Mariposa Monarchs won the hotly contested fall BIEL show at Mariposa Stables by just one point!
Results: Mariposa Monarchs 1st – 40 points; CEC Blue Marlins 2nd – 39 points; Mariposa Gold Drops 3rd – 38 points; CEC Sand Dollars 4th – 35 points.
Congratulations to all riders who received their certificates for successfully completing Rider Certification Exams.
Millie Vlasov aboard Gulliver du Saint-Chene turned in an impressive performance in the CSI3* 1.50m Grand Prix at the MET Autumn Tour II in Oliva, Spain, finishing 12th out of 50 rider/horse combinations from 19 countries.
Millie and Gullie were unfazed by the rainy conditions on course, navigating Swiss Course Designer Gerard Lachat’s twisting track of 13 obstacles the course in a fast time of 73.80 seconds and going nearly clear until dropping an unlucky rail at Fence #11. Although the dropped rail meant that they could not advance to the jump off, the pair finished on four faults with the 5th fastest time in the first round. In the end this was good enough for 12th place, a share of the prize money, and most importantly, an opportunity to earn more of the ranking points needed to earn a qualifying spot to represent The Bahamas in Equestrian Show Jumping at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
In Olympic Equestrian sport there are limited slots allocated to Individual athletes, based on their position in the FEI Longines Rankings as determined by their performance in major show jumping competitions in the calendar year. With just a few weeks left in the year to amass more points, Millie is one of a dozen individual athletes in FEI Olympic Groups D and E (North, Central and South America) vying for one of these coveted slots. Nonetheless she remains determined, saying: “It’s my dream to represent The Bahamas at the Olympics. It’s a challenge but I’m up to it!”
Our first Educational Weekend of the season was a rousing success! The weekend began on Friday evening with a Parent Education Clinic featuring a presentation and Q&A session by prominent Equestrian Canada Senior Show Judge Di Langmuir. On Saturday and Sunday, riders from CEC and Mariposa tried their hands at EB’s rigorous Rider Certification process.
This is the first of several Educational Weekends planned for the season. Watch this space, results will be online next week!
Dressage is back in The Bahamas in style with a fantastic competition held at Mariposa Stables on September 30, 2023. Well done to all and a huge thank you to all parents, sponsors, volunteers and officials, especially FEI 4* Judge Mr. Cesar Torrente (COL).
Special applause to riders Lorrinda Maura (Adult Training Level 1), Gabriella Moran (Adult Introductory Level B), and Katerina Coello (Childrens Introductory Level C) who posted scores of 70% or more.
Above all, congratulations to those whose scores make up the Team Bahamas entry to the CEA Mini Dressage Challenge:
Millie Vlasov has made history for Bahamas equestrian sport, representing The Bahamas in
Show Jumping at the Central American and Caribbean Games, held in the Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic sub-venue, riding her superb mount Gulliver Du Saint-Chene.
As an Individual entry, Millie and Gulliver were required to compete not only in Sunday’s
Individual qualifying round but also in the Team competition the next day. The pair
completed three grueling rounds over four days, finishing strongly on a score of 34.32 which
was good enough to qualify for the Individual final.
The Individual final was an incredible test for the athletes. After a shaky start and a pole
down on the first fence, Millie and Gulliver got stronger and stronger as they rode through
the course, finishing on 12 faults. Sitting in 16 th place – good enough to be near the top 10,
but technically out of medal contention – Millie chose to retire from the competition rather
than jump the second round of the Final.
“I made a horseman’s decision,” said Millie. “My horse gave his heart for this event. We are
both still very inexperienced; we learned so much in this, our first Championship Games, and
I felt it was unfair to ask him for more when he had already given so much.”
Millie was not the only athlete to make this decision: she was one of 5 riders in the top 20
who chose to retire from the competition rather than work their horses further. In the end,
she and Gulliver placed 20 th overall, tied with Colombia’s Jorge Andres Barrera and
Explosive TV.
“It was the hardest test I have ever faced in my career,” said Millie. “I feel so honoured to
have such an incredible horse like Gulliver. I am so fortunate to be supported by an amazing
team, who guided me every step of the way on this incredible journey.”
And what a team it was! Millie was accompanied to the Games by her trainer, Gilles Bertran
de Balanda, a former World Champion and member of the French Olympic Show Jumping
Team; Chef d’Equipe Heidi Mello of Bermuda who has over 25 years of experience in
equestrian sport at the CAC, Pan-Am and Olympic Games, and professional show groom
Margaux Rampnoux of France, who has over 15 years’ experience preparing top horses for
international competition.
“This is only the beginning,” said Millie. “I am so thrilled with our performance. Now we
continue to train and set our sights on representing The Bahamas in the Pan-American
Games in 2026!”
Congratulations to all 2022-2023 End of Year Award Winners, especially…
Junior Sportsmanship Winner – Ella Saidi
Lady Marie Dupuch Perpetual Trophy Winner – Hannah D’Aguilar
High Point Rider – Anouk Formige
Adderley High Point Jumper Trophy – Lucky Star owned by Erika Adderley
Thanks to all for a great year!
