44/ MAY 2022 THE RIDER Top Three Finish For Canada’s Jessica Phoenix At Ocala Horse Park


Jennifer Ward / Starting Gate Communications for Equestrian Canada


Ocala, FL, April 19, 2022 – Two-time


Canadian


Olympian Jessica Phoenix of Cannington, ON, posted a top three finish in the CCI3*-L division at the Ocala International Horse Trials held from April 14 to 17, 2022, at the Ocala Horse Park in Ocala, FL. The CCI3*-L division


attracted a total of 26 entries including 10 from Canada. Phoenix, who sitting in sev- enth position following dressage, added nothing to her score over the cross- country and show jumping phases to place third with 28.6 penalty points riding


Tugce, her nine-year-old Brandenburg


mare


(Domherr x Chico’s Boy). The division was won by Alyssa Phillips of


the


United States who also fin- ished on her dressage score of 23.00 riding Cornelius Bo while 2004 Olympic champion Leslie Law of Great Britain did the same, placing second with 26.7 penalty points aboard Shir- sheen Ice. “She feels really solid


at the level,” said Phoenix of Tugce, a former hunter prospect that was sent to Phoenix to be sold before quickly finding a home with the five-time Pan American Games medalist. “I wanted to do another three-star long to confirm the fitness and let


her enjoy herself. Dressage was fun to be able to go in and finesse her movements. Her gaits have improved, there is more suspension in her trot and canter, and it was a nice, clean test. Cross- country was the best she’s ever gone, and the show jumping felt effortless. I was so proud of her.” The CCI3*-L cross-


country track at the Ocala Horse Park was designed by Canada’s own Jay Hambly of Fergus, ON. “He did a great job,”


praised Phoenix. “When we first walked it, it was appar- ent that the questions were big questions; the ones that stand out are the two waters and the coffin. They were aggressive combinations at


the level, and it was great to feel Tugce so confident on that cross-country course.” With her


second


mount, FE Black Jack, Phoenix placed 16th with a score of 44.7 penalty points. It was the first time that Phoenix was riding the 14- year-old German Sport Horse gelding (Blackstone x Severus) owned by Karl Niemuller in Federation In- ternational Equestrian (FEI) sanctioned competition. After spending two


months based in Ocala, FL, Phoenix is starting the jour- ney back to her home base in Ontario. She’ll stop at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, to contest the CCI5*-L Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event from April 28 to May 1, 2022, with Bogue Sound and Wabbit. “We’ve been based at


Ronald Zabala’s incredible training facility; he has a beautiful gallop and the best rings you can find here in Ocala,” said Phoenix, 38, of her


eventing rider who has rep- resented Ecuador


fellow international in


Kendal Lehari of Uxbridge, ON, placed fifth overall riding her Canadian Sport Horse, Audacious, in the CCI3*-L division at the Ocala International Three Day Event on April 17, 2022. Photo Credit: Xpress Foto


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Olympic, World Champi- onships, and Pan American Games competition. “He’s been a good friend for a long time, and for him to open his doors to his incred- ible facility was pretty amazing. A huge thank you to Ronald, and I also really want to say thank to our en- tire team. Florida is an in- tense two months and it’s asking a lot of our grooms, family, owners, and clients. Thank you to all for their


Two-time Canadian Olympian Jessica Phoenix of Cannington, ON, posted a top three finish riding Tugce in the CCI3*-L division at the Ocala International Horse Trials held from April 14 to 17, 2022. Photo Cred it: Xpress Foto


support and hard work.” Kendal Lehari of


Uxbridge, ON, also finished on her dressage score of 33.1 to place fifth overall. Riding Audacious, her nine- year-old grey Canadian Sport Horse gelding sired by Iron Man, Lehari moved up from 11th position follow- ing Friday’s opening dres- sage phase. Lehari has been the horse’s only rider since backing him as a three-year- old, and the strength of their long partnership was on full display at the Ocala Horse Park. Bred by Carolyn Baird, Audacious is one of approximately 20 horses in training at Lehari Eventing and the pair are currently members of the 2022 Na- tional Team Program Devel- opment Squad.


