Four teams of equestrian athletes, under the auspices of the New Brunswick Equestrian Association (NBEA), will be participating in the first annual Atlantic Canada Equestrian (ACE) Championships later this show season. Horses and riders who qualify for the teams will represent the Province in the competitive disciplines of Dressage, Eventing, Jumping and Reining.
“We thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity for our member athletes,” said NBEA President Deanna Phelan. “Here in Atlantic Canada we face a number of challenges in preparing athletes to be able to represent the province and compete on regional or national teams. Distance, and the costs associated with travelling with a 1200 pound athletic partner to out of province locations that offer inter-provincial competitive opportunities, make such athlete development difficult.”
Phelan met with her counterparts from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and together they agreed to create the Atlantic Canada Equestrian Championships.
Riders in each province will compete throughout the current show season vying for the coveted spots on their respective teams for each competitive discipline.
“Right now it is cost prohibitive to hold a single, multidiscipline, competition for the Championships. We agreed that the Championship competitions would be held within each discipline’s end-of-season shows,” Phelan continued.
This event is pivotal in the development of equestrian’s next generation of national, and potentially international, athletes. The Championships will bring each provincial team together to test their skills against fellow Atlantic competitors. Their goals are not just to win a medal but to have the opportunity to be identified as up-and-coming talent for future training development opportunities.
Equestrian athletes wishing to vie for a spot on their discipline’s team need to register their declaration of intent by the following deadlines:
Dressage: June 14
Eventing: June 26
Jumping: prior to first competition that scores will begin to be eligible
Reining: August 18.
Forms will be available on the NBEA website along with details on the required criteria.
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