Jill Jardie of Sexsmith and her horse Le Cadeau have brought home the reserve championship from the Amberlea Dressage Festival in Edmonton last weekend.
Le Cadeau, which means The Gift in French, earned gold in two classes and second in another for the big win.
“I was pleased with his results; actually his score improved over the entire weekend, even with the rings going downhill, as far as their shape and consistency. The weather was horrible, a lot of rain.”
Jardie has been riding with six year old Le Cadeau since he was six months old.
She says they have a bond that’s critical to the sport.
“Your horse has to be really with you, they have to trust you, you have to ride with very subtle aids. People sometimes watch dressage and think we’re not doing anything up there. That’s the ideal thing: if someone’s sitting up there and going, ‘well, the horse is doing all the work,’ then we know we’ve hit the mark.”
Jardie trains and coaches out of the Pomeroy Arabians facility near Grande Prairie.
The final show of the season for the Peace Region Alberta Dressage Association is this weekend in St. Isadore.