Julia Tops of Calgary, AB, is the first junior rider in North America to be sponsored by Kingsland, a leading equestrian apparel company. Photo by Flying Horse 2014

March 14, 2014 – Calgary, AB – Julia Tops of Calgary, AB, has become the first junior rider in North America to be sponsored by leading equestrian apparel company, Kingsland.

Tops, 16, is a regular competitor in the junior divisions, training under Dick Carvin and Susie Schroer of Meadow Grove Farm in Los Angeles, California. As the daughter of former Canadian Equestrian Team member Tani Zeidler and Dutch Olympic gold medalist Jan Tops, Tops comes by her love of show jumping sport honestly.

"It is an honour to be part of such an incredible team; everyone is so thoughtful and welcoming," said Tops who, despite her young age, regularly competes at such iconic venues as Spruce Meadows in Calgary, AB, and the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, as well as on the Global Champions Tour. "It is amazing that they created this position for me. Even in going through the application process, I found that they are a very unique company to work with."

As part of her initial two-year sponsorship, Tops will proudly wear Kingsland's line of apparel and participate in photo shoots and various other promotional endeavours.

"We are very excited to have such a promising young rider joining our team," said Lin Kingsrød, founder of Kingsland. "Adding Julia has an important value to our brand, especially in the U.S. and Canada where we wish to mark a stronger presence. It is a great pleasure to have her as one of our ambassadors, and we believe she has many great victories ahead of her."

Based in Norway, Kingsland offers a wide variety of choices, from formal riding attire to more casual clothing for street and every day barn wear.

"I love Kingsland's products because they combine equestrian apparel with normal street clothing like down jackets and fleeces; it's an interesting mix of clothing," said Tops. "They have a classic collection, which uses and maintains the traditional elements of show apparel, as well as more modern sports and athletic clothing. As they are based in Norway where the climate is very similar to Canada, I find that I relate to styling used in Kingsland's clothing. I also find their marketing plans to be very interesting and innovative."

A First Class Honours student at Calgary's Strathcona Tweedsmuir School, Tops is involved in the Model United Nations program which takes her to conferences around the world, and also volunteers at her local food bank. In addition, she combines charity work with her love of riding as a Rider Ambassador for JustWorld International.

Tops is based at Zeidler Farm just south of Calgary in DeWinton. The world-class equestrian facility features a grand prix arena with natural obstacles and an oversize indoor riding arena, and is also home to Zeidler Farm's young horse breeding program. For more information, please visit www.zeidlerfarm.ca.