November 5, 2005 – Toronto, Ontario – Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, ON, won her first Canadian Show Jumping Championship title at the Royal Horse Show held November 4-13, 2005, at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, ON.

Twenty-five of the top horse-rider combinations in the country vied for the $70,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championships being held at the Royal Horse Show over two consecutive days. Friday night’s Round One saw defending champion Ian Millar of Perth, ON, emerge the winner riding In Style, a Holsteiner gelding owned by Susan Grange of Cheltenham, ON. In Round Two on Saturday, riders competed in the reverse order of standings, putting Millar in the driver’s seat as the last rider into the Ricoh Coliseum.

While Millar waited for his turn, his fellow competitors piled on the pressure. By the time Millar entered, Henselwood had incurred only one time fault over two rounds of jumping to finish with a total of 2.41 penalties. There was no room for error – a rail down would result in a four-fault penalty and cost Millar his tenth Canadian Show Jumping Championship title. As he navigated the challenging track set by course designer Leopoldo Palacios, the sold-out crowd of 6,500 show jumping fans watched anxiously and, when the second last fence on the course came down, the crowd let out a shriek of disappointment.

There was no disappointment for Henselwood, however, as she claimed her first Canadian Show Jumping Championship crown after more than 15 years of competing at the Grand Prix level. A veteran of World Championship and Pan American Games as well as at two World Cup Finals, the win at the Royal Horse Show was a waiting game for Henselwood.

“Ian led the way so strongly right out of the box on Friday with his ‘take no prisoners’ game plan, and I know that routine of his so well,” noted Henselwood, 43. “The crown was his for the taking - if he left the jumps up the title was his. There was nothing I could do but wait.”

Ironically, her win came aboard a horse new to the Grand Prix level. Black Ice was shown throughout the summer by one of Henselwood’s students, Kelley Small, with Henselwood taking over the reins two weeks ago at a competition in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in preparation for the Royal Horse Show.

“This horse is now ten years old, and we first identified and purchased him as a five-year-old,” said Henselwood of the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Stacie Ryan. “He took a long time to grow up, but he is finally coming into his own. This is truly an amazing feat for him. I am so pleased with this horse I cannot tell you. When you help develop a horse all the way to the top, it makes you so proud.”

Henselwood was already qualified for the international division at the Royal Horse Show, which begins on Tuesday. Her next big challenge comes on Wednesday in the CN World Cup Grand Prix when she will be hoping to earn a ticket to the 2006 World Cup Final in Malaysia. She is currently tied in the Canadian League World Cup standings with Chris Pratt, 36, of Belfountain, ON, who picked up the Reserve Canadian Championship title. Riding Rivendell, a 10-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Susan Grange, Pratt posted the day’s only double clear rounds to finish second in the standings with a total of 3.24 penalties. Millar, 58, finished third with four faults.

The excitement was broadcast live on CBC Sports from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

The Canadian Show Jumping Championships also determined which riders move forward to the international division of the Royal Horse Show. Millar, Henselwood, Eric Lamaze, Kim Farlinger and Erynn Ballard were automatically qualified by being the top five riders in the World Rider Rankings while Pratt and Mario Deslauriers earned their way forward through their placings in the Canadian Championships. As the next highest in the World Rider Rankings, Kelley Small of Ottawa, ON, will be Canada’s eighth rider in the international division.

Tickets for all Royal Horse Show performances, held as part of the 83rd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling tel: 416 872-7777 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.ca. For more information on the Royal Horse Show, including complete schedules and results, please visit www.royalfair.org.

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Rider Hometown Horse Total Penalties
1. Jill Henselwood Oxford Mills, ON Black Ice 2.41
2. Chris Pratt Belfountain, ON Rivendell 3.24
3. Ian Millar Perth, ON In Style 4
4. Mario Deslauriers Bromont, QC Naomi 4.11
5. Eric Lamaze Schomberg, ON Hickstead 4.72
6. Mac Cone King City, ON Melinda 7.67
7. Beth Underhill Schomberg, ON Magdaline 11.61
8. Erynn Ballard Hillsburgh, ON Rio’s Rhapsody 12.19
9. Laurie Bucci St. Hiliare, QC Catesko 17.36
10. Courtney Vince Milton, ON Nalla 21.40