2009 National Dressage Symposium
- Fantastic Educational Opportunity with
Ellen Bontje and Christoph Hess

The Dressage Canada Coaching Committee is pleased to offer the Canadian dressage community two fantastic educational opportunities with international clinicians Ellen Bontje and Christoph Hess.   
 
The locations and dates for the symposiums are:

Agriplex
Cloverdale, BC
October 22–24, 2009

Royal Canadian Riding Academy
Cedar Valley, ON,
October 26–28, 2009

Bontje will bring her competitive skills and classical training techniques together for these three-day traveling symposiums.  She will ride, coach, train and lecture. Hess will address the philosophy and psychology of training horses with the goal of producing upper level dressage horses. Horses at various stages of their training and development will be presented and discussed. Auditors will be encouraged to participate during the symposiums.

Bontje, a member of the Dutch Dressage Team since 1988, has worked with Conrad Schumacher for more than twenty years. Riding the Dutch Warmblood stallion Silvano N, Bontje was a member of the silver medal Dutch Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where she placed sixth individually. The pair was also part of the silver medal winning team at the 1998 World Equestrian Games where they finished eighth individually. As an individual, Bontje also finished fifth at the 1994 World Championships, and fourth at the 1999 European Championships. Early in her career, Bontje began her apprenticeship with Joseph Neckermann and has made her home in Germany for the past 24 years where she is a manager and senior trainer for Schumacher at the Neuhof. She has trained many German advanced level riders who have achieved top placings and championships at national competitions in Germany.

Hess is a world renowned FEI and German dressage judge and trainer. He has worked for the German Equestrian Federation’s training department since 1978 and is presently the director of training & education at the German Olympic Committee. He is also an FEI—I judge for dressage and eventing and is a member of the FEI Eventing Committee. He is actively involved internationally in the education of judges and instructors, and he has judged and provided commentary for the FEI Young Horse Championships. At the symposiums, Mr. Hess will address the philosophy and psychology of training horses with the goal of producing upper level dressage horses. Horses at various stages of their training and development will be presented and discussed.

Additional information and registration forms will be posted online at the Dressage Canada section of the Equine Canada website as soon as they become available.Or contact Christine Peters, Manager Dressage: Tel: 613-248-3433 ext 138, email: cpeters@equinecanada.ca