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Saddleworld Dressage Festival

Day 3
At the end of the third day of competition all involved are exhausted - and now the task of packing and going home lies ahead!!!

The event was a great success, especially for the Ryan's who scooped the pool with first and second place in the Grand Prix Kur. Heath topped the board with 71.2%, followed by Rozzie with 69.9%. The Grand Prix freestyle saw solid perfomances from many combinations, with a high standard of music and many crowd pleasing moments.  Stephen Clarke was impressed with our local talent giving many 8's for the good work on display.

The Aachen Challenge was tightly contested. the final round of this competition sees the top three riders ride three tests, one on each horse. The riders have 10 minutes to familiarise themselves with each others horses.  Alycia Targa securedthe trip to Aachen, with Briana Burgess and Sheree McConachy sharing equal second.

Spectators indoors were also treated to the Intermediate I Freestyle in the morning to see Di Jenkyn and Florett take out the honours.

The competition outdoors was also tough. The Advanced championship went to Mary Hanna and Tango V, followed by Charlotte Pederson and Come to Me. The Elementary Championship was taken out by Dirk Dijkstra riding his stunning stallion AEA Metallic. The reserve champion was Heath Ryan and DP Wedonna.

The Young Rider Medium Championship was won by Nicole Touzel on Cheraton Gold Charm with Sidney Hoffman and Killarnies Dilatina taking out Reserve.

The 6 year old young horse competition was won by Caroline Wagner and WS Donatello.

Overall the competition was friendly and the atmosphere great. The Werribee weather was conducive to great spectating on Saturday and Sunday, with the Werribee Park grounds looking lush and green after the recent, much appreciated rain.

Special thanks to all our judges, officials, sponsors and volunteers. An event of this magnitude could not happen without you.

Links to the full results listing can be found below.

Day 2
The second day of the Dressage Festival was much kinder on the weather front. True to form, the dreaded Werribee weather took a turn for the better, and after the wind and rain of the Friday, Saturday was perfect autumn weather. Much happier for horses and riders and, of course, the very large number of spectators that enjoyed the feast of dressage on offer.

A very early start at 8am saw a large field of young riders set out to impress the judges in the Aachen Challenge, a trip to Germany a big incentive. The three riders to go through to the final round on Sunday, in which each rider rides not only their horse, but also the other competitor's, are Briana Burgess and Alycia Targa from NSW, and Sheree McConachy from Victoria.

The Intermediate 1 test saw a tremendous win to the Queensland mare, Florett ridden by the very popular Di Jenkyn. This beautiful horse was imported from Germany and displayed elegance and lightness, a horse that is definitely one for the future. Victorian riders Rebecca Woff, Caroline Wagner and Judy Peel also performed well.

The Medium Championship saw a big win to the NSW combination of Northern Simba and Christine Crawford. This handsome young bay stallion is a very exciting prospect and he was a worthy champion. Another young horse, imported from Germany by Nadia Coghlan that is worth watching is the beautiful Carlyle who was the reserve champion.

Young horses scored big percentages in the Novice Championship, with another imported horse, AEA Metallic, coming out as the winner. South Australian horse Donnerblitz and Heather Currie just pipped Kylie Burton and the beautiful little mare Flowervale Ferraza and Glennis Barrey and GB William for the reserve championship. It is a testimony to the current state of Dressage in Australia that these classes produced an amazing array of beautiful imported, or bred by AI to the very best Dressage breeding lines available in the world.

While you might think that the arenas at the far end of the venue may be a little less important, you would be incorrect, with a starry class of young riders battling it out at Elementary level. Nicole Touzel and Cheraton Gold Charm triumphed as Champion with Sidney Hoffman and Killarnies Dimitina as reserve champion.

Large numbers of spectators enjoyed the grande finale of the afternoon with the very best riders in Australia giving it their all in the Grand :Prix. In perfect autumn sunshine, Heath Ryan and the very experienced Greenoaks Dundee won in a close result from, guess who, Heath Ryan on the gorgeous black stallion Regardez Moi. Sue Hearn really pulled one out of the bag with the evergreen Manhattan. Another gorgeous black stallion, Whisper IV, owned in Victoria by Dr. Kerry Mack and ridden by the rider of the moment, recently married, Brett Parberry, showed his brilliance, but also his inexperience at the level to finish fourth. It was almost a clean sweep for Clan Ryan with Rozzie a very close fifth place. Surprise packet of the placings was the diminutive rider on the huge horse, Blas Lago and the massive Northern Hector. Hector’s strong point is his piaffe / passage which scored him important marks.