The top placing's in this event  represent the brightest hopes for our future.  4 our of the first 6 are imported and 2 of them could go on to produce more top performers like themselves. (Cinderella a mare and Regardez Moi a stallion)

It seems like only yesterday when Cinderella introduced herself to Australian Dressage enthusiasts when she was runner up to her stablemate Astonish in the 6YO class at Dressage With the Stars in 2001.  So at 9 years of age or perhaps younger due to her Northern Hemisphere birthday, she is well on track with her training.  Cinderella is by Carbid (as too is Carbine) and is the same type that is seen at the top in Europe.  Matthew Dowsley has done a very good job with her training encouraging  her talent and capacity to carry weight on her hind legs and dance!

Lesley-Ann Taylor's talented PSI import Weltklasse worked well to produce quality work which was supple and flowing.\

The Rubenstein son Regardez Moi is a special favourite - he has the 'look of eagles' and appears to catch the gaze of all around him.  Heath Ryan rode the black stallion with his usual flair and coaxed the marks with a very convincing test.  This combination have made very good progress in two short years.  Heath would be very well pleased to be experiencing such excellent trainability as this has enabled them to reach FEI well ahead of the usual time allocation.  This horse is an excellent asset to Australian breeders looking to breed to a local stallion with the best bloodlines and temperament.

Renee Pedretti has really made her mark on the Victorian scene winning the Aachen Challenge in 2004 on her own Sunbury Lodge Thomas and again this year on Maureen Barrel's talented chestnut Northern Regency who she partnered for a 4th place in the open Prix St Georges class. Well done Renee and Reg.

Mary Hanna and Port Said have not been together for a long time, and they seem to have got things sorted out well.  Port Said came with the excellent start that is the hallmark of PSI.  A professionally produced Dressage horse with years of work done in strict accordance with the German Training Scale, ensures good rideability and 'throughness' which is paramount if the horse is to be capable of being competitive against the best on the world.  PSG is a big jump for  Port, so this was a very pleasing result for Mary and the new boy.

Many of the other performances were highly commendable and it is interesting to note that the benchmark for a test that may result in a top 6 finish is now edging closer to 70% when under 10 years ago 60% was considered to be outstanding.  While this indicates a definite improvement in the standard here in Australia, it does not mean that we have necessarily improved out position against the top combinations in the world as they have also 'raised the bar' and we see 85% tests being recorded - particularly at the lower levels and in Young Horse competitions.

With Ulla Salzgeber coming on board to guide our future development we should see some 'international' influence to the training and early as a flow on effect from her involvement.  I believe that this is the most exciting change and like many, I am keen to observe the whys and wherefores.

Ulla and Rusty in Athens.  This picture was taken on the 24th September,
the day before her ride for Gold.  At this point in the competition Ulla and Rusty
were slightly less than 1% ahead of Anky and Salinero -imagine the pressure
she would have been feeling at this moment.

Ulla and Rusty in Athens - the horse was so concentrated and powerful for many
his solid performance deserved the Gold.  There was so little in it and this
combination have cemented a place in the record book as a pair of the
'all time best' in the sport of Dressage.

I was able to get a picture of most horses for this report, sorry for the couple that
are missing.

KIEFFER - PRIX ST GEORGES FEI                                Date  9/04/2005
    CLASS:09    TEST:PRIX ST GEORGES FEI   Max Points/test  400

Place  NUMBER  HORSE         Rider Name              ERRORS    -------SCORES----    TOTAL  PERC

   1  059 CINDERELLA                DOWSLEY, MATTHEW   NSW     287( 1) 264( 1) 275( 2)    826   68.83
   
    Matthew Dowsley and Cinderella warm up in the second indoor just prior to their PSG ride.  
      Matthew takes it easy and keeps the volatile mare concentrated and relaxed.  This 
     strategy pays off.   I watched them working on Thursday evening in the indoor and on this 
     occasion Matthew and Cinders seemed to be playing and showing the extent of their
     energy and talent for some ultra expressive and lofty movements, not every ruder could have
     contained her exuberance.  
     This is a beautiful mare ridden by a very talented trainer and competitor - a joy to watch and
     lets hope that he gets his chance to take her OS

    2  222 WELTKLASSE                TAYLOR, LESLEY-ANNE   SA  269( 2) 254( 3) 279( 1)   802   66.83
   
   Lesley-Anne Taylor and Weltklasse - he worked very kindly and yet with
      energy and flair - what a star.

