Equestrian Canada (EC) announced the athletes who will represent the Canadian Dressage Team in the CDIO 3* and CDIO-U25 Nations Cup, taking place March 27-31, 2018 during the 12th and final week of the Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL.
Both veteran and up-and-coming Canadian dressage athletes will compete against elite dressage athletes from around the world in a unique, team-based setting during the Nations Cup.
Canada will be represented in the CDIO 3* Nations Cup by the following rider/horse combinations:
- Diane Creech from Caistor Centre, ON / Chrevis Christo
- Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu from Saint Bruno, QC / All In
- Megan Lane from Loretto, ON / Caravella
- Jill Irving from Moncton, NB / Degas
The reserve combinations will be Fraser-Beaulieu and Soccer City, Creech and Robbie W, as well as Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON with two partners, Cyrus and Ribot.
First launched in 2017, the CDIO-U25 Nations Cup will return at AGDF 12, providing athletes under the age of 25 with the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the team format.
Canada has fielded two teams for 2018, with the following horse/rider combinations competing for the maple leaf:
Team Canada 1
- Naima Moreira Laliberte from Outremont, NB / I Do Kiss
- Laurence Blais Tetreault from Montreal, QC / Utah
Team Canada 2
- Vanessa Creech-Terauds from Caistor Centre, ON / Devon L
- Tanya Strasser-Shostak from Sainte-Adèle, QC / Renaissance Tyme
Taking on the Chef d’Équipe role to support the Canadian teams on the ground will be Christine Peters, EC Senior Manager Dressage, Olympic/Paralympic Program.
Canada has traditionally excelled in this event, bringing home gold in 2017, silver in 2016, and fielding two teams in 2015 to claim silver and bronze. Canadians have also picked up seven individual medals since 2013, including gold for both Megan Lane and Tina Irwin, and silver for Jamie Irwin in 2017.
During the inaugural CDIO-U25 Nations Cup in 2017, the Canadians earned team bronze, while Mathilde Blais-Tetreault claimed the individual gold medal.
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