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Jill Henselwood Photo: Betty Cooper, Sugarbush Studio

Henselwood Honoured with ProChaps Athlete of the Month for January

Ottawa, Ontario --- Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, ON, has been named the first Jump Canada ‘Athlete of the Month’, Presented by ProChaps, in the year 2005.

Henselwood began the new competition season with a win in the $50,000 EMO Grand Prix on Sunday, January 30, in Indio, CA. Riding Special Ed, an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Juniper Farms, Henselwood was the fastest challenger in the eight-horse jump-off. The victory came in the opening week of the popular HITS Indio Desert Circuit.

In addition to winning Sunday’s Grand Prix event, Henselwood and Special Ed also placed third in Friday’s $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix.

"I am delighted with the start of my season and would like to thank ProChaps for acknowledging my achievements," noted Henselwood, who will be one of two Canadian representatives for the 2005 World Cup Final to be held April 20 to 24 in Las Vegas, NV.

In recognition of her achievement, Henselwood will receive a pair of state-of-the-art riding chaps, compliments of ProChaps. A Canadian manufacturer of high-performance riding chaps, ProChaps is the proud sponsor of the Jump Canada ‘Athlete of the Month’ program and rewards each selected rider with a brand-new custom pair of its groundbreaking chaps. Using innovative materials, ProChaps has radically advanced the construction of riding chaps to cutting edge perfection. At the 2004 Spruce Meadows “Masters” Tournament, ProChaps was rewarded with the prestigious Equi-Fair New & Innovative Product Award for their original and unique chap design. For more information, please visit www.prochaps.com.

Jump Canada is a committee of Equine Canada responsible for all hunter, hunter equitation and jumper activities in Canada from the grass roots to the international level. Jump Canada is governed by a board of directors, the majority of whom are elected by the stakeholders in the sport. For more information regarding Jump Canada programs and activities, visit www.jumpcanada.ca.