Photo: Cealy Tetley

Erynn Ballard Named ProChaps ‘Athlete of the Month’
for March

Ottawa, Ontario – Erynn Ballard of Hornby, ON, has been named the ProChaps ‘Athlete of the Month’ for the month of March.

Ballard kicked off the month by placing third in the $25,000 Thursday Grand Prix in Ocala, FL, on March 3 riding Rio’s Rhapsody, a 10-year-old grey Hannoverian mare owned by Sterling Honda. Ballard and the Canadian-bred Rio’s Rhapsody by Rio Grande went on to win the $50,000 Grand Prix on Sunday, March 6. The pair closed out the Ocala circuit with a third place finish in the $100,000 Grand Prix on Sunday, March 13.

“Rio's Rhapsody made the move up to the Grand Prix level last year and, even though she had a great season, she was a bit inconsistent and made green mistakes at the bigger jumps,” noted Ballard, 24. “This winter, she stepped up and was in top form in every class.”

Moving to Tampa, FL, Ballard proved she could hold her own against the best in the world, enjoying a ninth place finish among 52 entries in the $75,000 World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix of Tampa held during the CSI-W Tampa Bay Classic on March 27. Ballard was aboard Robin Van Roosendael, her 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding purchased just over a year ago.

“Robin required a big adjustment in my riding style, but now that we have 'clicked', I think there is nothing that I won't be able to do on him,” said Ballard, who remains one of two Canadians to ever win the prestigious ASPCA Maclay Medal Championship. “He has a tremendous amount of scope and I have really high hopes for him this summer. To finish ninth in the World Cup Grand Prix at Tampa proved that we are ready to make the Canadian World Cup tour our goal this summer with the possibility of going to Spruce Meadows in the fall.

“I feel that I have a really good program for my horses and a great team to back it up,” continued Ballard. “I have amazing support from my parents and my owners as well as my head groom, Adrianne Lauzon, and my boyfriend, Martien van der Hoeven, who is a great asset to the farm and our program. To be named the ProChaps ‘Athlete of the Month’ is a big honour for me.”

In recognition of her achievement, Ballard 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.