Cara Whitham Appointed to Dressage High Performance Team of Experts

Dressage Canada is pleased to announce that Cara Whitham of Stoney Creek, ON has accepted an invitation to join a carefully selected team of experts working to help Canada’s high performance dressage riders achieve success at the highest level of the sport.

The creation of this team is being spearheaded by Desi Dillingham, MBE, Special Advisor to Dressage Canada. Dillingham is working closely with Dressage Canada to build a dynamic team of experts. Together, the team will work toward the goal of designing and implementing world-class programs to support Canadian Dressage athletes aiming to represent Canada at major games-including the upcoming 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, FRA.

“I have known Cara personally since we were in our early teens. And I have since seen her in parallel positions in Dressage over the past 30 years,” said Dillingham, who has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the field of dressage, as well as vast international connections and contacts across the equestrian industry. “I am thrilled to have her as part of the team. What she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing.”

Whitham is an ideal fit for the team of experts due to her vast expertise and accomplishments, which include:

  • Being named a short and long-listed rider for the Canadian Dressage Team numerous times
  • Earning Canadian Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle Championship titles
  • Being appointed Chef d’Equipe for Canada’s Dressage team during a four-year European tour leading into the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
  • Lending input into a high performance plan that produced Canada’s only Olympic Team Medal in Dressage to date at the 1988 Seoul Olympics
  • Holding a record as the FEI’s only official with FEI 5* judging credentials for both Dressage and Eventing
  • Receiving FEI Dressage Technical Delegate status
  • Being appointed to the Dressage Ground Jury for the 2003 and 2011 Pan American Games, 2005 European Dressage Championships and the 2010 World Equestrian Games
  • Being appointed to the Eventing Ground Jury for the 1998 and 2002 World Equestrian Games, as well as the 2004 Athens Olympics
  • Being hired as a television commentator for the 2007 World Equestrian Games, and 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympic Games
  • Being appointed as the Chef d’Equipe for the Costa Rican Gold Medal Team at the 2013 Central American Games in Costa Rica.

“I’m thrilled and honoured to be invited to be part of Desi’s team. Dressage has always been my passion-in particular, Canadian Dressage,” said Whitham. “I hope I can bring to this position all the international experience and knowledge that I have been fortunate to be a part of for so many years. It’s so exciting to see the future for Canada.”

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