Bromont International Three Day Event Forced to Cancel

May 20, 2004 – Bromont, Quebec – Event Director Sue Ockendon regrets to announce the cancellation of the 2004 edition of the Bromont International Three Day Event – The Todd Sandler Challenge scheduled for June 10-13.

The long-standing Three Day Event hosts four International Equestrian Federation (FEI) sanctioned divisions - CCI**, CCI*/CCIY*, CIC** and CIC*, and was the only FEI Three Day Event on the 2004 Canadian competition calendar. Ockendon cites lack of entries as the reason for the event’s first cancellation in its 17-year history.

“The lack of entries and the lack of support for this event are the reasons we cannot afford to go forward with this year’s event,” says Ockendon. “I am very disappointed, I have tried every which way to keep the event going, but it costs money to bring people in and to keep the site in top condition. This year’s course has never looked better, and the footing is as perfect as I have ever seen it. It is devastating to cancel at this late date, but the entries don’t warrant holding it. I feel very badly for the riders who need this event to qualify to go on to other places.”

“We will keep it going, but we have to have the support of the riders and the equestrian community,” says Ockendon. “People have to remember that this is a volunteer organization that has no paid staff, and therefore the entry fees are necessary to run the Bromont International Three Day Event.”

On behalf on the organizing committee, Ockendon offers apologies for the action it was forced to take this year, and hopes it does not adversely affect any of the riders who were entered in this year’s event.

“The Bromont International is the only three day event scheduled in Canada this year, so its cancellation is a crushing blow to the sport in this country,” notes Fleur Tipton, Manager of Eventing at Equine Canada, the national federation for equestrian sport. “It is indeed a sad day for eventing in Canada.”

Held at the 1976 Olympic site and long considered one of the toughest two-stars in North America, the CCI** Bromont boasts 2002 World Equestrian Games course designer, Michael Tucker of Great Britain, as its course designer and Jay Hambly of Canada as its course builder. In addition to the annual three day event, the course was also used for the three day eventing portion when Bromont played host to the 1992 and 2003 North American Young Riders’ Championship.

Having run its first FEI event in 1989, CCI** Bromont has proven to be a training ground for some of the best in the sport. Recent winners have included Darren Chiacchia and R.G. Renegade (1999) who represented the United States at the 2002 World Equestrian Games, and Canada’s own Stuart Black and Midnight Magic (2000) who are qualified for this summer’s Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. For the past three years, Phillip Dutton, a two-time Olympic team gold medallist for Australia, has emerged victorious.