With the agreement between Canadian rider Ariana Chia and Florida-based Coves Darden Farm reaching its conclusion following the Olympics, Coves Darden Farm has handed the reins of Guateque IV to Spanish rider Paula Matute. With the 2010 PRE stallion, Chia finished the winter season as the top Canadian on the FEI world rankings and qualified as the second reserve for Canada’s Olympic dressage team. Guateque IV was successfully competed previously by Paula’s brother Juan at the small tour level.

The journey to Ermelo has begun for Canada’s Beatrice Boucher and On Fire. The pair has arrived safely in Holland in preparation for the world young horse championships to be held September 4-8. After a very successful season competing in the FEI 5-year-old classes here in Canada and in Wellington, Florida, Boucher looks forward to showcasing this talented mare on the international stage.

Owned by Gilles Bergeron and Camille Carier Bergeron, On Fire is a 2019 KWPN by Indian Rock out of Jewel D. E. (Davino V.O.D x Belissimo M). With scores up to 90% achieved this summer, the mare is living up to the potential which Boucher says made her and Camille fall in love with her at first sight from a sales video at two years old.

​”On Fire is just the sweetest little mare,” says Boucher. “She likes cuddles and loves to be petted; she is very people oriented. She was bred in the Netherlands so this trip is like going home for her.

I’m pretty confident for this show. She has three above average gaits and I feel the test is easy for her. It will be more about dealing with the atmosphere. I’m very excited to feel it and just get the experience of having fun and enjoying being around the very best young horses in the world.”

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Wednesday was all about girl power. At Versailles we had Jessica and Dalera, Isabell and Wendy, Cathrine and Freestyle, and of course Camille and Finländerin.

With teams of three and no drop score, every ride counts. The fate of the entire team rests on the last rider’s shoulders. One bad performance can knock them out of medal contention. Elimination of one rider results in the country being eliminated from team competition.

This was the position 24-year-old Camille Carier Bergeron was in yesterday at her first Olympics ever, as the youngest of all the 60 competitors in dressage. You could see the excitement, intensity and concern on the faces of the Canadian team remembers and support crew in the kiss and cry area as they rode every single stride with her, and the jubilation on their faces as she made her final salute.

Camille’s score of 68.338 landed Team Canada in 11th spot overall, just shy of Equestrian Canada’s Olympic goal of a top 10 finish. With many people
predicting Canada would finish dead last, it was nice to see our riders prove the naysayers wrong. They can and should be proud of their performance.

We have lots to discuss in the coming weeks but now is simply the time to celebrate our team coming together, doing their best and achieving their personal goals.

On the other side of the Atlantic, girl power was also in full force for Canada’s riders competing at the North American Youth Championship.

​In the U25 division, Brooke Mancusi and Dejohn Ymas scored 65.294 in the Intermediate II for a bronze medal finish, while our FEI Junior team finished 5th overall on the following performances:
*Taylor Wells and Hidalgo AYM - 63.546
*Lea Landreville and Guus - 67.939
​*Annika Kreining and Francis XI - 64.515

​Canada’s Young Riders have their turn today. Good luck everyone!

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