62 SIDELINES DECEMBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Alexa Cheater
Since his return from the 2012 London
Olympics where he served as the
alternate for the Canadian Show Jumping
Team, Yann Candele of Caledon, Ontario,
has dominated the national show scene.
Riding for Susan Grange’s Lothlorien
Farm, the 41-year-old has captured a
remarkable nine grand prix titles since
the beginning of August. His most recent
major victories include the $50,000 Grand
Prix of Rockwood at the CSI2* Angelstone
International in Rockwood, Ontario, and
sweeping the $100,000 Caledon Cup
at the CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping
Tournament at the Caledon Equestrian
Park in Palgrave, Ontario, where he won
and placed second in all three phases of
the competition.
Originally from Normandy, France,
Yann is no stranger to the international
stage. He represented his native France
at the 2004 World Cup Final in Milan,
Italy and after receiving his Canadian
citizenship in 2010, was a member
of Canada’s ffth-placed team at the
2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games.
He also won back-to-back Canadian
Show Jumping Championship titles with
Pitareusa in 2010 and Game Ready in
2011. Despite his incredible success, this
humble horseman believes he still has a lot
to learn and we can’t help but think that the
competition better watch out as Yann’s best
is yet to come.
What is your biggest riding accomplishment to date?
I’m still developing, so I don’t really have something specifc.
I’m pretty pleased with where my career has taken me so far. It’s
about lifetime achievement. I’m very pleased to still be learning
to become a better rider and a better horseman, and for me, I
believe the best is yet to come.
What are your future goals in terms of your equestrian
career?
Winning a major championship. I’m a big fan of the Nations Cup
and to win it with three other riders would be great. The next World
Show Jumping Championships is being held in Normandy and
being able to go over there and perform is my current goal. Long
term, my goals would have to be competing at the Pan American
Games, Olympic Games or any other major championship as part
of a Nations Cup team.
What is your best horse memory?
I have a few of them, but the one that stands out the most to
me is when I was riding Palestro II. He had been leased to the
Spanish team for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics; but afterwards
he and I won some pretty nice grand prix together. The most
memorable has to have been the one in Caen, where I’m from. It
was an incredible moment.
Yann Candele
Photos by Cealy Tetley,
www.tetleyphoto.com
Yann Candele and Carlotta Singular winning the $100,000
Caledon Cup at the CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping
Tournament in Palgrave, Ontario.
e
Canadian Connection
What was your most embarrassing moment with horses?
I was just a kid, 11 I think, and the riding club I was at gave
me an 18 hand horse to ride. I wasn’t capable of putting on the
bridle by myself because the horse was so big and there was no
one around to help me. I was late for my lesson and was crying
because I couldn’t get the bridle on such a big horse.
If you had the opportunity to ride any horse in the world,
living or dead, which one would it be?
There would be a bunch of them. Of course Hickstead; but I
actually had the chance to ride him, and felt very privileged to do
so. Others would be Gem Twist, Milton; any of the legends. They
were all spectacular horses at the time and it would have been an
honor to get the chance to ride any of them.
What advice can you give young riders who are hoping to
make it to the top of the sport?
Be persistent and be prepared to spend a lot of time in the
saddle. Also, remember to take the good moments for what they
are and the other way around as well.
What are your favorite things to do when you aren’t riding?
Spending time with my family, my wife Jennifer and our kids
Alexandre, Tate and Mathilde.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is don’t give up.
If you hadn’t chosen a career involving horses, what would
you have been?
If I wasn’t a rider, I’d defnitely be involved with some other kind
of sport. As a kid I did everything - skiing, judo, cycling, you name
it; but horses and riding is the career that picked me.
Yann Candele – The Best is Yet to Come