June 5, 2006 – Wiesbaden, Germany – Canada's Tonya Henning emerged the winner on the final day of competition at CSI4* Wiesbaden, an international show jumping event held June 2-5 over the Pentecost holiday weekend in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Henning of Cambridge, ON, was one of six competitors to successfully negotiate the first round course in the Preis des Wiesbaden, the final competition in the 1.40m Amateur Large Tour. In the jump-off, there was no catching Henning after she posted a blistering fast time of 37.32 seconds riding Mill Creek Sparky, almost two full seconds ahead of runner-up Heinz Eufinger of Germany who clocked in at 39.17 seconds.

"I could tell when we were warming up that Mill Creek Sparky was on his game, he was really concentrating and listening to me," said Henning, who was the lone Canadian competitor among a completely German starting field. "He was jumping unbelievably well in the warm-up, and then when we went in the ring, everything just came together. It was like I didn't even have to think about it, everything just fell into place. The girl who went before me had looked really fast, but I just said to myself, 'this is it, nobody is going to beat me'."

Henning had ridden Mill Creek Sparky, an eight-year-old Canadian-bred gelding owned by Mill Creek Stables, in two other classes held earlier in the week at CSI4* Wiesbaden, having one rail down in each. Riding Wantus V, a seven-year-old grey Belgian Warmblood gelding lent to her by Pessoa, Henning placed third on Saturday, fourth on Sunday, and eighth in Sunday's final in the 1.30m Medium Tour.

"The show grounds were absolutely gorgeous - the competition is held in a park surrounded by stone walls, with a castle in the background overlooking the Rhine," explained Henning. "There are six or seven trees scattered throughout the grand prix ring so while it is very beautiful, it is also very spooky for the horses because, depending on what time of day you are competing, there can be really long shadows."

The 20-year-old equestrian athlete has been in Europe since the middle of May, training with current World Show Jumping Champion Rodrigo Pessoa at his base in Brussels, Belgium. Before Wiesbaden, Henning had shown at CSI4* Hamburg where she placed third in the 1.30m Medium Tour with Mill Creek Sparky, a horse that developed through the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series.

Henning will now head to CSI4* Cannes, France, to compete from June 8-10 and enjoy a week's break before heading to CSI4* Monte Carlo, Monaco, from June 22-25. She will then return to Canada and hopes to represent Ontario for the second consecutive year at the North American Young Riders' Championship held this year from August 2-6 in Lexington, VA.

As for the best part of competing in Europe, Henning notes, "Every day is like a riding lesson - you are surrounded by the best competitors in the world, and you learn just by watching. At the farm in Brussels, when Rodrigo is not there, I am able to train with his father, Nelson, and spend time talking to him and asking him questions. It is just really amazing to be a part of it all, from the training to the world-class competitions."

In Canada, Henning is based at Mill Creek Stables in Cambridge, ON. Located less than an hour southwest of Toronto, Mill Creek Stables is one of Canada’s largest sport horse breeding operations and sales barns, offering prospects in a variety of disciplines to suit all budgets. For more information, please visit www.millcreekstables.com, e-mail: phenning@millcreekstables.com or call (519) 240-6900.