Vejer de la Frontera, Spain --- Dressage competitor Yvonne Losos de Muñiz of the Dominican Republic celebrated victory on opening weekend of the CDI*** Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera held March 3-7, 2004.

The 2003 Pan American Games individual bronze medallist, Losos de Muñiz won Saturday’s Intermediaire I with a score of 67.92% riding Inatana Las Marismas, a 14-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood mare by Latano and out of a Carneval dam. With a score of 68.91% in Thursday’s Prix St. Georges, Losos de Muñiz finished runner-up to British rider Carl Hester, currently ranked 37th in the world.

“Yvonne Losos de Muñiz and Inatana Las Marismas on their way to claiming the Individual Bronze Medal at the 2003 Pan American Games.”
Photo credit – Cealy Tetley

The large field also included such names as Lone Jorgensen of Denmark, currently the number ten rider in the world rankings, and Nathalie Zu Sayn Wittgenstein of Denmark who stands 50th in the world. Losos de Muñiz dedicated her win in the Intermediaire I to the memory of Dr. Chris Buckowiecki, a prominent veterinarian who passed away a few weeks ago in Wellington, FL.

“Dr. Buckowiecki was an outstanding veterinarian and a fantastic person as well as a personal friend,” emphasizes Losos de Muñiz. “The news of his death was particularly devastating to us as he had been Inatana’s vet for several years, including during the 2003 Pan American Games, and she was his favourite horse.”

Losos de Muñiz also made her international debut contesting the Olympic level of Grand Prix riding Rittersport, an 11-year-old Westphalian gelding by Royal Angelo formerly shown by Swiss Equestrian Team member, Hans Staub. Earning a score of 65.83% from the panel of five international judges, Losos de Muñiz placed ninth from a large field of 39 competitors. Russia’s Elena Kalinina, ranked 38th in the world, rode Royal Black Label to the win with a score of 69.75%.

The top fifteen riders moved forward to the Grand Prix Special where Losos de Muñiz scored 63.32% riding the test for the very first time. Denmark’s Lone Jorgensen won the Grand Prix Special with a score of 70.16% riding her new mount, Ludewig G.

“I am extremely pleased with my performance on both horses, especially considering the quality of riders and horses competing here on the Sunshine Tour,” noted Losos de Muñiz. “It is a totally different ballgame than the previous shows we’ve done. My trainer, Diederik Wigmans, once again did a great job of getting me focused and ready, especially for the Grand Prix level, where I was quite nervous as I have never shown at that level internationally before and Rittersport, while a horse of outstanding quality, is not an easy ride.”

Losos de Muñiz will continue to compete in Spain on the Sunshine Tour which consists of three consecutive weeks of CDI*** competition and sees approximately 300 horses representing 18 nations competing.

A dual citizen of the Dominican Republic and Canada, Losos de Muñiz and her husband, Eduardo Muñiz, operate Las Marismas with branches in both countries. In addition to their facility in Santo Domingo, they also run the Canadian arm of Las Marismas in Vankleek Hill, ON. Las Marismas specializes in Dutch-bred sport horses for all disciplines and is also a well-known producer of Andalusian horses, a historic Spanish breed. For more information, please visit www.lasmarismas.com.

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