ERIC LAMAZE HICKSTEAD RIDER

Eric Lamaze (born April 17, 1968) is a Canadian show jumperr. He and his best known horse, Hickstead, completed the rare feat of only having one rail during the entire Olympic Games.

Early life

He was born in Montreal, Quebec. Lamaze was taught to ride at a young age by celebrated coach Diane Dubuc, in Montreal. Dubuc spent timeless hours with Lamaze, helping him create a foundation for his career in Jumping. Currently Dubuc runs a stable in Montreal called Day By Day Stables, where Lamaze still has ties. Lamaze has credited show jumping with helping him get past his tough childhood and turning around his life.

Lamaze currently lives in Schomberg, Ontario, where he coaches at his own barn, Torrey Pines.

Career

In 2007, Lamaze became the first Canadian rider in 20 years to make the top ten in the world rankings. He was also the first North American rider to exceed one million in prize money a year, a third of these earnings came as a result of winning the CN International Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows.

In the January 2009 Rolex World Rankings by the International Equestrian Federation, Lamaze was name to the top spot for the first time.^[3] Lamaze returned to No. 1 for July 2010

Olympics

Lamaze was named to the Canadian team for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, but lost his place and received a four year suspension after testing positive for cocaine. Arbitrator Ed Ratushny overturned the suspension, although Lamaze had already missed the Atlanta Games when the ruling came down.

Lamaze rebuilt his career and ascended the rankings, being again regarded as a key member of the Canadian team for the Sydney Games. However he tested positive for a banned stimulant, which resulted in his removal from the team and facing a lifetime ban. Right afterwards, a despondent Lamaze contemplated suicide and while drunk he smoked a cigarette laced with cocaine. Forty-eight hours later, the test for the banned stimulate was reversed on appeal, however Lamaze then tested positive for cocaine which would also have meant a lifetime ban. Arbitrator Ed Ratushny overturned the cocaine test, but the Canadian Olympic Committee refused to reinstate Lamaze on the Canadian team. 

Lamaze competed in the individual show jumping event of the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the Shatin Equestrian Venue in Hong Kong as a result of a "jump off" between himself and the Swedish rider Rolf-Goran Bengtsson, riding Ninja.

SUMMARY OF THE CHAMPION

TRIBUTE TO HICKSTEAD

HICKSTEAD

Hickstead (March 2, 1996 – November 6, 2011) was a stallion ridden by Canadian Eric Lamaze. With rider Lamaze, he was an Olympic gold and silver medalist in show jumping. Hickstead was owned by Torrey Pines and Ashland Stables Inc.

A Dutch Warmblood, Hickstead was 16 hands high and bay in color. He was born in the Netherlands (bred by Jan van Schijndel in Maren-Kessel) in 1996, by HAMLET. During his career, he won more than $3 million CDN.

Medal record
Hickstead and Eric Lamaze at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Equestrian
Olympic Games
Gold	2008 Beijing	Individual jumping
Silver	2008 Beijing	Team jumping
World Equestrian Games
Bronze	2010 Lexington	Individual jumping
Pan American Games
Silver	2007 Rio de Janeiro	Team jumping
Bronze	2007 Rio de Janeiro	Individual jumping

Career

In 2006, Hickstead was a member of the winning Nations Cup Team in Florida. He also placed third in the Aachen Grand Prix and won the Duke Energy Cup at Spruce Meadows.
In 2007 Hickstead and Eric Lamaze won the coveted $1Million CN International at the Spruce Meadows "Masters" Tournament in Calgary, Alberta (Canada). During that event, he also won a record four ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup titles.
At the 2007 Pan Am Games, Hickstead and Eric Lamaze won team silver and individual bronze medals.
In 2008, Hickstead and Eric Lamaze won Individual Gold and Team Silver for Canada at the Beijing Olympic Games. This was the first individual gold medal won in equestrian, and second overall gold won by Canada in Olympic history, the other being a team medal coming from the 1968 Olympics.
In 2010 Hickstead earned the title 'Best Horse in the World' at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games(WEG) in Lexington, Kentucky. After completing the extremely rare feat of logging four clear rounds with four different riders in the Rolex Top Four Final, Hickstead was named Best Horse of the discipline. Under the unique format of the Top Four Final, riders with the four lowest scores throughout the competition exchange horses.
Hickstead and Lamaze were also the 2010 champions of the Rolex Grand Prix at the prestigious CHIO Aachen: World Equestrian Festival in Germany. In a competition where the top three combinations completed both rounds and the jump-off without faults, Hickstead raced to victory - finishing the jump-off in a time that was twenty four one hundredths of a second faster than that of the second place 'Carlina', ridden by Pius Schwizer of Switzerland.
In 2011 Eric Lamaze and Hickstead won the $1 million CN International for a second time. The pair was second in the 2011 FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Leipzig, Germany.
On November 6, 2011, at a competition in Verona, Italy, Hickstead collapsed shortly after finishing a round and died of an aortic rupture. At the time, he was paired with Lamaze, the number one rider in the world. Eric Lamaze had praised this horse in 2006:

" He's a great horse and a very good competitor. He's got a great personality, and he's a fun horse to ride because I know him so well. He's feisty, he knows why he is out there, and he knows that knocking down a rail is not good! Some horses just don't get it "

EQUESTRIANISM

Equestrianism (from Latin equester, equestr-, horseman, horse) more often known as riding, horseback riding (American English) or horse riding (British English)^] refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horseS . This broad description includes the use of horses for practical working purposes, transportation, recreational activities, artistic or cultural exercises, and competitive sport.