Canada Gains Another "O" Dressage Judge with Cara Whitham
Canadian FEI dressage judge Cara Whitham is one of only two judges in the world who were recently promoted to “O” level status by the FEI.
Whitham now has the distinction of being the only equestrian official world-wide to hold FEI “O” judging license in two equestrian disciplines, Dressage and Eventing.
The “Official” judging status is the highest level bestowed by the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale). “O” licensed judges are selected by the Bureau of the FEI on the advice of the Standing Technical Dressage Committee, from the FEI list of International Judges and put on the list of Official International Judges. There are approximately 23 “O” level dressage judges worldwide.
Whitham joins Elizabeth McMullen as one of Canada’s only two “O” licensed dressage judges.
“The Officials Committee is pleased and proud to congratulate Cara Whitham on her promotion to FEI "O" dressage judge.” said Brenda Minor, Chair of Dressage Canada’s Officials Committee. “Canada is extremely fortunate to have such strong representation on the international dressage scene and we wish Cara well in her future endeavours. Good job Cara!”
This caps off a very busy and successful year for Whitham which saw her on the Three Day Eventing judging panel at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens as well as providing expert commentary for CBC Country Canada during their extensive coverage of the equestrian events at the Olympics. Whitham’s judging schedule often takes her to top international competitions across the world and she is also much sought-after as a clinician. At the 2004 Royal Winter Fair, Whitham also experienced a win in the
competition ring when her stallion President, a Dutch Warmblood stallion by Kennedy, was named the Grand Champion Stallion. The stallion is co-owned by Whitham and her daughter Shara Pavan.
2005 will prove to be even busier as Whitham will be running three international CDI and National competitions in Canada through her company Equivents Inc. Whitham has also been invited to sit on the judging panel at the 2005 European Championships being held in Moscow, Russia.