(Dressage NSW) – There are so many components that make a successful event. The biggest influence is the weather; it affects the atmosphere, the number of spectators, the condition of the arenas and most importantly it affects the performance of the horse and rider. With a forecast of clear skies, 23 degrees, the third day of the Saddleworld Australian Dressage Championships was destined to be a beauty!

One of the best things about being at such an event for the duration is that you get a feel of which horse and rider combinations are going to be the one to watch. Most spectators catch on to this and a small army of supporters travel from arena to arena watching Australia’s best.

The Ray White Acreage Medium 4B and 4C had 35 competitors. The first horse and rider combination to impress was Western Australian rider Deon Stokes and the stallion Bellario. Deon has travelled nearly 4,000 kilometres to compete at these championships and by the response from the judges and spectators it was well worth the miles. This combination scored 71.111 in the 4B and then went on to score 71.417 in the 4C. This was not only enough to win both classes but it also made Deon and Kate Barton’s stallion Bellario the Ray White Acreage Medium Champion.

Once again it was Deon Stokes riding Kate Barton’s stallion Bellario who won the Gow-Gates Advanced Freestyle, scoring 69.167. Hot on his heels was Queensland rider Victoria Welch on the beautiful grey mare Glogau. This combination scored 69.000. Her choreography was beautiful and flowing- very easy to the eye. Both these riders have obviously done a great job in training their horses – the horses were attentive, the rider’s position was relaxed and correct as their hands gently kept contact with their horse. Third went to Heath Ryan and the very well conformed, Johnny Depp (owned by Rebecca Notley). Together they scored 67.250.

A highlight of the day was watching the winner of the Pryde’s EasiFeed FEI Young Rider Freestyle CDI-Y. Victorian rider Fern Wright and her energetic Welsh Cob, Kamber Pryderi, showed the big warmbloods what the smaller breeds are capable of. The music was uplifting and refreshing which perfectly suited this impressive combination. Well done!

The Equestrian Australia Prix St Georges Challenge is a great competition. The criteria to qualify is designed so only the top competitors from the previous year get to compete – they have to have 3 qualifying scores officiated by at least one A level judge. The horse also has to be 10 years or under during the qualifying period. As a result, it is a showcase of some of Australia’s most talented up and coming small tour horses. Brett Parbery and Susan Duddy’s gelding DP Weltmieser did an accurate test giving them a score of 67.342. When Tor Van Den Berge on Cheryl O’Brien’s stallion, Lauries As, had his ride things changed. It was an absolute pleasure to watch this horse and rider weave their way around the arena. It was a test of precision and class. I remember thinking; they will have to be the winner. WRONG!

Straight after the break, Matthew Dowsley on Linda and Beau Dowsett’s big gelding Flavio wowed the crowd with a nearly flawless test. They managed to score a whopping 71.184. What a great display of horsemanship!

Another class, which showcases up and coming dressage horses was the Equitak Excel Young Horse Qualifier for 5-year-old horses. Cassia Montgomery on Kate Brydon’s gelding Revelwood Marmalade won (7.160). Second went to Ruth Schneeberger on Cheryl Hatswell’s mare Ponderos Stud Royal Dancer (7.060) and third went to the very popular Denise Rogan on her mother’s mare Just One Wish (7.040).

Day 2 – Friday

Day two of the Saddleworld Australian Dressage Championships started with the usual flurry of judges, stewards and the organising committee all busy ensuring everything would be ready for an early start. Like clockwork, the first horse and rider entered one of the four competition arenas at 8.15am on the dot!

By 9.30 the Pryde’s EasiFeed FEI Young Rider Individual CDI-Y was finished. Elliot Patterson, who is no stranger to the podium, rode a beautifully quiet and flowing test on his chestnut gelding, Leandro. This was good enough to put him in first place with a score of 70.702. Second was Victorian rider Fern Wright on Kamber Pryderi and third went to Megan Bryant from New South Wales on her mare Donnabella.

The Agnes Banks Equine Clinic Grand Prix (CDN) was a small class but there were riders with considerable Grand Prix experience, the top three places went to three ladies who are relatively new to competing at this level. First place went to Alexis Hellyer (NSW) on Waca W, second went to Alexandra Berns (QLD) on Kings Legend and third went to Emma Flavelle (QLD) on Andiamo.

Whilst it’s always great to see the Big Tour horses showcasing the higher collected movements such as Piaffe and Passage it is also just as pleasurable to watch the Advanced and Small Tour horses. Today offered a great opportunity to do just that. There were numerous horse and rider combinations that made it look easy – their transitions were fluid, their rhythm was consistent and there were no obvious signs of resistance. All these combined made it a joy to watch. It also made you realise what a mammoth leap it is from this level to Grand Prix.

