2015 Royal Horse Show® Opens in One Week
October 30, 2015 - Toronto, Ontario
Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
With one week to go before the opening of the 2015 Royal Horse Show, tickets are selling fast. Held as part of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair from November 6 to 15 at Exhibition Place, the Royal Horse Show welcomes hundreds of competitors to Toronto, ON, for the final event of the Canadian competition season.
In a true celebration of the many disciplines in equestrian sport, the Royal Horse Show gets underway with the thrilling $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge on Friday and Saturday evenings, November 6 and 7. This innovative competition combines the exhilaration of negotiating natural cross-country obstacles as well as traditional show jumping fences in an indoor setting. Top-ranked U.S. competitor Buck Davidson will be making his Royal debut alongside TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games team bronze medalists Colleen Loach of Dunham, QC, Jessica Phoenix of Uxbridge, ON, and Waylon Roberts of Port Perry, ON.
The stakes are also high in the $100,000 Greenhawk Canadian Show Jumping Championships, held in a two-phase format on opening weekend, November 6 and 7. Ten-time Canadian Show Jumping Champion Ian Millar of Perth, ON, will be back to defend his title with a new mount, Teddy du Bosquetiau, but faces stiff competition from the likes of Mac Cone of King City, ON, Beth Underhill of Schomberg, ON, and four-time Canadian Show Jumping Champion Yann Candele of Caledon, ON.
International show jumping competition is highlighted by the $125,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Toronto on Wednesday, November 11, held as part of the FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League. Six nations will be represented – Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States – as riders battle for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“I always look forward to getting points at The Royal,” said Nicola Philippaerts, who will represent Belgium alongside his twin brother, Olivier, for the fourth consecutive year. “For us, it is always interesting to try and earn points in North America, in addition to riding in Europe. It has worked out well every year so far! The Royal is a very nice show with a lot of tradition, and it fits well in the program we have developed.”
The artistry of dressage will be highlighted in Thursday night’s Royal Invitational Dressage Cup, presented by Butternut Ridge. Canadian Olympians Jacqueline Brooks, Christilot Boylen, Evi Strasser and Belinda Trussell will go head-to-head in the popular freestyle competition, which sees required movements choreographed to the music of their choice.
Friday, November 13, will showcase both sport and entertainment with the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open, as well as an exhibition by Cavallo Equestrian Arts. The product of seven generations of entertainment professionals and show producers, Cavallo Equestrian Arts has performed its theatrical celebration of the age-old relationship between horses and humans to rave reviews throughout North America.
A perennial favourite, the $75,000 Big Ben International Challenge, presented by Hudson’s Bay Company, will close out the 2015 Royal Horse Show on Saturday night, November 14.
For more information on the Royal Horse Show, the marquee event of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, please visit http://www.royalfair.org/horse-show.
Funding support for The Royal has been provided by the City of Toronto and the Government of Ontario.
