RIDERS

Yvonne Losos de Muñiz

Yvonne and Inatana at the
2003 Pan Am Games

Rittersport Las Marismas in Piaffe.

Yvonne with Quito,
Jumping Grand Prix

Pan Am 2003, podium

Inatana at the 2003
Pan Am Games

Yvonne and Jilou in
Palgrave

Las Marismas' owner Yvonne Losos de Muñiz, the2003 Pan American Games individual bronze medallist, makes her home near the main training facility in Santo Domingo. She is the manager of the entire operation of Las Marismas, both in Dominican Republic and Canada, and is the head trainer, which includes the development of all horses and riders. Yvonne has been competing a number of top-level mounts and young horses in dressage and show jumping in Dominican Republic, Europe, the US and Canada since 1996.

Yvonne was born in Kenya, Africa, where she lived until she was 14 years old before moving to Canada. Completing her high school education by age 16, Yvonne studied Business at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, not far from her family's estate in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. In 1990, she moved to Dominican Republic to manage the construction and opening of her family's hotel. As horses were always a part of her life, the transition to developing Las Marismas with her husband Eduardo was a natural one and become her full-time career in 1996.

Yvonne is currently campaigning Inatana Las Marismas, a Dutch mare by Latano, in the Small Tour and Intermediare II, and Rittersport Las Marismas, a Westfalian gelding by Royal Angelo, at Grand Prix level. The pair won the individual bronze medal and catapulted the Dominican Team to fourth position overall at the 2003 Pan American Games held in her hometown of Santo Domingo. Since their partnership in early 2002, they have been to the winner’s circle many times, including their win of double individual gold medals and the team bronze at the 2002 Central American Games in El Salvador. They were also winners of the team bronze medal at the 2002 FEI Dressage Championships of the Americas in Blainville, Quebec. In preparation for the 2003 Pan Am Games, Yvonne and Inatana Las Marismas topped nearly every Prix St. Georges and Intermediare I class they entered in Florida and Kentucky in the winter and spring of 2003. During their European tour of 2004, Yvonne was named the Leading Rider for the Small Tour at the 2004 Sunshine Tour in Spain, after her numerous wins at that level during that event. To cap off a successful North American 2004 summer and fall tour, she captured the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle wins at the 2004 Ox Ridge Summer Dressage in Darien, Connecticut, only six months after debuting at the Olympic level.

An exceptionally talented rider, Yvonne also trained and competed showjumping horses for a long time. Coached by Mariano Bedoya of Argentina, Yvonne moved up to the grand prix ranks in the spring of 2003. Riding Quito’s Son, a Zangersheide gelding by Quito de Baussy, she finished her 2003 show jumping tour in the U.S. with only four faults in her second grand prix, the $25,000 Aiken Spring Classic II, held in Aiken, South Carolina.

In 2002, Yvonne and her mount Jilou Las Marismas, a 1991 Dutch mare by Emilion, were first in the qualifiers to represent Dominican Republic at the 2002 Central American Games. Earlier that year, Yvonne and her string of jumpers competed at the top events in Canada, including Spruce Meadows. With the assistance of Colombia’s Juan Carlos Tafur Eisenmayer, her most accomplished results included a win with Jilou Las Marismas in the 1.40m High Junior/Amateur division at the CSI-W Caledon Equestrian Festival Horse Show. Riding Maretty Las Marismas, a 1993 bay Dutch Warmblood mare by Ferro, Yvonne was the1.40 m High Junior/Amateur Champion at the Rocky Mountain Classic.

Named Dominican Republic Equestrian Athlete of the Year on numerous occasions, Yvonne has her sights set on representing her country in dressage at the highest levels at international championships, deciding to focus all her efforts in that discipline.