The Canadian Show Jumping Team celebrates its Silver Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. From left to right: Terrance 'Torchy' Millar, Mac Cone, Jill Henselwood, Eric Lamaze and Ian Millar. Photo by Cealy Tetley The inaugural Canadian Show Jumping Tournament (CSJT), to be held at Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave starting today(Wednesday) and running to Sunday, will go with a bang.

With three members of the 2008 Canadian Olympic Silver Medal Team in attendance, including individual champion Eric Lamaze, fans will be watching some of the best show jumping action in the nation.

This year's CSJT will host two feature show jumping events: The $32,000 Caledon Cup Open Welcome Friday at 3 p.m. and the $100,000 Caledon Cup World Cup Qualifier Sunday at 2 p.m. The World Cup qualifier lets riders gain valuable points towards qualifying for the 2010 World Cup Final in Geneva, Switzerland.

The tournament will be one of the premier events on this year's show jumping schedule, and with threequarters of the 2008 Canadian Olympic Silver Medal Team in attendance, the atmosphere will be electric. Show jumping legend Ian Millar of Perth, 2008 Olympic Individual Gold Medalist Eric Lamaze from Schomberg and Mac Cone of King City will be competing at the tournament.

Terrance "Torchy" Millar, the chair of the Jump Canada High Performance Committee, and chef d'equipe at last year's Olympic Games, thinks this year's CSJT will be one of the best.

"It will be nice to have the team together again," said Millar. "They all bonded, and it was a very good experience. A lot of the good feelings remain for people in Canada, too. The Olympic medals haven't faded from people's minds. I think our performance in Hong Kong has given our equestrian community a lot of pride, and proved that we can be good enough. The CSJT is a big event and will draw big crowds. It's a chance to see our best perform and if you like show jumping, these are the guys to watch."

Hailing from Orangeville, Millar, as chef d'equipe and one of the guiding forces of show jumping in Canada, believes that last year's success at the Olympics is just the beginning.

"It was euphoric; that's the only word to describe it," he said of the Olympic experience. "It was great to have four wonderful riders, all with good horses, and one superstar horse in Eric Lamaze's Hickstead. That doesn't always come together for any country, let alone for Canada. It certainly has to be your day, and not only was it our team's day, it was Eric's week as well. We have a superstar horse with a superstar rider. They are at the top of their game."

With a veteran Nations' Cup team at Calgary's Spruce Meadows "Masters" Tournament, held two weeks before CSJT, as well as a team of up-and-coming riders going to Europe to contest the Nations' Cup in Barcelona, the Canadian Show Jumping Team is fulfilling the promise shown at last year's Olympics, he observed.

"Canada has always had strong group of riders capable of going anywhere, but the issue is horses," he pointed out. "No matter whom you are and how well you ride, if you don't have a good horse, you won't be competitive. Right now, we're getting more combinations that have a chance to do well. To get to that level of having four riders going to Calgary and another four to Barcelona is perhaps another step."

Bringing along young riders and keeping the top ones among the best in the world is a goal that Canada keeps striving for, especially heading into next year's international competition, with hopes of following a path of success that will lead to the 2010 World Equestrian Games, which will be held next fall in Lexington, Kentucky.

Along that path of competition stands the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, which will bring together these riders for the appreciative crowds in Palgrave.

"It is certainly a big event and is new to an extent this year," Millar commented. "It's in the same place, but it is a new event in quite a few respects. Palgrave is always very well-run and has good management. That's important to the riders. It has great prize money and is a very nice event. It's a special show that showcases our top show jumpers. It's an important event on our calendar."

There is no doubt that Canada's top riders will put their best foot forward at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament.

For more information on the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, visit www.equiman.com

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