April 1, 2005 – Ottawa, Ontario – Marismas Sporthorses will be a presenting sponsor of the CDI3* Ottawa Spring Classic to be held May 19-22 at the Nepean National Equestrian Park in Ottawa, ON.

The dressage competition, which is rated CDI3*/CDIY/CDIJ by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and organized by Cara Whitham’s Equivents, Inc., will feature FEI divisions for Grand Prix, Intermediaire, Prix St. Georges, Young Riders’ and Juniors, as well as a national show with all levels of competition. Marismas Sporthorses will be sponsoring the Grand Prix, Intermediaire, and Prix St. Georges divisions, ensuring prize money for competitors.

Marismas Sporthorses is owned and operated by Eduardo and Yvonne Muñiz. Yvonne Losos de Muñiz, who holds dual citizenship with Canada and the Dominican Republic, which she represents in competition, is an accomplished international dressage competitor and Individual Bronze Medallist at the 2003 Pan American Games. While she will be training and showing in Europe and unable to attend the CDI3* Ottawa Spring Classic, the Muñiz’s feel it is important to support an international level competition being held in Canada, which traditionally has very few FEI sanctioned events for dressage.

“We choose to get involved for several reasons,” noted Eduardo Muñiz. “Yvonne holds a Canadian passport and we have a farm in Canada, located just outside of Ottawa, so we have strong ties to Canada. We have always received strong support from so many Canadians that we decided sponsoring this show was a great way to give something back. We especially hope that the Canadian riders, who have recently been developing by leaps and bounds, take advantage of the opportunity to compete at this show and further improve their skills, which in turn will help Canada to reclaim its place on the international stage.

“Finally, we have known Cara for a long time and have seen how committed she is to the sport and its development , and firmly believe that she deserves an opportunity to establish an outstanding series of dressage shows in Canada that rival those in Europe,” continued Muñiz . “Her organizational skills are second to none and her technical merit is without question, so we are very comfortable sponsoring an event with the knowledge that a person of her calibre is behind it.”

Whitham last organized the 1997 CDI-W Canadian Classic and the 1997 Canadian National Dressage Championships, Eastern Division, run concurrently, and this year will produce a total of three FEI dressage events in Canada, beginning with the CDI3* Ottawa Spring Classic.

“ I am thrilled that Las Marismas has shown such generous support with their sponsorship ,” said Whitham, the only judge in the world to currently hold two ‘O’ judges licenses in eventing and dressage respectively. “It is wonderful to have sponsors that understand the importance of rewarding our athletes who work so hard and commit so much to training and competing in this elegant sport. Eduardo and Yvonne have always been strong supporters of equestrian sport and were instrumental in bringing the Pan American Games to the Dominican Republic in 2003. I have watched Yvonne develop in this sport, in a very short amount of time, I might add, and feel that she is an excellent example of how hard work and dedication can reward a rider.”

With locations in Canada and the Dominican Republic, Marismas Sporthorses breeds , develops and competes sport horses for the dressage and show jumping markets and always has several prospects available, from yearlings to more mature horses, in both disciplines. The 50-acre Canadian breeding and sales facility is located in Vankleek Hill, ON, midway between Ottawa and Montreal and specializes in breeding Andalusians and Dutch Warmblood horses. For more information, please visit www.lasmarismas.com.

For more information on 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.