The Mulawa Performance Intermediate I competition was always going to be a battle of the best. There were at least 10 combinations which had the potential to achieve the highest score. Jayden Brown (QLD) on Furst Friedrich was first to go and set the bar high with a score of 69.105. Soon after, Tor Van Den Berge (QLD) on Cheryl O’Brien’s stallion Lauries As entered the arena. The power and impulsion of this horse seems to have increased considerably over the last year. As a result they did a super test which put them in the lead by only .25 of a point. These two combinations maintained that position for quite a while until Matthew Dowsley (NSW), on Flavio (owned by Linda and Beau Dowsett) entered the arena. Matthew has this amazing ability to get the horse focused and on the aids. The precision and expression was impressive. Matthew scored 69.447. The last combination of the class was Queensland rider, Nicole Tough, on the very elegant grey gelding, Dante (also owned by the Dowsett family). This combination is renowned for their amazing partnership. Except for a minor glitch which only a trained eye would see, Nicole and Dante made it look easy as they seamlessly moved from movement to movement. This was enough to put them on top of the dais with a score of 70.158.

The International Racehorse Transport (IRT) Advanced Championship was similar as the Inter I in regards to the high quality of horse and rider. Victoria Welch (QLD) on the Australian bred mare, Glogau, won the Advanced 5B with a score of 71.000. Second went to Lesley-Anne Taylor (NSW) on Amicelli Gold (68.455) and third went to Teresa Grills (NSW) on the leggy Ecclesbourne (67.602). The winner of the Advanced 5C was Lesley-Anne Taylor on Amicelli Gold (68.070), second was Heath Ryan on Johnny Depp (67.895) and third went to Deon Stokes from Western Australia on the stallion Bellario (67.544). Bellario is owned by Kate Barton. As a result of the two competitions it was Lesley-Anne Taylor that was awarded the IRT Advanced Champion.

From midday, the indoor arena hosted the main class of the day – the Australian Sports Commission Grand Prix CDI-W. From early on in the class, David Shoobridge (NSW) and his Rubenstein stallion, 00 Seven, took the lead with a score of 66.787. It took Queensland rider Sheridyn Ashwood and her talented stallion, Prestige VDL, to change this. Although there were a couple of mistakes, they still managed to achieve a score of 67.021. The second last horse and rider combination, Maree Tomkinson from Victoria and her electric mare Diamantina IV, rode an incredibly expressive test which was enough to pip Sheridyn at the post, scoring 67.298.

Last but certainly not least, the Riders Shoppe Young Horse Qualifier for 6 year-old-horses commenced at 2pm. Everyone was interested to see if Jayden Brown and San Andreas (who impressively won the Novice Championships) would also win this class. Well, there were no surprises. Jayden and San Andreas won with a core of 8.420. Second went to Fiona McNaught (VIC) on Sentiment (7.900) and third went to Rachel Mclellan on Kinnordy Daudet, scoring 7.860.

After seeing the quality of horses and riders in the competitions today, it can be nearly guaranteed that the last two days will be just as enjoyable. If you look at the winners of each competition so far, it looks as though Queensland and New South Wales are neck to neck. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Day 1 – Thursday

With the hype of the recent London Olympics still in the air, day one of the Saddleworld Australian Dressage Championships started with a generous amount of enthusiasm. It was great to see Olympian, Mary Hanna, back on home turf and watching some of the Novice competitors. We knew the competition was going to be hot but what we didn’t know is that the temperature was also heating up – it ended up being the first seriously hot day for spring. For a lot of the horse and rider combinations from the southern states of Australia, this meant a change to their normal preparation.

Thankfully, there were only three competitions scheduled for day 1 – the EJ & Co Novice 2C, the Birds Equisports Novice 2D and the Equestrian NSW Intermediate II. The Novice classes were outside and the Inter II was in the indoor. With thirty five competitors in the Novice the second half were riding in temperatures around the mid-thirties.

Although there were a number of quality tests, the battle for the Novice Champion ended up being between Queensland rider, Jayden Brown, on San Andrea owned by Beau Dowsett, Judy Dierks on Highlight Australia owned by Janelle Duffy, Emma Flavelle on Cabaret C owned by Caitlin Cullen and Linda Foster on Neversfelde Samiro. All four riders scored over 70% for both Novice tests but it was Jayden Brown on the very impressive mover San Andreas who stole the show. While checking the score board you could hear comments on what a beautifully ridden test it was. This great combination won the 2C with a score of 77.656 and the 2D, scoring 76.810. Definitely a horse to watch out for in the future.

As the indoor arena was a few degrees cooler, the Intermediate II, attracted most of the spectators. By 4pm all the 22 riders had completed their test. Seventeen of the riders broke the 60% mark but it was Heath Ryan from, NSW on his proven stallion, Regardez Moi, who won the competition with a score of 65.237. Gitte Donvig from Victoria on her handsome gelding, Port Said 10, came second and Queensland rider, Alexandra Berns on her Australian bred Warmblood, Kings Legend, came third.

The temperature for the second day of the Saddleworld Australian Dressage Championships is meant to be about 10 degrees cooler which will make it nearly perfect for riders, horses and, of course, the spectators. Tomorrow’s program will kick off at 8.30am and the highlight of the day will be the Australian Sports Commission Grand Prix CDI-W starting around 11.30. The top fifteen riders of this competition will qualify for the Hamilton Island Grand prix Freestyle CDI-W which will be held on Saturday evening.

Tickets available at the entrance daily. Plenty of seating available for Saturday and Saturday evening.

All information and results can be found at www.dressagensw.com.au/nationals.

Photo Courtesy of Equestrian Australia by Franz Venhaus – Maree Tomkinson on Diamantina IV