Day One and Two - Saddleworld Australian Dressage Championships

Janina Kletke on the Liver Chestnut Stallion Bluefields Floreno - Check him out on STALLIONZONE (photo: Julie Wilson)

para equestrian Chelsea Higgins on Comedian (photo: Franz Venhaus)

By: Scott Pollock

This year’s Saddleworld Australian Dressage Championships was destined to be a big one as it also included (for the first time) the Para Equestrian Championships. 

Wednesday, 23^rd Oct, was dedicated solely to five of the Para Equestrian team competitions. Although the fields were small, they were all very competitive, with courageous riding by all.  In most classes the scores were relatively close but it was in the Para Australian Equestrian Team Test Grade 1B that the 2012 Para Olympian  gold medalist, Joann Formosa and her mighty steed, Worldwide PB, blew the roof off with a score of 76.267 which easily secured first place.

At 8.30 on Thursday morning, the first horse and rider for the Needs for Steeds Prix St Georges Championship entered the indoor arena. With 35 combinations and all with good credentials, this was always going to be one of the most difficult classes to win. What made it even harder was that their seemed to be something in the air that unsettled a number of the top horses but at the end of the day, they all competed under the same circumstances. Many times the Prix St Georges has been a battle between Australia’s elite. This time was slightly different as Janina Kletke on the elegant stallion Bluefields Floreno headed them off at the pass, claiming first place. Janina and the owners of Bluefields Stud, JJ and his wife Lys, have recently moved from Western Australia to the Southern Highlands of NSW to develop the profile of their stud Bluefields – what a great start!

Like yesterday, there were a number of para equestrian competitions. There are a lot of hurdles for these riders to clear to ensure they perform their best – fitness, flexibility and pain control just to mention a few. This time another rider managed to break the 70% mark. It was Chelsea Higgins (QLD) on her big Holsteiner gelding, Comedian, scoring 70.175 in the Grade III competition. The Para Equestrian freestyle competitions will be held on Saturday.

The Equestrian NSW Intermediate II also had a large class of 28 horse and rider combinations which included a handful of newcomers to Big Tour competition. Anjanette Harten (QLD) and her horse, UQG Alladin took the lead for a couple of hours until Alexis Hellyer (NSW) and her chestnut gelding, Waca W, entered the arena. This combination scored 66.632 which was enough to keep them in first position right to the end. Second place went to Queensland rider, Victoria Welch on Brentanus and third went to one of Australia’s favourites, Heath Ryan (NSW) on Utopian Cardinal.

It’s always great to have the first day under the belt as it signifies that the competition is about to heat up. All spectators, owners and riders have had a chance to settle in, assess the conditions and refocus on the next three days. Tomorrow will feature the following competitions:

• International Racehorse Transport Advanced Championships (8.45am-3..30pm)
• Mulawa Performance Intermediate I Championship (8.30am-2.36pm) 
• EA Entry Level Test competition (2.45pm-3.03pm)
• Pryde's EasiFeedFEI Young Rider Individual Test  CDI-Y (8.30am-9.42am)
• The Riders ShoppeYoung Horse Qualifier for 6-year-old horses (2.00pm-4.00pm
• Agnes Banks Equine Centre Grand Prix - CDN (10.00am-12.06pm)
• Grand Prix CDI-W Supported by the Australian Sports Commission (1.15pm-5.40pm)

Quick Links

• For all the results and information, please visit www.dressagensw.com.au/nationals
• Dressage horses for sale on HORSEZONE
• Dressage STALLIONS AT STUD on STALLIONZONE