Queenswood Stables congratulates United States Equestrian Team member Lisa Wilcox on the purchase of Passionelle. Photo Credit - Susan J. Stickle

April 29, 2007 – Ottawa, Ontario – Canada's Queenswood Stables has sold dressage horse Passionelle to American Olympic Medalist Lisa Wilcox.

Imported by Queenswood Stables of Ottawa, Ontario, in the spring of 2006, Passionelle made her Canadian competition debut at Fourth Level shown by Simone Williams. Bred by Jaap and Herma Muilwijk of the Netherlands, Passionelle is a 10-year-old chestnut Dutch Warmblood mare by the well-known dressage sire, Jazz.

This winter, Williams stabled with Wilcox in Wellington, Florida, in preparation for the 2007 Pan American Games Selection Trials. As Williams, who frequently traveled back and forth between Wellington and Ottawa, focused her efforts on her 2007 Pan American Games candidate, Wunder Ein, she asked Wilcox to show Passionelle. The new partnership was a success with Wilcox and Passionelle winning Fourth Level championship and reserve championship titles at every show they entered. In April of 2007, Wilcox and her long-time friend, Gigi Cunliffe of California, purchased Passionelle.

"While Passionelle was very special to us and it is sad to part with her, it will be exciting to follow her career as it continues with Lisa," said Williams, a frequent member of the Canadian Dressage Team including at the 1999 Pan American Games where she enjoyed a top ten finish individually. "It is rewarding that a rider of Lisa's experience sees talent in our sales horses and, under Lisa's guidance, we are certain that the quality we recognized when we purchased Passionelle will be developed to its full potential."

One of the United States Dressage Team's most successful competitors, Wilcox was a member of the Silver Medal Team at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, and the Bronze Medal Team at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. In addition, she claimed the Individual Silver at the 2003 European Championships in Hickstead, England, riding her well-known partner, Relevant. Having spent 12 years based in Europe, Wilcox recently returned to the U.S. where she is continuing her career as a trainer and competitor.

Queenswood Stables, a 46-stall boarding, training and sales operation located on the outskirts of Ottawa, is owned and operated by Williams, who is a certified Level 3 Dressage Coach. Passionelle is an example of the quality horses imported and trained by Queenswood Stables as part of its active sales business. Williams and her parents, Marg and Bob, make frequent trips to Europe, particularly Holland and Germany, to buy horses suitable for their own clientele as well as those looking to purchase superior sport horses for the dressage and hunter/jumper markets.

Importing an average of six to eight horses on each buying trip, many of the horses that Queenswood Stables has sold have gone on to enjoy successful careers. Recent examples include Sander, a horse that claimed hunter championship titles on the highly competitive 2006 Winter Equestrian Festival circuit in Wellington, FL; Cachet, who enjoyed a top placing in the Junior division of the 2006 North American Young Riders' Championship; and Leanos, who successfully competed in the Adult Hunter divisions at this year's Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL.

For more information on Queenswood Stables, please visit www.queenswoodstables.com, e-mail: qws@queenswoodstables.com or call (613) 835-2085.