Lauren Sprieser's Guernsey Elvis Sold to Canada

Dressage

Canada

American professional dressage rider Lauren Sprieser has sold her international Grand Prix horse Guernsey Elvis to Canada.

Guernsey Elvis is a 12-year old Dutch warmblood by Zagreb out of Sunny (by Zadok x Guidam). He is bred by A. Bosman in The Netherlands. He was originally named Guernsey.

Show Jumper

The show jumping bred Guernsey is out of a Belgian warmblood x KWPN bloodline. He is by the sire Elvis van de Rhamdiahoeve, whose name was changed twice to Querly Elvis and VDL Groep Zagreb.

He was competed in the Netherlands as a young horse by Nicole Ekkerink.

Lauren discovered the gelding through the help of Belinda Nairn and Bart Maathuis and the horse became owned by the "Elvis syndicate."

International Career

Sprieser trained the horse to Grand Prix level.

The pair made its international show debut in January 2020 at small tour level in Wellington. That season they competed at four CDI's during the 2020 Global Dressage Festival.

At the 2021 U.S. Developing Grand Prix Horse Championships they were seventh.

In 2022 they returned to the CDI ring and made their international Grand Prix debut in Lexington, Virginia, posting 66.739% in the Grand Prix. They were also the reserve champions at the national 2022 USDF Dressage Finals.

In January 2023 they rode down the centerline again in their second CDI at Grand Prix level, this time in Wellington, and scored 64.739% for 7th place.

Canada

Sprieser and Guernsey Elvis in the 2019 Isabell Werth
Masterclass in Wellington

Sprieser has now announced the same of Guernsey Elvis to Canada. He will continue his sport career under Tina Irwin.

"It is with great pleasure, and yet also with a tear in my eye, to announce the sale of The Elvis Syndicate's wonderful Guernsey Elvis to Canada, to make a bid at their team," said Lauren. "This certainly wasn't the plan, but when the path shows itself, you follow. Tina Irwin is a beautiful and correct rider, and her chemistry with my wonderful friend Elvis will lead them to big wonderful things."

Tina Irwin added, "I’m very grateful to my sponsors for believing in me and helping me pursue my goals."

Tina Irwin represented Canada at the 2019 Pan American Games on Laurencio and 2011 Pan American Games on Winston. This year Canada is set to field a team at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, where it hopes to clinch an Olympic team spot for Paris.