OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 THE RIDER /37 Carl Hester Wraps Up Clinic in Brilliant Fashion


Sold-out event at Caledon Equestrian Park treats spectators to


“a tremendous learning experience.”


Caledon, ON - October 22, 2017 Canadian dressage enthusi- asts from coast to coast gathered at the Caledon Equestrian Park Sunday to enjoy the second day of a masterclass with British Olympic gold medallist Carl Hester. With a rider roster that included two Canadian Olympians and a pair of Pan Am Games medallists, as well as a selection of stun- ning horses from the FEI Four-Year-Old level


to


Grand Prix, it’s no wonder that spectators travelled from as far away as British Columbia and Nova Scotia for the opportunity to learn from one of the world’s top riders and trainers. The morning session fo- cused on the development and training of the young horse, with Hester sharing his tips and personal philos- ophy on young horse train- ing and care in between teaching sessions. First in the ring were Andrea Bresee of Uxbridge, ON, and Erin MacQuarrie of Norton, NB, with their


four-year-old


mounts Ismeaux and Iron Butterfly. Hester noted im- provements in both horses from the day before, partic- ularly with MacQuarrie’s young mare who was over- whelmed by the atmosphere on Saturday but gave a lovely, relaxed performance today.


2011 Pan Am Games


silver medallist Tina Irwin of Stouffville, ON, repre- sented the five-year-olds with Simsalabim, while Jane Fraser of Halifax, NS, and her horse Banjo GCF represented the six-year- olds. Hester was impressed with both young horses, jok- ing several times that he’d like to take them back to England with him. Two-time Canadian Jacqueline


Olympian


Brooks of Newmarket, ON, shared the ring with Hamil- ton-based young profes- sional Kahla Ishoy again on Day 2 to work on Third and Fourth Level requirements with their talented young geldings Emmett


and


Sakima. Hester built on the exercises from the previous day and pushed both riders to perfect the basics to im- prove their higher-level movements. Rising British star Re-


becca Edwards closed out the morning session with a demonstration ride on Cosima, a 2005 Holsteiner


Future Award in 2016. “This mare was com-


pletely different from the mare we asked Becky to ride yesterday,” said Hester. “I think it’s a really valuable exercise for the audience to see her dealing with the same kind of issues they all likely struggle with too, only we can hide it better on our own horses. Becky had to figure out what works for this particular horse and by the end was showing a com- pletely different picture than the beginning. It was very well done.” The afternoon sched-


British Olympic dressage gold medallist Carl Hester teaching his first-ever Canadian masterclass at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, Ontario. (Karie Alderman photo)


mare owned by Canadian junior rider Allison Young- dale. Edwards, who trains with Hester, was a member


of the British Young Rider team at the 2017 European Championships and earned the Under 25s Star of the


ule read like a “who’s who” of Canadian dressage, be- ginning with 2001 PanAm Games silver medallist Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON, and Cyrus, a Prix St. Georges-level horse owned by Carla Bahr. Next in the ring was Megan Lane of Deer Ridge Equestrian in Loretto, ON. We’re used to seeing Lane aboard her 2016 Olympic partner Car- avella, but for this clinic she chose to bring Denver, a spectacular nine-year-old KWPN gelding whom she plans to debut at the Grand Prix level next season. Brittany Fraser of


New Glasgow, NS, was the final rider of the day aboard


her impressive Dutch geld- ing All In. Hester was wowed by the horse the minute he walked in the ring, commenting on his size, presence and talent, and opining that he was bet- ter than several of the horses currently ranked in the world top 10. Truly an excit- ing pair for Canada’s future! Hester helped Fraser - cur- rently the top-ranked Cana- dian on the FEI world dressage standings - perfect several of the Grand Prix movements including pirou- ettes, passage, and piaffe. “What a spectacular


way to end our Canadian clinic,” Hester enthused at a


press conference following the event. “All In is a very special horse, a real rarity. It was wonderful that Brittany could come and share him with the audience.” “I thought today was


brilliant,” he continued. “It’s always lovely to go through all the levels right from the youngest horses to the top. At all levels we saw some wonderful horses and had a great bunch of riders who were very receptive to learn- ing. They made my job easy.”


Jane Fraser, who trav-


elled to Caledon with her horse all the way from Nova Scotia just for the opportu-


nity to ride in the master- class, was delighted with the weekend. “The clinic was a


tremendous learning experi- ence,” Fraser said. “An op- portunity to test my knowledge and ability and to learn from a master who has proven the depth of his knowledge with horse after horse after horse. Watching the progression of the dres- sage horse through all the levels is a powerful learning tool and seeing how every movement connects and moves the horse to the next level is like getting to peek behind the wizard’s curtain. It was magical.”


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