Tango Las Marismas Carries Canada's Taylor Bland to Top of FEI Children's Final

Calgary, Alberta – Tango Las Marismas carried Taylor Bland to a historic victory by becoming the first Canadian to win the FEI Children's Final held October 24 to 28 at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, AB.

Bland, 13, of Calgary, AB, piloted the Spanish-bred Tango Las Marismas, owned by Las Marismas Sporthorses, to the Gold Medal. After placing second in the first two rounds of competition on Wednesday and Friday, Bland was among the six riders to advance to the jump-off in the final round of competition on Saturday evening. With a clear round in a time of 29.10 seconds, Bland was more than two seconds faster than her closest competition. It was an all-Canadian finish as Ben Asselin of Calgary, AB, earned the Silver Medal in a time of 31.12 seconds, and Jake Krembil of Schomberg, ON, took the Bronze in a time of 31.52 seconds.

Originally bred for bull fighting, Tango Las Marismas showed his heart and courage by jumping fault-free over three days of competition. Eduardo and Yvonne Muñiz of Las Marismas Sporthorses, an equestrian facility based in the Dominican Republic, purchased Tango as a four-year-old in Spain from his breeder, Manuel Vidrié Gómez. Yvonne Losos de Muñiz, who is an accomplished jumper and dressage competitor, successfully competed the 15.2hh palomino Anglo-Arab gelding in the jumper divisions, even showing him in the 1.40m open speed classes at the 2001 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. As Yvonne turned her competitive focus to dressage, winning the Individual Bronze Medal at the 2003 Pan American Games, her students enjoyed great success with Tango, competing with him internationally in the United States and Argentina in 2003, and in Spain as well as the United States in 2004.

"Instead of bringing Tango back to our home in Dominican Republic in 2004, we sent him to our farm in Canada," explained Yvonne, who is a dual citizen of Canada and the Dominican Republic. "From there he was leased for a year by a young girl from Ottawa. Following that, Longwood Stables took him to ride in 2006 and facilitated his temporary lease to Taylor at the request of Jill Henselwood. He is a very honest horse, he won't touch a rail, and having been bred for bullfighting, he is very brave and has a heart of gold. With my Canadian background, we are so proud that we could help a Canadian win the Final!"

Bland began leasing Tango Las Marismas, now 12, in August when she came east for three weeks of training and showing with Canadian Show Jumping Team member, Jill Henselwood. Three weeks turned into three months as Bland successfully qualified for the FEI Children's Final after winning the Qualifier held during the Spruce Meadows "Masters" Tournament in September.

"Tango is really good, he is very quick over the ground, so that makes him very fast in the jump-off," said Bland of her partner, who was also named the 'Best Horse' of the competition. "He never stops, so when I go in the ring at least I know I am going to cross the finish line. He is really sweet, he loves attention, and is always searching people's pockets for treats."

Horses run in the family - Bland's grandfather was a member of the RCMP Musical Ride, and her father was a professional saddle bronc rider. Bland began riding at the age of three and five years later turned her attention to show jumping, competing at Spruce Meadows for the first time as an eight-year-old. Having grown up at Spruce Meadows, Bland was comfortable with her surroundings for the FEI Children's Final, and was well-supported by her family and friends who came out to cheer her on.

"I can't really believe that I won, but it feels really good!" said Bland, a grade eight student at Monsignor J.S. Smith School. "It was a really great experience, Spruce Meadows went out of their way to make all of the riders comfortable with each other. I made friends with riders from Brazil, the United States and New Zealand that I will stay in touch with."

The FEI Children's Final, open to riders from around the world aged 12-14, was developed to encourage up-and-coming riders to participate in international competition with support from the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). Each year, a total of 32 children from around the world gather for a week of show jumping and camaraderie. After two rounds of qualifying competition, the top 16 riders move forward to the Final, while the remaining 16 riders participate in the Farewell Competition. Canada hosted this event in 2003 when Spruce Meadows was the venue.

For more information on Las Marismas Sporthorses, an equestrian facility with branches in both Canada and the Dominican Republic, please visit www.lasmarismas.com.