Melissa Boutin, 31, of


Ascot Corner, QC, enjoyed a top 10 finish riding Obeah Dancer GS. The pair were in ninth position following Fri- day’s opening phase of dres- sage and, despite adding 4.4 time penalties on cross- country for exceeding the optimum time of eight min- utes, maintained their ninth place position. Bred in Canada


by Charlotte


Schickedanz, Obeah Dancer GS is a 10-year-old Trakehner mare (Humble GS x Buddenbrock). Phoenix, who coaches Boutin, competes Obeah Dancer GS’s sire, Humble GS, at the four-star level for Schickedanz. Dana Cooke, 34, orig-


inally from Merritt, BC, also competed at the Ocala Inter-


Milo’s Eyes


How A Blind Equestrian and Her “Seeing Eye Horse” Rescued Each Other and Accomplished the Impossible


By Lissa Bachner Behler Publications ISBN 13: 9781941887103 Pub. Date: June 7, 2022 Autobiography


On New year’s morning, 1999, a twenty- six - year-old Lissa met Milo for the first time. The young equestrian, purchased the


five-year-old horse, sight -unseen, from Ger- many and aspired to, one day, compete on him. But, the scrawny, foul-smelling, bad-


tempered gelding that arrived shortly after midnight, barely resembled a horse much less one that belonged in the show ring. It was hard to miss the signs of neglect and Lissa knew the horse had been mistreated. Had it not been for the fire burning in Milo’s dark, brown eyes, Lissa would have thought the spirit had been beaten out of him. Determined to eradicate the demons of


his past, Lissa spends hours each day groom- ing and caring for her new horse. As Milo grows stronger, so too does the unconditional love, unyielding trust and that magical bond between he and Lissa. When, finally, Milo and Lissa are ready


to make their debut in the show ring, Life makes it clear that it has other plans for the two of them. Suddenly Lissa is battling to save her vision! As her eyesight diminishes, the young rider leans on her beloved Milo for strength and comfort. After she loses the fight and is com-


pletely blind, Lissa turns her back on the life she once knew. Terrified and with each day that passes, sinking deeper and deeper into a depression, she refuses to leave the safety of her bed. But an afternoon spent with Milo, the only living creature she feels truly under- stands her, awakens the warrior inside her. More determined than ever, Lissa promises Milo she will find a way back to him.


Willing to do whatever it takes to ride


again, Lissa asks the unthinkable of her mother, her friends and most of all, her beloved Milo. Together, Lissa and Milo will accomplish the impossible, becoming one of America’s most successful riding teams in the world of show jumping, winning 2 national rankings, 4 zone rankings and over 35 nation- ally ranked classes! Milo’s Eyes is available on amazon.com, Target.com,


BarnesandNoble.com,


Walmart.com (Paperback, $16.95). About the Author: Lissa Bachner has been ranked among


the country’s leading amateur equestrians. When she was three, Bachner was diagnosed with two, rare immune disorders — Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which inflames her joints, and uveitis, which attacked her eyes and lead to her blindness. By the time she was thirty, Lissa had lost


her left eye and most of the vision in her right eye. Regardless of her lack of vision, she con- tinued to ride and compete at show jumping’s highest level. Despite the crippling diseases, painful


surgeries and her doctor’s disapproval, Lissa never lost her passion for horses and riding. She has competed all over Virginia, where she is from, and in several other states on the East Coast. She has won 4 national rankings, 10 zone rankings, 82 nationally ranked classes and 118 top 3 placings. Lissa graduated from Skidmore College


with a B.A. in English. She currently resides in Wellington, Florida where she is surrounded by her beloved horses and dogs.


national Horse Trials and finished 11th and 14th in the CCI3*-L division riding Quatro and Glamour respec- tively. With Quatro, a nine- year-old


German-bred


gelding (Quaterstern x Cori- ograf B), Cooke was in fourth place following dres- sage and cross-country but slipped to 11th with a final score of 38.6 after three rails fell in the final show jump- ing phase. Riding Glamour, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Vigo d’Arsouilles x Karlstad), Cooke finished with 44.2 penalty points. Both horses are owned by Kingfisher Park in Mooresville, NC, where Cooke is based.


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