Canadian riders Karen Pavicic and Mackenzie Theissen Ryall placed in the top three at the 2013 Del Mar National Horse Show held April 25-28 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Arena, one of the oldest and most prestigious equestrian qualifying competitions in the Western USA.

Fresh off her blue ribbon performance at the Golden State Dressage CDI3* in Rancho Murieta held earlier this month, Pavicic from Surrey, BC, rode her partner Don Daiquiri, an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding sired by Don Cardinale, owned in partnership with Jayne Essig, to third place finishes in the FEI Grand Prix Test on a final score of 67.362% and 71.025% in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle.

Pavicic was thrilled with their performance this past weekend, stating “I am so proud of Don Daiquiri; he performed like a seasoned Grand Prix horse all weekend. It was a very competitive show held in an electric atmosphere, I couldn’t be happier with our results!

“The Del Mar National CDI has always been a lovely show, and this year was no exception,” said Pavicic, who was a Silver Team Medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games. “The crowd on Saturday night was fantastic. Thank you to so many people, especially my family and friends for making this possible!”

Up and coming Junior Rider, Theissen Ryall of Winnipeg, MB, aboard Danao, her 15-year-old Deutsches Reit gelding pony, took second place in the FEI Junior Individual Test with a score of 61.184%. She also earned third place in the Junior Team Test on a score of 60.0%, just .856% behind second place.

The FEI Grand Prix and Freestyle Ground Jury was made up of Natalie Lamping (USA), Joan Macartney (CAN), Jennifer Lorriston-Clarke (GRB), Jane Weatherwax (USA) and Leif Toernblad (DEN).

The Junior Rider Ground Jury consisted of Joan Macartney (CAN), Natalie Lamping (USA) and Jennifer Lorriston-Clarke (GBR).

For more information and full results click here.