August 23, 2005 – Ottawa, Ontario – Over 200 of the top dressage athletes in the country will travel to the Nation’s Capital as Ottawa plays host to the CDI3* Ottawa Fall Dressage Classic at the Nepean National Equestrian Park from August 25-28, 2005.

Numerous Olympians top the field including such names as 1988 Team Bronze Medalist Gina Smith of Brockville, ON, Athens competitor Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON, and Atlanta Olympian Evi Strasser of Ste-Adele, QC, who remains undefeated in Canadian CDI competition this year with her horse, Quantum Tyme. Strasser, who represented Canada earlier this year at the 2005 World Cup Final in Las Vegas, hopes to retain her perfect record as she faces off against six other competitors at the Olympic-level of Grand Prix.

In addition to the spectacular world-class competition at the Grand Prix level, spectators will witness the most promising young athletes in the country contesting the Dressage Canada National Championships for Young Riders’, Juniors and Ponies. In addition to seeing the best riders, fans can also watch the equine superstars of the future competing in the Canadian FEI Young Horse Finals.

Often described as ‘ballet on horseback’, dressage is comparable to figure skating in that athletes perform required technical movements before a panel of judges. On Sunday, the crowd-pleasing Musical Freestyles see riders choreograph required movements to the music of their choice. Officiating at the CDI Ottawa Fall Dressage Classic will be Marian Cunningham of Peru, Andrew Gardner of Great Britain, Joan Macartney and Lorraine MacDonald, both of Canada, Lisette Vega de Purcell of the Dominican Republic, and Hanne Valentin of Denmark.

The CDI3*/Y/J/P Ottawa Fall Dressage Classic is the third and final International Equestrian Federation (FEI) sanctioned competition hosted in Canada this year by Ottawa’s own Cara Whitham and her company, Equivents, Inc.

“My goal in organizing these three new competitions was to give Canadian athletes access to internationally-sanctioned competitions on home soil, allowing them to perfect their skills in an international setting without the high expense of traveling abroad,” noted Whitham, herself a former Grand Prix competitor who, just weeks ago, became the first North American to judge at the European Dressage Championships held in Hagen, Germany. “The support the riders have shown towards the competitions has been beyond my expectations, and the Ottawa Fall Classic will be the biggest one yet with competitors coming from right across Canada. We look forward to ending on a high note, with high caliber competition, in Ottawa this weekend.”

In addition to offering FEI-sanctioned divisions for Grand Prix, Intermediaire and Prix St. Georges, Young Riders’, Juniors, and Ponies, the CDI3*/Y/J/P Ottawa Fall Classic will also host a national show sanctioned by Equine Canada and the United States Equestrian Federation. Competitors from right across Canada, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, are entered, as are several Americans.

All competitions organized by Equivents, Inc., allow Canada’s Olympic-level riders an opportunity to gain valuable World Cup Qualifying points and also count towards the FEI/BCM World Dressage Rider Rankings.

For more information on any of the competitions organized by Equivents, Inc., including full prize lists and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.equivents.com, e-mail cara@equivents.com or call tel: (613) 692-0097.