June 24, 2021 
Canada’s equestrian teams for the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, have taken shape.
Equestrian Canada has announced its provisional nominees to represent the nation in dressage, eventing and show jumping, which must now be approved by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC’s) Team Selection Committee before final teams are announced in early July.
Here’s who made the cut:
Jumping
Two Olympic Games. Three World Equestrian Games. 13 World Cup Finals appearances (including a win). With Ian Millar’s retirement and Eric Lamaze’s declaration that he will sit out the Games, Deslauriers stands tall as the veteran presence for Team Canada. He has been nominated aboard Bardolina 2, with whom he jumped the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, NC.
This pair will compete in individual competition only, as Canada officially lost their eligibility to send a team to Tokyo in January. That was when Nicole Walker lost the appeal of her—and consequently her team’s—disqualification from the 2019 Pan American Games following a positive drug test.
One question remains: Will Deslauriers have to face off against his daughter? Lucy Deslauriers is Short Listed for the American show jumping squad.
Dressage
Dressage is the only equestrian discipline that will represent Canada in team competition in Tokyo. The three-rider squad will be made up of Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu and All In, Lindsay Kellock and Sebastien and Chris von Martels and Eclips, while Naïma Moreira Laliberté and Statesman have been named Traveling Reserve. These four are the highest ranked Canadian athletes on the FEI Dressage World Rankings.
Ranked 56, Fraser-Beaulieu and All In are best of the group and have not finished off the podium in their last four international outings. They also won both the CDI-W Grand Prix and CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle at Wellington, FL’s Global Dressage Festival in February.
Von Martels and Kellock, meanwhile, finished 1-2 in the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Tryon, NC in April. Both Fraser-Beaulieu and von Martels contributed to Canada’s team silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.
Tokyo will mark the Olympic debut for all four riders.
Eventing
Colleen Loach and Jessica Phoenix will both represent Canada in individual eventing competition aboard Qorry Blue D’Argouges and Pavarotti, respectively. Loach and Phoenix are ranked just three places apart—90 and 93, respectively—on the FEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings.
Calling these combinations “veterans” would be gross understatement. A 17-year-old Selle Francais gelding, Qorry Blue D’Argouges was Loach’s partner at both the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, NC. Loach said earlier this spring that Qorry will likely retire after one more season, so this could be the grey’s final championship.
Phoenix mount’s Pavarotti, similarly, has competed at an impressive two World Equestrian Games and three Pan American Games. Tokyo will mark this horse’s well-earned Olympic debut.
