Yvonne Losos de Muñiz Celebrates Success on Spanish Sunshine Tour

April 3, 2004 – Vejer de la Frontera, Spain – 2003 Pan American Games Individual Bronze Medallist Yvonne Losos de Muñiz concluded competition circuit on the three-week CDI*** Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, with yet more impressive results, including the 2004 Leading Rider Title for the small tour.

The Dominican Republic-based dressage athlete emerged victorious in the Prix St. Georges test during the final week of competition, held March 18-21, 2004. Riding Inatana Las Marismas, a 14-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood mare by Latano and out of a Carneval dam, Losos de Muñiz earned a score of 70.14% to edge out Olympians Arlette Holsters of Belgium and Carl Hester of Great Britain, currently 31st in the world rankings. The following day, Losos de Muñiz again came out on top with a score of 70.33%, this time holding off Holsters and 2001 World Cup Finalist, Nathalie zu Sayn Wittgenstein of Denmark, currently ranked 41st in the world.

Freestyle competition for all levels was held only during the third and final week. In the Intermediaire Freestyle, Losos de Muñiz displayed expressive trot and canter half-passes as well as balanced canter pirouettes set to Celtic inspired music designed by Terry Ciotti-Gallo of Klassic Kur. The panel of five international judges rewarded Losos de Muñiz with a mark of 72.23% that allowed her to finish as the runner-up when less than half a percentage point separated her from Holsters, the eventual winner. Losos de Muñiz’s impressive results earned her the 2004 Leading Rider Title over 42 other participants.

During the opening weekend on March 4-7, Losos de Muñiz won the Intermediaire I with a score of 67.92% riding Inatana Las Marismas and also placed second in the Prix St. Georges with 68.91%. During the second week of competition, held March 11-14, Losos de Muñiz was third in the Prix St. Georges with 67.66% and sixth in the Intermediaire I with 67.83%.

Losos de Muñiz also made her international debut contesting the Olympic level of Grand Prix during the CDI*** Sunshine Tour. Riding Rittersport, an 11-year-old Westphalian gelding by Royal Angelo, Losos de Muñiz received a score of 62.54% in the Grand Prix to place 13th from a large field of 32 riders. In the Grand Prix Special, Losos de Muñiz moved up to 12th position with a score of 62.44%. Based on her scores throughout the three-week Sunshine Tour circuit, Losos de Muñiz was among the top 12 riders qualified to contest the Grand Prix Freestyle to Music. However, as Losos de Muñiz was competing at the Grand Prix level for the first time, she not expecting to be among the top 12 from such a large field of internationally experienced competitors and did not have a Freestyle program prepared.

“I am very pleased with my performance during the Sunshine Tour,” noted Losos de Muñiz who had placed ninth with a score of 65.83% in the Grand Prix from a huge field of 39 competitors during opening weekend. “My trainer, Diederik Wigmans, is impressed with the results we’ve been able to achieve so soon at the Grand Prix level. To be qualified among the top twelve riders for the Grand Prix Freestyle came as a total surprise. The judges, many of them holding their ‘O’ judging status, were very complimentary of Rittersport, especially his piaffe for which we received eights, and the overall quality of his gaits.”

The Sunshine Tour consisted of three consecutive weeks of CDI*** competition and saw approximately 300 horses representing 18 nations competing. Losos de Muñiz will continue to compete in Europe, with her next competition being at CDI*** Olfen, Germany, from April 16-18 followed by the CDIO** Saumur, France, from April 30-May 2. Losos de Muñiz has also been invited to compete in the CDI*** Achleiten, Austria, from June 10-13 and the CDI*** Fritzens, Austria, from June 25-27.

A dual citizen of the Dominican Republic and Canada, Losos de Muñiz and her husband, Eduardo Muñiz, operate Las Marismas with breeding centres in both countries. In addition to their facility in Santo Domingo, they also run the Canadian arm of Las Marismas in Vankleek Hill, ON. Las Marismas specializes in Dutch-bred sport horses for all disciplines and is also a well-known producer of Andalusian horses, a historic Spanish breed. For more information, please visit www.lasmarismas.com.

PHOTOGRAPH
“Yvonne Losos de Muñiz and Inatana Las Marismas celebrate their Individual Bronze Medal victory at the 2003 Pan American Games.”
Photo Credit – Cealy Tetley