Drummer on the XC course. Photo Credit to Emma Woolman.

Meryl Dekker's Adelaide

Tell us about your horse:-

Drummer is a 16hh clydesdale x Tb gelding 12yo.
We bought Drummer 7 years ago as a trailriding horse For my mum, but I quickly stole him off her and hè started his eventing career From the very bottom at grade 5 Pony Club level all The way to Adelaide 2*!

What were your lead up events?:-

My lead up events for The season were Equestriad in Camden, Canberra, Goulburn and Tooradin. Lost of travelling interstate!

How long did it take to drive to Adelaide from Maccesfield?:-

The trip For us was About 10/11 hours, i travelled up in The truck with Will Enzinger and Georgia Spangaro with the whole Wilky Park team of horses on board.

First Impressions :-

My first impression when we drove in was that I couldn't believe an amazing competition like Adelaide could be set up in the middle of the city.

Did Drummer settle in well? :-

Drummer settled in very well. He is always happy to spend 3 days with his food being brought to him constantly in the stables.

Dressage?:-

Drummer warmed up really well For the dressage and could not have handled the atmosphere any better, leaving me very happy with my dressage test as hè stayed rideable and happy all the way through.

Cross country?:-

The cross country phase For me was probably the most terrifying, my first impression being 'can we actually jump that?!' At about every second fence! Luckily after walking it multiple times I started feeling a bit more confident about tackling the course.
Drummer was a superstar, giving me an amazing ride around and even leaving me with time to take a moment to pinch myself that I was really doing this...We finished with no jump penalties and only a few time penalties due to some technical difficulties on the watch front.

Showjumping:-

The showjumping went really well for me and Drummer, hè felt great and jumped his little heart out, only taking one unfortunate rail. This left us in 4th place in The Young Rider section and on the winning Young Rider team which meant the ever exciting lap of honour to finish off a great week!

Photo Credit to Michelle. Ash with Mr Flash.

Equissage Junior & Rider Championships

The Equissage Junior and Young Rider Championships were held at Boneo Park in January.  The International teams challenge was a very exciting event with visiting teams from Taiwan, Japan and New Zealand competing against a Hygain Squad Team.  Representing Victoria were Max Height, Joel Pearce, Courtney Shears and Jacob Wells who finished in 3rd position overall.  The Japanese team finished in first place with the local connection of being coached by Alex Rooney.  We thank the donors of the horse pool horses who were stars of the event!  We thank Amber Cargill, Libby Price, Lisa Muirhead, Briann Cook, Zoe Boulton, Holly Webb, the Chester family, Toni Scattergood, Georgia Plain, the Liarakos and the Heights for this support.  We wish to acknowledge the sponsors of the event ISJ, Toorak College, Lisa Fraser-Smith Equine Real Estate Specialist, Boneo Park Equestrian Centre, Avon Contracting, Wellington Livestock and Hygain.
The first round of the Tekna was also held with 5 riders recording double clear rounds.  Matilda Alexander took out the event on Dreamtime Invader- with Savanna Hopkinson on Zenzation, Joel Pearce on Luxenburg, Courtney Shears on Unleashed and Jacob Wells on Valhalla filling the placings. Also the Hygain Squad Challenge was held with the following results. Development Squad 1 was won by Ashley Terlato. Dev 2 Gabrielle Lovett, Dev 3 Brittany stead. EV congradulations everyone on their achievements.  This event only happens with the hard work of many families and we appreciate their help in providing a fabulous quality event with a difference for our young riders.  As always, some families put in a huge effort behind the scenes and they can be very satisfied that their efforts produced a fabulous opportunity for the young riders in the state to have a very special weekend.

Boneo Cup

January also saw the first Boneo World Cup run.  What an exciting finish to the World Cup season.  Twenty combinations including three Olympians came from all over Australia to compete at the inaugural event  with many riders also having their first World Cup start.
It was WC was taken out by Tom MCDermott on Airtime Z after a close duel with Casco of Jess Brown as the double clear rounds.  Congrats to Steven Hill (3rd) Jamie Coman (6th) Adam Johnston, Airlie Robinson, Teagan Chester, Ally Lamb and Wesley Joyce taking the 8th to 12th placings.
A special presentation was also made to Tim Clarke and Caltango This was the last competition in the 2014 season of world cups and the league was won by Tim Clarke and Caltango. Caltango also won the Golden Grand award for most successful horse of the season.  Tim  was presented with a lovely portrait of Caltango in the Ted Dwyer Memorial-  a huge congratulations to Tim and this amazing mare.

