Lothlorien’s Young Horse Championship Series Will Feature 13 Dates in 2012

The Series organizers, Angelstone Tournaments, is pleased to announce that Lothlorien will be the presenting sponsor of the 2012 Young Horse Championship Series. Lothlorien, owned by Sue Grange of Cheltenham, Ontario, has been a long time supporter of Show Jumping in Canada. Over the past decade, Lothlorien horses have represented Canada at Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan-Am Games, World Cup Finals, and Nation Cup competitions around the globe.

Lothlorien also runs one of the largest breeding programs in all of Canada. When asked about the importance of the Young Horse Series in Canada, Grange said “The Young Horse Series has been instrumental in the development of our young horses over the past decade. I would like to thank all the Show Managers for stepping in and picking up this important series when Jump Canada let it go. We are honored to be the presenting sponsor of this series.”

Series committee member, Keean White, noted that the collaboration between shows has driven the re-invigorated Series: “The participating shows are pleased to have the opportunity to host an important Series such as the Young Horse Championship. The Series offers the very best opportunity for Canada’s top young horses to develop their skills, and in particular, gain valuable experience competing in multiple Grand Prix rings across Ontario and Quebec.”

White believes that the Series will contribute to the development of Canada’s best young horses: “In recent years, a number of outstanding Canadian breeding operations have been turning out world-class offspring, demonstrating to enthusiasts that Canada is capable of raising some of the very best young prospects anywhere in the world. The series is intended to develop many of these young horses into Canada’s next generation of Grand Prix Champions, and we are excited to see the potential of each horse realized through the 5 month Series schedule.”

The Series will be split into 3 separate age brackets for 5 years, 6 years and 7/8-year-old horses, and offer a total of $72,000 in prize money over the 13 events. An additional age bracket for 4-year-olds will also be added for the Angelstone Tournaments portion of the series, covering 4 weeks of competitions. The 4-year-olds will begin at 0.80m and work their way up to 1.10m by the final round of the Championship.

The age brackets will start out the show season the week of May 16th at EMG’s Caledon National, competing at a height of 1.10m, prior to working up to 1.20m (5yr), 1.30m (6yr) and 1.40m (7-8yr) by the end of September, allowing horses to progress steadily throughout the year.

The $45,000 Young Horse Championship Finals will be comprised of $15,000 prize pools for each for the 3 age brackets. The Finals will be held the week of September 26th, and comprise 4 classes over 5 days. All classes will be held in Angelstone’s new Otto-Sport Grand Prix Ring, bringing a significant level of exposure to the young horses. Scoring will be based on cumulative faults from the four rounds of competition.

To qualify for the Finals, all horses from Ontario and Quebec must compete in at least 2 of the 12 qualifiers. Horses from outside the two provinces may compete in the Finals, after being registered for the Series.

Supporting sponsors for the Series will include Dutch Masters, a builder of custom equestrian facilities will be offering a $2,500 Dutch Masters Bonus, to the first horse in the Series to win 6 classes. The Dutch Masters Leader Board will also be implemented into Angelstone’s Tournament Site, for competitors to easily track their point achievements throughout the year.

Dominion Regalia, Canada’s leader in made to order ribbons, have also made a strong commitment to the series by providing awards for all 39 classes during the Series.

Kingridge Stables has also signed on as a supporting sponsor through a generous contribution to the development of young horses in Canada.

2012 is indeed shaping up to be a very promising year for the development of Canada’s future class of show jumpers, and we look forward to witnessing the growth of these prospects from the first event in May to the Finals in September.