Ten of Canada‘s National Team Program riders and riders declared for the 2026 World Championships had the opportunity to have private training sessions with British Olympian Carl Hester.
Hester flew to Florida for this private clinic at Ashley Holzer's yard. The clinic was funded through generous donations and fundraising efforts. In recent years Holzer has been working with Hester during her summers in Europe and laid the connection for this clinic.
The training took place on Tuesday and Wednesday on 3 - 4 March 2026 with riders having dedicated one-on-one time with Carl.
The ten participating riders were Denielle Gallaghar, Alexandra Duncan, Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu, Chris von Martels, Camille Carier Bergeron, Lindsay Kellock, Mathilde Blais, Belinda Trussell, Naima Moreira Laliberte, and David Marcus.
Former Canadian team rider Jill Irving joined as owner of Brittany Fraser's Jaccardo.
“What an incredible opportunity to ride with Carl," said Belinda Trussell. "Canada has great riders and great horses, we need exposure and opportunities like this to bring our country to top international results. Thank you so much for the vision and investing in our athletes."
“Days like this remind me why I love the sport," Mathilde Blais added. Tokyo Olympian Lindsay Kellock stated, "it was a great experience! Carl’s focus on the basics and developing the horse the right way was really inspiring and helped me so much."
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