Calendar Meeting

The clubs and show organisers of Victoria are reminded that the Jumping Victoria Calendar Meeting will be held on February 3rd at the Admin building at Werribee.  The start time is 7.30pm.
Please get representation to this meeting so that a cohesive calender framework for the coming season can be formulated.  If you cant get to the meeting, be sure to email jumping@equestrianvictoria.com.au to flag your jumping date and ensure it is in the calendar.

Judges Seminar

There will be a Judges seminar to be held Feb 28th/March 1st.  This will be suitable for probationary level judges looking to get started on their qualification (Saturday), it will be a promotion to Level 1 course (note 2 days required); promotion for Level 1 judges to Level 2 (two days required) and also an update for all levels of judges wishing to reaccredit in March 2015.  Further information is located on the Jumping Victoria website or alternatively contact Annie at jumping@equestrianvictoria.com.au

Photo Credit to Derek O'Leary. Winner of the Young Rider Championship, Melissa Backman. 

Victorian State Championships

The Victorian State Championships were hosted by Sale SJ Club and was another successful show run by this hard working committee.

The Junior Championship was taken out by Binni Greig on Angry Bird with Sam Robertson on Emporio.

In the Young Rider Championship for 2015,  Melissa Backman on Blackall Park Coloe in the time of 44.40 seconds were declared the winners with runner up by just .01 of a second, Joel Pearce on Luxenburg. 

Both these champions are members of the Hygain Young Rider Squads.  For those riders interested in joining the squads the forms will be released late this week on the JV website.  Notice of its availability will be advised on the Jumping Victoria facebook page.

The Victorian Senior Champion for 2015 backing up his 2014 title is Jamie Coman riding Nic of Time.

Saddleworld Dressage Festival rebuilding reserves.

The Saddleworld Dressage Festival conducted by Dressage Victoria at WPNEC in December was widely praised for its friendly and effective organisation, but perhaps more importantly, Dressage Victoria Chairman Michael Bragge has announced that the SDF has also been a financial success.
He said, “When our events make a profit, Dressage Victoria and Equestrian Victoria are able to rebuild the financial reserves that will allow us once again to reinvest in the development of our sports”.
Almost 130 volunteers worked on the Saddleworld Dressage Festival and their efforts, along with the prudent planning of the OC contributed to this healthy outcome.

Surface upgrade for Indoor 1

While we would all like to see a new European style riding surface in WPNEC Indoor 1, a major rejuvenation of the existing surface is planned in the lead up to 2015 Dressage & Jumping with the Stars.
Until the WPNEC lease is renewed (which has no problem other than bureaucratic process) we cannot commit to an expensive capital item. The removal of the tired material and replacing it with fresh wood fibre should give the Indoor 1 a more responsive surface.

2015 the year of the CDI

After the stunning success of the recent Boneo Classic supported by NAB, a further four CDIs are in planning for Victoria during 2015. Apart from the usual CDIs at DJWTS and SDF, Dressage Victoria are planning to incorporate a CDI into the Melbourne 3 Day Event and Boneo Park has an exciting plan for an additional CDI to be held September 25-27.  The Boneo Park CDI in September will also feature championships at all EA levels.
As well as providing 75 weekly competitions for the local competitors, our elite riders are needing as many chances as possible to gain qualification towards National selection.

Wrap Up of Victorian Success at Boneo Classic

Victorian dressage riders had some sensational results at the Boneo Classic, supported by NAB last weekend.  Olympian Mary Hanna and Umbro were the winners of the Horseland Pacific League World Cup Final, giving them the right to compete at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas in April.  It was brilliant to welcome crowd favourites Maree Tomkinson and Diamantina back to the Victorian competition arena following their WEG success who along with Caroline Wagner and Kerry Mack had impressive results in the Horseland CDI-W class.  Dirk Dijkstra is in form with the impressive AEA Metallic and won both the IRT CDN Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle convincingly.  The Small Tour also had some impressive results for our Victorian riders with Georgina Foot and Bellaire Cannavaro winning The Riders Shoppe Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 1 Freestyle with Georgia Haythorpe just behind in the freestyle.  Judith Smith and French Open had a good show with French Open winning one advanced test and finishing 4th in the PSG.

