Canada will be well represented by both senior and Under 25 (U25) athletes at the prestigious Lugano Diamonds CSIO 4* Winter Equestrian Festival, taking place Feb. 28 to March 4, 2018 in Wellington, FL.

The four-member senior Canadian Show Jumping Team for the CSIO 4* $150,000 FEI Nations’ Cup on March 3 will be selected from the following combinations:

Rider / Hometown / Horse / Owner

Ben Asselin / Foothills, AB / Cool Feeling / Attache Stables Ltd
Lesson Peak/Attache Stables Ltd
Erynn Ballard / Tottenham, ON / Fantast / Sagamore Farms
Catoki’s Son Z / Ilan Ferder & Tal Milstein
Lisa Carlsen / Okotoks, AB / Parette / Lisa Carlsen
Malbec / Lisa Carlsen
Jenn Serek / Calgary, AB / Wicked / The Wicked Horse Group
Cassandra / The Cassandra Group
Ian Millar / Perth, ON / Dixson / Ariel Grange
Heros / AMMO Investments
Jonathon Millar / Perth, ON / Daveau / Millar Brooke Farm
Bonzay / Isotropic Networks Inc.

The Nations’ Cup will take place in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), under the lights at 7 p.m. ET. Nations’ Cup classes are the only type of jumping competitions where riders compete in teams of four and face off against other countries. To determine overall team scores, the top three scores from each team are counted toward the final result of the two-round competition.

In addition, the following NextGen athletes will challenge the Hermès FEI U25 series, with classes held throughout the week:

Rider / Hometown / Horse / Owner
Ben Asselin / Foothills, AB / Clockwise / Attache Stables
Bretton Chad / Millarville, AB / The Pugilist / Stone Ridge Farms LLC
Carlie Fairty / Markham, ON / Ecuador W / Fairgreen Sod Farms
Alexanne Thibault / Boucherville, QC / Chacco Prime / Alexanne Thibault
Nicole Walker / Aurora, ON / Jackson de Regor / Rostal NV & Stal Nieuwenhof

The Hermès U25 Series targets up-and-coming athletes from around the world during the WEF circuit, and provides the next generation of jumping athletes with the opportunity to gain experience on the international stage.

Supporting the senior riders on the ground during at CSIO 4* WEF will be Equestrian Canada Manager of Jumping, Karen Hendry-Ouellette and Chef d’Équipe, Mark Laskin. The U25 athletes will be supported by Beth Underhill, Technical Advisor of Jumping U25 Programs.

The eighth week of top-class international competition, the CSIO 4* WEF is part of a 12-week series that takes place annually in Florida. The 2018 series marks the 39th anniversary, and with more than $9 million offered in prize money, and four weeks of CSI 5* competition on the schedule, attracts top riders from around the world.

For more information on the CSIO 4* WEF, visit pbiec.coth.com.