New Bates Saddles Partnership for 2011 NSW Pony Dressage Championships

Dressage NSW is pleased to announce that Bates Saddles will be the premier sponsor of the 2011 NSW Pony Dressage Championships and will provide a beautiful saddle for a lucky competitor to win. The event will be held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre (SIEC) on 15-16 October.

Bates Saddles demonstrate their support of pony dressage in Australia through their new involvement in the NSW Pony Dressage Championships and through their ongoing support of the National Pony Dressage Leaderboard.

Pony Dressage as a sport has grown enormously in popularity and scope over the past several years and is enjoyed by children in their first years of official competition, right through to serious adult competitors. The annual NSW Championship event is a highlight on the Pony Dressage calendar and the new partnership with Bates Saddles is an important development for the sport.

The NSW Pony Dressage Committee is working hard to provide a quality event for 2011 and, with Bates Saddles as the new major sponsor, it is anticipated that it will be the best Pony Dressage event that NSW has seen. Said Kelly Hattersley, the event coordinator:

“We are thrilled about this new partnership and are extremely pleased that Bates Saddles has come on board to support us and help us create an exciting and high profile event. It is the support and contribution of companies like Bates that allows us to continue to provide opportunities for Pony Dressage competitors to compete at the highest levels, ensuring that the sport continues to grow and develop in NSW.”

This year’s NSW Pony Dressage Championship will feature classes from Preliminary through to Advanced and FEI Pony and for the first time, both 4 year old and 5 year old Young Pony classes will be introduced to the program.

“It is imperative that we foster and encourage not only our young riders but also our up and coming young ponies”, Hattersley said. “The Young Pony classes are run using the same rules as Young Horse classes and their inclusion in our program will hopefully encourage pony studs to continue improving the bloodlines of Australian Dressage ponies and to train their young stock specifically with these events in mind.”

Competitor information, including entry requirements and schedule, will be available on the Pony Dressage page of the Dressage NSW website from late May: www.dressagensw.com.au.

Sponsorship and trade stand opportunities are still available for the 2011 Pony Dressage Championships. If an individual or company would like to be involved in this year’s event, sponsorship package details are available on request.

Contact: Kelly Hattersley Dressage NSW, Pony Dressage Coordinator kelzi21@yahoo.com 0419 435 767