I’ve been watching the mother daughter duo of Evi and Tanya Strasser competing in the CDIs for qualifying scores for the Canadian Dressage team for the Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, this autumn. They have been doing well. Will they be the first ever mother-daughter duo to make the Team for Canada? I emailed Evi and Tanya some questions. Here are their answers.
1.Evi you have competed in many big international competitions. What would your top five be?
The World championship in Aachen was one of the most amazing shows I have done. The Dressage was in the Main Jumping Stadium with an audience of 60.000 people! It was most memorable. For sure the Atlanta Olympics was my Dream come True! I also rode 2 times Las Vegas World Cups with one of my Favorate Horses ever “Quantum Tyme” what an amazing Stadium and Las Vegas always has lots of action. Olympia, what an historical place in the middle of London at Christmas! That was just amazing ( I showed a couple of times there ) It was one of my most Favorite indoor Shows and Quantum Tyme was named the Favorite of the Crowd, even though dressage stars, Anke van Grunsven, and Isabelle Werth were there, we were voted the Crowd Favorite , I was very honored. Stockholm would be my number 2 Favorite Indoor Show , the Crowd was amazing and Stockholm ….what a City and for sure many more shows and competitions too many to name! I love them all
2.Tanya you recently had one of your horses in the Young horse chamionships in Ermelo. What is the process to qualify a .horse for this competition?
It’s a long Journey to get horses to this level and only horses for whom it comes easy go this way , Mr. Morrison is a super uncomplicated horse he was born as a Top Show Horse, he embraces the show and loves the attention. He already showed his talent last year when he was qualified for the Bundes Championship with 86 percent and it was easy for him to learn the 6 year old Level which means Flying Changes , Halfpass, extension and higher level of Collection but he embraces the learning so he is born as a star !
Photo above Evi and Tanya with Mr Morrison at the Ermelo Young Horse Championships.
3.Tanya is Evi your coach or do you train with other people as well?
I’m training most of the time with my Mom and once in a while my Mother has Freddy Wandres ,or Ashley Holzer to look at both of us to make sure we are on track, everybody needs a second opnion. It works very well for us to look at each other make sure we are on track.
4, Evi who do you train with ?
I take input from Freddy Wandres or Ashley Holzer my good friend and longtime Team Mate. We always look at each other and made sure we keep up the level.
5. Evi I assume you started Tanya on the road to being a dressage rider. Were there times when, as you were her mother, this was difficult?
Tanya just followed my steps and wanted to ride up the Levels. I never said she had to do it. I have to say that we have a good understanding in what we try to achieve and I think that’s what keeps it level but for sure sometimes one or the other of us has some other ideas but in the end we have a good laugh about it. All we want is the best for each other.
6.Evi can tell me how different it is for Tanya starting out now than it was for you when you began your career?
I arrived alone in Canada with no money.So all I have done,I have done with a lot of hard work and lots of sacrifices (many Olympic Horses got sold to other Teams to be able to afford continue with my riding Career) Fortunately I have the talent to choose good young horses So I buy them myself and then train them from age 3 to GP and thats how I can keep up my success, For Tanya it is, for sure, different since I have already some GP Horses ready to go or Junior – Young Rider horses and that gets you faster up the Levels, Also I have to say she doesnt have to do what I had to do when I came here. But why not make it a little easier for her? But it doesn’t mean we both don’t still have to work very hard to keep on going and get up to the top
7.Tell me about the horses you hope to take to the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile this autumn.? What are their names ?Tell me a bit about them.
My horse DejaVu Tyme, we got as a 8 Year old, but was like a 3 Year old, as he wasn’t started before he was 6 and he was a Stallion, he came a long way and he also had amazing talent for Piaffe and all the collected work beside having 3 great Gaits (Walk for a 10 ). So I’m very thrilled with him and he is getting better and better with every show.
DejaVu got his name because I previously had a Horse who was like Dejavu.That horse I sold for the London Olympics to Richard Davison for Team Great Britain. “Hiscox Artemis” aka Foto Tyme ( I showed him In Aachen and he got sold after that ) DejaVu still thinks he is the big Stallion and has always something to say in the barn!
Above photos of Evi and Dejavu Tyme taken in Florida at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
Tanya’s horse, Fidelis Tyme, is coming from a friend of ours. He was started in the GP level but he had no experience in it , he suited Tanya super well and we were able to buy him for here and they are progressing amazingly well and having super results and getting the results higher and higher with every show so it’s super exciting . Fidelis, his name says it all. He tries his hardest and is just a lover boy.
Photos below Tanya and her horse Fidelis
8. Tanya do you also find that Fidelis works hard for you?
I just love him and I feel so fortunate to have him. Yes, he is the biggest try harder horse.
Tanya you have had a busy show season . You were on the Silver medal winning team at the North American Youth Championships. Congratulations !!
The Canadian Silver medal winning team. Tanya is on the left in this photo.
9.Evi if you and Tanya are chosen for the Canadian Dressage Team for the 2023 PanAm games you would be the first ever Mother/Daughter duo on a Pan Am team. How do you feel about this?
For sure we had many amazing results the last 4 Shows. Myself mostly winning the GP and Tanya right behind me so we for sure gave it all to get there. I don’t know if any other Mother Daughter Team ever went to the Pan Ams but for sure it is something really, really, special and I’m one of the lucky ones who can ride in the International Shows with my Daughter and we do what we love. We ride and we appreciate our horses . There are no words to describe how this feels or what it means . Let’s hope we can do this for many years to come.
| Thank you Evi and Tanya for taking the time to answer my questions. | |
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