Canada's Dressage Team off to Flying Start at Pan Am Games

The first day of dressage competition saw the Prix St. Georges tests ridden first, with the eight grand prix combinations at the end of the day. Lindsay Kellock and her lovely mare Floratina were the pathfinders for Canada, executing a beautifully calm and confident test with lovely bold extensions and plenty of power. Their score of 73.180% set the early mark to beat.

A delighted Lindsay said of the 11-year-old Hanoverian mare, “She was amazing. She tried her heart out as always. Of course the weather is a little bit cooler here so I’ve had to get used her, as she’s only ever been in Florida with me. I’m so thankful to Chloe Gasiorowski, her owner, for sharing her with me. She’s been so generous through this whole journey,.” Gasiorowski had purchased the horse for herself in December as a schoolmaster, but with four young children was unable to make it down to Kellock’s barn in Florida often so she asked her if she would care to compete the mare. When Floratina scored high marks at their first show, the pair started entertaining ideas of aiming her towards the Pan Am Games.

With a nod to her “amazing coach, Ashley Holzer” (who is coaching three of the Canadian Team members), Kellock noted, “We’ve been working a lot at getting her trot a bit fancier. I felt her extensions were much better – she had more lift, more suspension in the trot work. Of course her changes are a highlight. Simple things like the walk pirouettes were much stronger today. Overall, I would say it was one of my best rides.” Echoed Holzer, “To think she only got her horse a few months ago. She was amazing!”

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At a lanky 5’10” and matched with a 16.1-hand mount, Kellock is glad the mare is “solid. She’s not tall, but she’s nice and wide so my long legs can wrap around her belly.”

The music was quite loud in the stadium, which saw full stands thanks in part to the 28th and 29th marking Peruvian Independence Day. “I have to say when the canter music came on it was like “whoa!” She doesn’t mind that. The best thing about that horse is her character. I take her into a new environment and she doesn’t bat an eye at anything. She’s always willing to work, ears perked forward.”

She added, “The stadium has enough atmosphere, but it’s not so big that you feel kind of alone in there. You can really feel the crowd. In Peru the people have been incredible, so friendly, so nice. It’s one of the best venues I’ve seen.” Although this is Kellock’s first international games, she has been exposed to the atmosphere when she groomed for Ashley and Jacquie Brooks at the London and Beijing Olympics and a World Cup Final.

Next up for Canada was Tina Irwin of Stouffville, ON, with the 12-year-old gelding Laurencio. While the test was excellent and topped the morning leaderboard with a 73.735%, Irwin felt the gelding was capable of more. “My horse felt really solid today. He gave me a very good feeling right from the get-go in the warmup, very consistent in the contact, perfectly on my aids. He felt great so I knew I would have a great ride. We came into the stadium and he perked up a little bit, but in a good way, and felt really solid throughout. I rode the extensions a little more conservatively being the first day of the team event, so I definitely have more room to push there. But the rest I was very happy with. ”

The weather in Peru has been conducive to comfort for the horses – a welcome change from many major games of the past. “He’s pretty unique, because he’s the same in minus thirty and plus thirty,” said Irwin, who is trained by her husband Jaimey. “He’s steady across the board. We came from a Florida training camp for one week, so that was really hot. He and I are both really enjoying the cooler temperatures.”

The Irwins have had Laurencio since he was four years old, and Tina describes him as “such a puppy dog with the most amazing personality. He’s very, very kind and sweet and generous and he’s always ready to work. He never says no. We have a five-year-old daughter and she will lead him around and put him in the trailer. Yet he is sensitive and sharp to ride – so he is really a very unique combination.”

The afternoon session saw a new leader when international games newbie Sarah Lockman of California swept into the lead with 76.088 aboard the nine-year-old stallion First Apple. Two Canadians challenged the grand prix division. Naima Moreira Laliberte and the elegant Statesman, in their first year of grand prix, scored 72.913. “A lot of good things happened in there. Sometimes he was a bit stressed and so there was some misunderstanding. But just a little so I’m really happy that overall it was good.”

The good test came despite a fly-by by a helicopter and a drive-by by an ambulance on the nearby highway. “I don’t hear them, but I think my horse hears them. He can get a bit tense or worried and I have to try and manage it. There are some things you can’t control.”

The 22-year-old described “Starman” as “a really friendly horse who wants attention from everyone. He’s in everybody’s pocket for treats.”

Jill Irving and Degas 12 scored 68.391 to finish the day in 12th place. She described her ride as a bit ‘spicy’ until the canter work, “and then he seemed to settle. After that I was quite happy.”

The horse had not been shown since Tryon in April. With two very nice horses at this level – the other being Arthur – she was asked how she chose who to bring. “Age before beauty,” she laughed. “I’ve had Degas longer. I also feel that this is a team event and I wanted to go with my most consistent “old shoe.” Arthur is amazing; it was a tough choice. But Degas and I know each other very well and I think the team needs consistency.”

And a final word about her coach Ashley Holzer: “I wouldn’t be here without her 33 years of advice.”

In the team standings, Canada currently sits in a very close second place with 219.828 points behind the US with 219.970 points.

Prix St. George / Grand Prix
Sunday July 28, 2019

Individual Standings:
1. Sarah Lockman, First Apple USA 76.088
2. Tina Irwin, Laurencio CAN 73.735
3. Lindsay Kellock, Floratina CAN 73.180
4. Jennifer Baumert, Handsome USA 72.441
5. Nora Batchelder, Faro Sqf USA 71.441
6. Naima Moreira Laliberte, Statesman CAN 72.913
7. Yvonne Losos De Muñiz, Aquamarijn DOM 70.370
8. Vera Beatriz Protzen, Wettkonig ARG 70.059
9. Virginia Yarur, E Rava CHI 69.500
10. João Paulo Dos Santos, Carthago Comando SN BRA 69.029
11. Alexandra Dominguez Thomas, Etanga GUA 68.647
12. Jill Irving, Degas 12 CAN 68.391

Team Standings
1. USA – 219.970
2. CAN – 219.828
3. BRA – 204.473
4. MEX – 202.246
5. COL – 198.117