Australian Dressage Hits New Heights and Records Tumble at Birds Equisports Dressage With Altitude CDI

Mary Hanna and Umbro

By any measure, the 2015 Birds Equisports Dressage with Altitude CDI was a roaring success and voted the best event ever staged at the beautiful, world class venue of Bradgate Park in Orange, NSW. 

The event attracted record numbers of entries across all levels with the cream of Australia’s Grand Prix combinations represented. But it was 2014 Australian WEG competitor Mary Hanna and her Warmblood gelding Umbro who stole the show – powering through the barrier to produce two Australian record scores firstly in the Grand Prix CDI (72.521%) and then in the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI (75.950%) in front of a sell out audience on the Saturday evening of the event. An amazing feat! Maree Tomkinson and her beautiful mare 2014 WEG mount Diamantina IV won the hearts of the crowd and pushed Mary all the way placing second in both competitions. The spectators were certainly treated to very special performances from both ladies.

The highly respected and experienced Ground Jury including Olympic Games, World Equestrian Games, European Championship and World Cup judges gave impressive scores reflecting the abundance of talent and correct training that is now evident in Australian dressage. With 8 novice horses clearing the 70% mark, French 5* judge Jean-Michel Roudier commented “I was so pleased to see the quality of the horses in the Novice class. Most importantly it was not only the quality of the horses but also the quality of the training and the harmonious riding. Horses were not forced and this is most important for the welfare of the horse now and in the future.”

Rising talent Elliot Paterson riding the imported mare Boronia HG to 2 wins and Advanced Champion, also took out the prestigious Bradgate Park Performance Horses Rising Star Award. The combination of young Elizabeth Hulin riding Moscow was a stand out in the CDI-Y competitions and the field in the Small Tour competitions was hard to separate. With stunning performances from Matthew Dowsley and Belcam Cadel, Lisa Martin and First Famous and David Shoobridge and Agent De Jeu swapping places constantly. Exciting, close competition was seen across all levels.

Special moments at DWA – the Canine Calcutta raising funds for Breast Cancer Research, the Pony Quadrille dress up on Saturday night having the crowd in stitches and a special presentation to Cathie Drury-Klein from the riders to acknowledge Cathie’s work in the sport over many years.

The atmosphere of the event was loudly applauded with riders, spectators, judges and committee all enjoying each other’s company and reveling in the outstanding performances seen from so many riders – providing them with personal bests with a feeling of great achievement shared by all who were involved in the event. Event Directors Cathie Drury-Klein and Sue Scaysbrook felt that it was the best DWA event run to date saying “This show has proved that with a great venue, perfect footing, a supportive atmosphere and encouraging judging, anything is possible now for Australian dressage.”

The Committee and competitors thank the owners of Bradgate Park, John and Bev Healey, for opening their property for DWA again and for elevating the sport through this boutique style event.

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