September 10, 2004 – Milton, Ontario – For the first time this season, Peter Gisborne and VDL Roger rode away victorious in the Six-Year-Old Division of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series held Saturday, September 4, at the Halton Valley Summer Festival in Milton, ON.

Bred in the Netherlands and imported one year ago by owner Hogendoorn Sport Horses, VDL Roger is a Dutch Warmblood by Indoctro out of a Landgraf I mare. With experience competing in the five-year-old classes in Holland and Belgium, VDL Roger has enjoyed consistent top five placings thoughout the 2004 Canadian season under Gisborne and was finally rewarded with his first victory after being the only horse to post double clear rounds at Halton Valley.

Placing second with one rail down in the jump-off was a newcomer to the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series. Johanna Bagnell showed Cannon Girl, a Hannoverian mare by the Oldenburg stallion, Continue, for owner Bagnell Animal Care. Cannon Girl was purchased by W. Charlot Farms as a yearling and was imported in 2003 when she was first broke as a five-year-old. Sold in December of 2003, Bagnell and Cannon Girl have flourished under the training of Mike Grinyer.

P-Spice, a Canadian Warmblood mare by Voltaire, placed third under Margie Gayford for breeder and owner Jens and Natalie Hansen of Nepean, ON. The Mill Creek Stables entries of Sparky, a Canadian-bred Hannoverian gelding by Skorpio who received the highest style score from judge Alan Chesler, and Kaiser de le Cour, a chestnut selle francais stallion by Verdi, a son of Narcos II, took fourth and fifth positions respectively. Both horses were shown by Simon McCarthy.


Rio’s Ricardo also enjoyed his first victory of the 2004 season, topping the Five-Year-Old Division for owner and breeder W. Charlot Farms of Stratford, ON. The licensed Canadian Warmblood stallion stands alongside his famous father, Rio Grande, and was ridden to victory by Erynn Ballard.

The KingRidge Stables entry of Double Diamond, a Belgian Warmblood stallion by Nabab de Reve and out of a Chin Chin mare, finished as runner-up under Hugh Graham. Third place went to Elliott Stone of Midland, ON, and Sil, his newly-acquired Dutch Warmblood gelding by Voltaire.

Co-owners Mill Creek Stables and Tim Grubb earned fourth position with Robert Montgomery. In a true partnership, Mill Creek Stables is the breeder of the Oldenburg gelding by Rio Grande while Grubb, a multi-Olympian, is the rider.

Graham also took fifth place for KingRidge Stables riding Democrat, a Canadian Sport Horse gelding by Cruising out of the KingRidge mare, Betwixt.


For the fourth time, Pour Patrice W claimed victory in the Four-Year-Old Division. Shown by Erynn Ballard for owner Charles Ormston, the founder and past Chair of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series, Pour Patrice is a Hannoverian stallion by Pour Gagne and out of a Rio Grande mare that was bred by W. Charlot Farms.

Mill Creek Stables of Cambridge, ON, laid claim to three of the next four positions. Millesime du Valy, a selle francais stallion by Verdi, placed second; Rin Tin Tin, a Hannoverian gelding by Raphael that was imported to Canada in 2002, was fourth; and Sancho, an Oldenburg stallion by Skorpio that was bred by Mill Creek Stables, was fifth. Mill Creek Stables’ resident rider Simon McCarthy showed all three horses.

Encore, a Canadian Sport Horse gelding by Class Action and out of the Grand Prix show jumping mare, Alley Cat, placed third for owner KingRidge Stables under the guidance of Graham.

In the Four and Five-Year-Old Divisions, horses are judged solely on their performance and style. In the Six-Year-Old Division, the top eight horses return for a jump-off, carrying forward any faults accumulated in the first round. Points in the overall Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series are tabulated according to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) World Cup system with the number of points given being based on the number of horses entered in each class.

The purpose of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series is to encourage the development of young show jumping talent and to give Canadian breeders additional incentives to breed superior show jumping prospects. Competing on a level playing field, the horses are divided according to age and jump at a level suited to their development as four, five or six-year-olds. This careful development allows the young horses to gain valuable experience and advance to the higher levels of show jumping competition with confidence. The Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series also gives prospective buyers for the hunter and jumper markets an opportunity to view a large group of prospects in a competition setting.

The next event in the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series will take place on Sunday, September 19, during the Fox Run Horse Show in Troy, ON. The 2004 Series is comprised of nine events, including the Ontario Championships scheduled for the Tournament of Champions in September where $12,000 in prize money will be offered - $5,000 each for the Five and Six-Year-Old Divisions and, thanks to the sponsorship of W. Charlot Farms, $2,000 for the Four-Year-Old Division. At the National Championships for Five and Six-Year-Olds hosted by Toronto’s famed Royal Horse Show in November, $16,000 in prize money will be offered in addition to two saddles that have been generously donated for the winning entries at the National Championships - Cavalier will award an Amerigo saddle while Running Fox will present a Luc Childeric saddle.

Proud supporters of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series include the Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association, Cavalier, 4 Star Trailers, Gary Cooper Chev Olds, Tim Grubb, Henry Equestrian Insurance Brokers Ltd., Horseware Ireland, KingRidge Stables, Kim Kirton, Dr. Alan Manning, Peter Miller, the Ontario Hunter Jumper Association, Charles Ormston, Running Fox, Scotia McLeod, TD Canada Trust and W. Charlot Farms.

Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series – Final Results From Halton Valley

Six-Year-Old Division

Horse, Owner, Rider
1. V.D.L. Roger, Hogendoorn Sport Horses, Peter Gisborne
2. Cannon Girl, Bagnell Animal Care, Johanna Bagnell
3. P-Spice, Jens and Natalie Hansen, Margie Gayford
4. Sparky, Mill Creek Stables, Simon McCarthy
5. Kaiser de le Cour, Mill Creek Stables, Simon McCarthy

Five-Year-Old Division

Horse, Owner, Rider
1. Rio’s Ricardo, W. Charlot Farms, Erynn Ballard
2. Double Diamond, KingRidge Stables, Hugh Graham
3. Sil, Elliott Stone, Elliott Stone
4. Robert Montgomery, Mill Creek Stables and Tim Grubb, Tim Grubb
5. Democrat, KingRidge Stables, Hugh Graham

Four-Year-Old Division

Horse, Owner, Rider
1. Pour Patrice W, Charles Ormston, Erynn Ballard
2. Millesime du Valy, Mill Creek Stables, Simon McCarthy
3. Encore, KingRidge Stables, Hugh Graham
4. Rin Tin Tin, Mill Creek Stables, Simon McCarthy
5. Sancho, Mill Creek Stables, Simon McCarthy

For further information on the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series, please contact Dale Hawerchuk, Chair, at tel: (519) 938-8637.

2004 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series Show Schedule

Festival of the Horse – Ancaster, ON, June 6
Summer Classic – Palgrave, ON, June 18
Cornerstone Farms Show – Barrie, ON, July 2
Capital Classic – Ottawa, ON, July 16
Collingwood Horse Show – Collingwood, ON, August 13
Halton Valley Summer Tournament – Milton, ON, September 4
Fox Run Horse Show – Troy, ON, September 19
Ontario Championships, September 23
Tournament of Champions – Palgrave, ON
Five and Six-Year-Old National Championships, November 7
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair – Toronto, ON