|
|
 |
|
| |
|
* Equine Canada certified instructor
* International Grand Prix competitor
* Assistant trainer for Edward Gal, 2001-2006, Harskamp, the Netherlands
* Canadian Equestrian Team Short Listed rider 2001-2005
* Has started over 25 horses undersaddle
A Grand Prix dressage rider, Heather Robertson has competed successfully across Europe and North America. Heather and her home-bred Swedish Warmblood stallion Maguin were Short Listed for the Canadian Equestrian Team every year from 2001 to 2005. After winning Maguin's first Prix St Georges at the Golden State Dressage Show, Heather and Maguin flew to Holland to study under Edward Gal. In four years Heather became Gal's top assistant rider, and showed horses in both the VSN and the Pavo Cup Finals. She also enjoyed great success with Maguin at Prix St Georges and Intermediare 1 at CDI's in Austria, Italy and the Netherlands. In their first Grand Prix in Holland, Heather and Maguin placed second.
|
Working with many talented, spirited horses from birth gave her great insight into the equine mind and effective communication. "The horse must understand his training, and you do this by being unfailingly clear and consistent, and by using positive rewards instead of punishment. A horse should enjoy being trained and a well-trained horse is a pleasure to ride. " Heather trains in the classical way using the training scale, with strong emphasis on correct basics. This enhances the horse's confidence and makes it easier for him to understand the rider's aids.
|
Adoring horses from before she can remember, Heather had her first pony at 6 and convinced her parents to move to a small farm when she was ten. As Heather moved up though the ranks of Canadian Pony Club, she completed in Combined Training, Steeple chasing, Jumpers and "A" circuit Hunters. But the beauty of dressage and the challenge of training athletic horses has always been her focus. Heather trained with Olympian Leslie Reid, and competed successfully at Young Riders.
|
In 2001 Heather became the first international student, and eventually the top assistant rider, for Edward Gal who was little known outside Holland at that time. He had done well in the Small Tour and had produced 2 stallions ready for Grand Prix competition. Heather watched him train and ride, and immediately knew that Edward’s skills and horsemanship were the best and most versatile she had ever seen.
While she was riding with him, Edward became a member of the Dutch A-Squad on Lingh, competing internationally with progressively greater success, and was on the team for the 2004 Olympics although a last minute injury kept Lingh from competing. Edward’s stable in Harskamp was always full of young talent, which he excelled in training for competition, including three top-10 placings in the World Championships for Young Horses. In 2005 Americans got their first glimpse of Edward at the World Cup in Las Vegas where he and Lingh won the Grand Prix and came a close second to Anky van Grunsven for the World Cup Final.
In 2008 he debuted the young stallion Totilas, and that combination quickly dominated the world dressage circuit. July 2009, he and Toto broke van Grunsven's world record score in Grand Prix Freestyle with an 89.50% mark at Hickstead, England, and shortly thereafter followed it up with another record score of 90.75% in the same discipline at that year's European Championships.
In December 2009, at the fourth leg of the 2009-10 FEI World Cup Dressage series at Olympia in London, they extended their record in GP Freestyle to 92.30%, more than 10 points above the second-place finisher. While not setting a world record, they easily won that season's FEI World Cup final in GP Freestyle at home in the Netherlands, winning by more than 7 points with a score better than their first world record.
The pair also have a world-record score in the Grand Prix Special to their credit, having recorded 86.460% at Aachen in July 2010. Gal and Totilas were overwhelming favorites in the 2010 FEI World Games in Lexington, Kentucky, their first competition outside Europe. They lead the Dutch team to gold in the team competition, and won gold in Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle. The FEI awarded Edward Gal the 2010 Equestrian Athlete of the Year, in recognition of his exceptional sportsmanship and for elevating his sport to a new level.
Having trained Maguin from birth to successful Grand Prix horse. Heather enjoys the journey to Grand Prix as much as the end result. " I enjoy having a balance of talented young horses and advanced level horses in my barn."
|
|
|
|
|
|