In the International Equine Connections CDI-Y class Tayla Desmet and Rodrigo III were in a class of their own, winning all three tests and finishing with a massive score of over 73% in the freestyle – an exciting future for this combination!  Shannon McKimmie and Ambassi had some great scores in the U-25 GP events.
Our young horses revelled in the opportunity to get some big show exposure in the lead up to DWTS. Georgina Foot and Bellaire Cobra were the highest placed Victorians in the John Walker and Associates 4yo Championship finishing second overall. Maree Tomkinson was the winner of both the Kentucky Equine Research 5yo and the 6yo championship with Donna Elena and Saddle Up Romper Stomper respectively.  We look forward to these stunning young horses having success at DWTS in March.
The Boneo Classic also featured a CPEDI for our para equestrian riders and once again Victorian riders featured in the prize giving ceremonies.  Nicole Blanks had three super rides with her WEG mount Vledder, winning the overall grade 4 championship. Morgan Webb Liddle and Don Armani were the Grade 1A championship winners, Joann Formosa and Worldwide PB won the grade 1B championship and Elizabeth Skinner and Freedom Spyda were the winners of the Grade 2 Championship.
The CDI calendar now turns to Orange NSW for the Dressage with Altitude CDI, February 19-22. Victoria will be well represented with Kylie Riddell, Charlotte Pedersen, Maree Tomkinson, Kerry Mack, Caroline Wagner and Mary Hanna competing in the Grand Prix CDI and Shannon McKimmie competing in the Grand Prix CDN.  We wish all riders a safe journey and the best of luck

Victorian State Dressage Squad

Next clinic date is February 28th and March 1st with state coach Lone Joergensen at Hidden Valley.  Details will be sent to riders shortly.

Young Rider Dressage Program forum

There has been discussion lately as to how we can enhance our Young Rider Dressage Program. A sponsor is needed, some funds have been raised so this would be a good time to get everyone involved to meet for an open discussion and map out a plan. At this stage we have not locked in a date but it will be in the next month at WPNEC Old Admin Building on a week night. Keep watching the EV website for details.
Customer service at WPNEC
The new bedding system at WPNEC has generally been well received. While most comments have been positive the main concern has been the lack of wheel barrows, pooper scoopers and wheelie bins to clean up with. Unfortunately WPNEC have over the last few months provided plenty of these but most have been stolen. YES STOLEN. Is our equestrian community that untrustworthy? One competitor arrived with 2 WPNEC marked wheel barrows already in their truck. Are we going to employ security to supervise the stables 24/7. That will be extra cost to competitors. Let us all look after the cleaning equipment at WPNEC stables and keep an eye out for anybody doing the wrong thing.

New Rules

We strongly recommend that all riders look closely at the New Dressage Rules which come into force FEB 1st 2015. Look closely at changes in bits which can no longer be used.
O. C. need to make sure that Gear Check is up to date.

MRDC member Kirsty Moody rode Isle of Damascus in the PSG and Inter 1 in torrential rain!

Macedon Ranges Dressage Club Dressage Competition Event Report
(aka “The rangas steal the show”).
Karen Bentley - MRDC

This time last year, the Macedon Ranges Dressage Club dressage competition had to be rescheduled due to the heat. So what did 1 February deliver this year? Rain, cold, sun, cloud, rain, sun, humidity, cold, cold, sun, humidity, rain, cloud. Nonetheless, it appears that the majority had a great day (despite the incompatibility of white breeches and rain) and the Macedon Ranges Dressage Club ran a great event.
Having been lucky enough to attend WEG last year, I noted that chestnuts were a minority in the dressage. As the new owner of a ‘ginger ninja’ with grand aspirations for dressage glory, this was a touch disconcerting. Are chestnuts no good at dressage? Where are they all? Am I going to have to event instead? It was therefore a relief to see the happy "glow" of orange through the gloom of the rain. And low and behold 4 chestnuts in a row in the 4 year old class and chestnuts took out the 4 year old class (Yarramee Serendipity) AND the 5 year old class (Otway Mako) AND the 6 year old class (Lucy Liu VDS). Surely a sign of things to come – chestnut is the new bay!
While it goes without saying that many thanks must be passed on to the MRDC club members for organising and running the event, we can’t forget the competitors and judges. We can put on a comp but it means nothing without the entries. And without the judges, it would just be a big rally attended by very well groomed and well dressed riders! So thanks to you also.
And last but not least – the sponsors. Thanks to Perrys Stockfeeds, The City Barn and Equissage. You are all great supporters of these events and it is appreciated.