Equivents Inc. was founded in 2004 by Cara Whitham. Cara’s knowledge and expertise in the horse world
and her organizational and administrative skills led her to establish Equivents to service the sport
through competitions, symposiums, major spectacle events and consultation to the industry. A service,
planned for the future will be Employment for the Equine Industry.
Cara is currently the only judge in the world to hold two ‘O’ licenses from the
International Equestrian Federation (FEI). After becoming the first and only Canadian judge
to hold her ‘O’ status for Eventing, she was awarded her ‘O’ status for dressage in
2004. Cara was a member of the 2005 European Dressage Championships in
Hagen, Germany, and a member of the Ground Jury for the CDI-W Frankfurt. More
recently Cara has been added to the FEI list of approved Dressage Technical Delegates.
Cara is a level 3 Dressage coach, examiner, and Level 1, 2 Course Conductor. She
has coached a team member of the NAYRC Gold Medal Event team, and an Individual
Bonze Dressage. Numerous provincial year end winners in Hunter, Equitation and Dressage. Cara
conducts clinics across Canada and around the world.
Her organization skills and in depth knowledge of the equestrian sport, include many major National
symposiums for judges, coaches and trainers. The highly rated FEI Dressage Judges Forum, the only one
held in Canada. Provincial, Regional and National Dressage Championships. An FEI approved clinician for
Event judges, has conducted clinics in Japan, Brazil and the USA.
Her administrative and consultant skills and experience span more than three decades covering secretary to
the past Ottawa Winter Fair a multi discipline competition comparable on a smaller scale to the Royal Winter
Fair, technical consultant to the first FEI Dressage Championships of the Americas. Chef d’Équipe to the
Canadian Dressage Team, President of CADORA. Past member of the National Federation’s CET dressage
and Advisory Rules committees, board member of OEF and CEF. Chair of Dressage Canada. Chair of
Equine Canada national English Coaching Committee. As Provincial Coaching coordinator for the
Ontario Equestrian Federation (OEF), she drafted and successfully applied to the provincial government for
a $100,000.00 grant for apprentice coaches, and oversaw the program. A past member of the OEF
Finance committee, Cara also has a vast amount of experience working with both Federal and
Provincial government departments with budgets, program reviews and evaluations and grant applications.
Her dressage officiating includes CDIO Aachen, CDIs in England, France, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil, USA, Canada and both Canadian and USA World Cup League Finals. 2003 Pan American Games, 2006 European Dressage Championships, 2007 FEI World Cup Finals. Highlights of her Eventing officiating include the 1998, and 2002 World Equestrian Games and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She has officiated at five FEI Dressage World Challenges, three as President of the Ground Jury, which took her to Asia, India, the Baltic States, Israel, Greece, South Africa and several South American countries. A seven times member of the NAYRC dressage jury, and President of the Eventing Jury three times.
Currently Cara enjoys breeding dressage and sport ponies/horses from her Dutch stallion President, sired by Kennedy, by Olympic Ferro. President an approved stallion for the RCMP 2004 breeding program was Grand Champion stallion at the 2004 and 2008 Royal Winter Fair (RAWF). President's offspring have won the Get of Sire at the RAWF two years in a row 2007 & 2008; his seven month old daughter was Champion Junior Sport Horse Filly, while his son was Reserve Champion Junior Colt. His first foal born in Canada Patinea won the 2008 RAWF Grand Champion Large Hunter Pony and both Star Search Pony Classes for Dressage & Hunter Pony. Leading stallion in the Canadian Sport Horse Assoc (CSHA) stallion inspection, he won the 2004 CHSA FO stallion of the year award. Her more recent ventures include commentating for the CBC Country Canada 2004 Olympic and 2007 World Equestrian Games Dressage coverage and the 2008 Olympic Games Dressage and Eventing coverage for CBC BOLD. In 2005 her company Equivents organized three highly successful CDI3*/Y/J/P in Canada and was the founder of the Dressage Canada FEI Youth Championships. Equivents has continued to make these competitions an annual and popular series for the riders. In 2007 the competitions became CDI-Ws. In 2007 Equivents took on the Blainville CDI-W and now offers two back-to-back CDI-Ws at the beautiful Blainville Equestrian Park, north of Montreal, Quebec.In addition Equivents organizes four Equine Canada Gold dressage competitions annually. Any spare time left Cara enjoys her family and scuba diving.
