Lowelas, Canadian NAJRC Gold Medal Winner, Passed Away

Dressage

Canada

Lowelas, the Canadian youth riders horse that made Laurence Blais Tetreault and Camille Carier Bergeron, win NAJRC gold, has passed away. He would be urning 26 years old.

Lowelas was a December 2000 born Trakehner by Hockey out of Lugowen (by Inster Graditz x Mangan xx). He was bred by Hans Ernst Wezel in Germany. He also bred Michelle Gibson's 1996 Olympic stallion Peron.

Licensed Stallion

The chestnut became premium stallion and crowd favorite at the 2003 Trakehner Stallion Licensing in Neumunster. According to Trakehner International, Lowelas impressed audience and judges at the licensing "with his 10 trot, maximal shoulder freedom with very good suspension and flowing activity through his body. A very limited walk probably prevented a higher placing."

Lowelas was not offered for sale at the auction following the licensing and moved to Josef Wilbers' Ferienhof Stücker, where Jana Freund took on the ride. In March 2004 he did his 30-day performance test in Radegast and scored 7.36 points with 7.02 for dressage and 7.34 for jumping.

Freund made her show debut in the riding horse test at a local competition in Kaarst in September 2004. In the winter of 2004 British WEG team rider Fiona Bigwood purchased the stallion but Freund retained the ride. Bigwood was based in Bergisch Gladbach (GER) at the time, training with Dieter Laugks. Freund showed the stallion once in 2005.

In the autumn of 2006 he did a 70-day performance test in Marbach and scored an index of 1115.45 points, ranking third out of 14 participating stallions. The German equestrian federation has 55 offspring registered for sport and listed four licensed sons (Grasnitz, Kasharin BS, Sir Ted, and Sowelas).

Sold to Canada

The chestnut disappeared from the public eye to suddenly resurface in Canada.

In 2012 he was first shown by 16-year old Canadian junior rider Laurence Blais Tetreault. The pair debuted at the 2012 CDI Blainville and in 2013 gained miles in Wellington before being nominated in the Canadian team for the 2013 North American Junior Riders Championships in Lexington, where they won team gold, were fourth in the individual test and won Kur gold.

In 2014 Lowelas sold to Gilles Bergeron for Canadian junior rider Camille Carier Bergeron to ride. She showed him nationally first and was also nominated on the Canadian team for the 2014 North American Junior Riders Championships in Lexington, where they won individual as well as Kur gold. Bergeron competed Lowelas internationally through March 2015. Their last CDI start was at the CDI Welington.

Schoolmaster

Carier continued to show Leglas nationally in canada at young riders level through 2016 after which the horse disappeared from the show scene for almost 5 years.

In 2021 he resurfaced in Canada, aged 20, showing Camille's mom Sonia Carier the ropes at training level for one show. Two years later, in August 2023, he competed at First level with Sonia at the Bromont Classique.

Passing

Owner Camille Carier Bergeron shared the news that Lowelas has passed away on 12 February 2026.

"Saying goodbye to you was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. We knew this day would come, but we’re never truly ready. You were simply the best. Anyone who had the chance to know you knows how incredibly special you were."

Camille reminisced, "before buying you, I had already seen you — and completely fallen in love. I remember telling my dad that one day I would have a chestnut with four white socks. And then, somehow, you came into my life. You didn’t make it easy for me at first. But as I began to understand you better, I slowly found the key to your heart. You didn’t give yourself to just anyone — you chose your people. And somehow, you chose me. I was the luckiest girl."