Gilles Bergeron Named 2018 Dressage Canada Owner of the Year

Dressage

Canada

Gilles Bergeron has been named 2018 Dressage Canada Owner of the Year

Equestrian Canada (EC) honoured outstanding dressage athletes, horses, owners and volunteers at the EC Dressage Awards Reception, which was held in the Tanbark Club at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON, on Nov. 6, 2018.

Gilles Bergeron of Mascouche, QC was named Owner of the Year in appreciation of his direct support of Canadian youth athletes through the provision of world-class equine partners: Five of his horses are currently competing in dressage across the globe with several of Canada’s rising stars.

Beatrice Boucher of Saint-Dominique, QC began riding Bergeron’s 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Delfiano (sired by Del Piero), in 2017, and the pair has quickly asserted their dominance at the FEI Young Riders level. Most notably, Boucher and Delfiano brought three medals home to Canada from the 2018 Adequan/FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC), held in North Salem, NY. They began their run with a gold-medal performance in the Team Competition on Aug. 1, scoring 68.471% to contribute to a total high score of 210.145 for Team Quebec/Alberta. Additionally, the pair rounded out their medal collection with two individual silvers, earned in the Individual Competition on Aug. 3 (71.029%) and the Freestyle on Aug. 5 (72.800%).

Bergeron’s daughter, Camille Carier Bergeron of Mascouche, QC, competed alongside Boucher at NAYC 2018 as a member of the winning Team Quebec/Alberta. She rode Baldacci (by Havidoff x Rubiquil), a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she co-owns with her father, to a thirdplace finish individually on a score of 70.353% to help clinch the gold in the Young Riders Team Competition.

Carier Bergeron also reached great heights in the CDI-Y division with a second horse co-owned with Bergeron, a 13-year-old Westphalian gelding named Expression (by Sibirian Express x Florestan). Together, the pair earned four first-place finishes in 2018. At AGDF 2018, they won the Team Test on Feb. 23 (70.000%), the Individual on Feb. 24 (70.176%), and the Team Test on March 16 (73.637%). At the Black Tie CDI 3* in Calgary, AB, they captured first in the Team Competition on June 1 with a score of 70.471%.

Carier Bergeron made headlines yet again with a third horse of Bergeron’s, a 10-year-old Westphalian gelding, Sound of Silence 4 (by San Amour I x Limes). The duo was part of the winning Team B in the inaugural $45,000 International Omaha Team Dressage Challenge in Omaha, NE, on April 12-15.

Junior rider, Arielle Bourget Martineau of Saint-Laurent, QC, also benefited from Bergeron’s generosity as she rode Varekai, his 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare sired by Krack C, during the 2018 season.

In addition to horse ownership, Bergeron supports athlete development through his role as a presenter of the Florida International Youth Dressage Championships. The competition allows young riders to compete at the prestigious AGDF and gain invaluable championship experience as they prepare for or begin their FEI careers. Through the tireless dedication of his effort, care, and first-rate horses, Bergeron is advancing the quality of dressage in Canada and ensuring its continued success on the world stage.