to the horses’ natural way of going. She knows what the horses need in the ring and how to react. She’s fantastic!”

KingRidge Stables made a sweep of the remainder of the Four-Year-Old Division, taking three of the top four spots. Finishing in second position with 68.5 points was Democrat 3E, a Canadian Sport Horse gelding by Cruising and out of Betwixt, a former grand prix competitor.

Dividend 3E, a Canadian Sport Horse gelding by Money Talks and out of the Canadian Sport Horse mare, Galaxy 3E, earned third position with a total of 60 points while Double Diamond, a Belgian Warmblood stallion, took fourth place. Double Diamond is by Nabab de Reve, a son of the important French sire, Quidam de Revel, and is out of KingRidge’s Stables’ mare, Black Diamond by Chin Chin.

The majority of the 11 horses representing KingRidge Stables in the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series were bred in Canada by Epstein Equestrian Enterprises and were shown by Olympian Hugh Graham, a veteran competitor with a long association with KingRidge Stables of King City, ON.

Although the Ontario Champions have been named, there are still the National Finals to contest. Horses from across the country will be invited to compete in the Five and Six-Year-Old divisions at the National Finals held at the Royal Horse Show in the heart of downtown Toronto. Up to 15 horses will compete in each division at this year’s National Young Horse Championships, held November 8 and 10.

The Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series was created to encourage the development of young show jumping talent and to give Canadian breeders additional incentives to breed superior show jumper prospects. Competing on a level playing field, the horses are divided according to age and jump at a level suited to their development as four, five or six year olds. This careful development allows the young horses to gain valuable experience and advance to the higher levels of show jumping competition with confidence.

In the Four and Five-Year-Old Divisions, horses are judged solely on their performance and style. In the Six-Year-Old Division, the top ten horses return for a jump-off, carrying forward any faults accumulated in the first round. In order to tabulate the Series standings, points are awarded according to the World Cup system with the number of points given based on the number of horses entered in each class.

Proud supporters of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series include Amerigo Saddles, Canadian Sport Horse Association, Canterbrooke Farms, Cavalier, Dave Hopps, Dr. Alan Manning, Gary Cooper Chev Olds, Grande Farms, Henry Equestrian Insurance Brokers Ltd., KingRidge Stables, Michael Grinyer Stables, Mill Creek Farms, Mill Creek Stables, Peter Miller – Scotia McLeod, Purina Feeds, TD Canada Trust, Turtle Jack Grill House restaurants, Twin City Dry Storage and W. Charlot Farms.

Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series
Final Ontario Results

Six-Year-Old Division

Five-Year-Old Division

Four-Year-Old Division