   3  163 REGARDEZ MOI              RYAN, HEATH   NSW   266( 4) 257( 2) 265( 5)    (  )  788   65.67
   
    Heath Ryan and his stunning Rubenstein stallion Regardez Moi as they prepare for their
     PSG test.  It was a pleasure to see this light and athletic boy dance about in such perfect
     self carriage.  This horse was only working at Novice/Elementary in 2003 when I photographed
     him at the Nationals in Sydney.  His meteoric rise reflects so well on his temperament and
     trainability.  Pictured right is Martina Hanover as she appeared at the Master Class at
     Dressage with the Stars in 2004.  She rode the fabulous Rubenstein and the world was shocked 
     and saddened to hear that he died prematurely following a bout of colic.
   

   4  148 NORTHERN REGENCY          PEDRETTI, RENEE   VIC 1  257( 9) 254( 3) 274( 3)    785   65.42
   
   The 'golden girl' of Victorian Dressage - Renee Pedretti on Maureen Barrel's lovely
      gelding Northern Regency.  They had a wonderful DF and on this horse Renee won
      the Aachen Challenge for the second successive year.

   5  155 PORT SAID 10              HANNA, MARY   VIC      268( 3) 250( 6) 262( 6)     780   65.00
   
      Mary Hanna on her new partner (there has been a more recent one) Port Said 10
     (pronounced say-ed) by Phoenix.  PSG is a big jump up for Port and he handled
     it well.  He looks just like a smaller version of Limbo.  Will he go to Beijing???
     
     Mary and Limbo in Athens.

   6  168 RIMINI PARK BABYLON       O'SULLIVAN, NADINE   VIC    250(17) 250( 6) 266( 4)  766   63.83

   7  095 GUY NOIR                  PEDERSEN, CHARLOTTE   VIC 259( 8) 246(10) 260( 7)    765   63.75
   
   Charlotte Pedersen and Guy Noir, Joanna Clarke's imported (USA) gelding.
      This horse is improving all the time and did some very solid work today.

      8  080 EMPEROR CHARLEMAGNE       FOUNDAS, KATE   VIC     251(14) 253( 5) 259( 8)      763   63.58
   
   Kate Foundas on Emperor Charlemagne by Aachen (by Argentinus) did a great job.
     Kate started this horse on the way to being a very good dressage horse and he was
     sold to Claudia Harper (owner of Cinderella and Astonish).  Claudia rode him for a few
     years and when Charlemagne came on the market Kate was delighted to be able to
     buy him back.  They have reformed their good relationship and he is scoring well.

     Kate has been quite ill and not able to ride, so she did well to make it to this competition.

   9  202 SUNBURY LODGE TORONTO     DAWKINS, FLEUR   VIC    261( 6) 241(14) 258(10)     760   63.33
   
   Sunbury Lodge Toronto and Fleur Dawkins have worked steadily and shown great
     improvement. Toronto has very nice paces and has trained on well. Toronto is
     by Vancouver ll a stallion who was trained and campaigned by Kyra Kyrklund
     when she was based at the Swedish State Stud - Flyinge.  Vancouver had notable
     success on the international circuit,

     10  109 JAYBEE BELLAIRE AMANDA    KRAMER, REINER   VIC    265( 5) 247( 8) 247(16)     759   63.25
  
  Jaybee Bellaire Amanda and Reiner Kramer have been re-united as a competitive 
    combination.  Reiner has had many months off due to a back problem which seems 
    to be resolving.  Amanda is a talented mare by Aachimedes the Aachen stallion who
    has produced some lovely Dressage horses.

  11  124 MAYFIELD PZAZZ            MACK, KERRY   VIC       1  254(12) 239(15) 259( 8)    752   62.67
  
  Another combination to have made the big jump to FEI quite quickly is Kerry Mack on her
    wonderful stallion Mayfield Pzazz.  This pic was taken earlier in the year and shows his 
    great talent and super cool temperament.  He is by Tineke Bartels WEG partner
    Jazz, and like his dad seems to find the work easy and enjoyable.

  12  007 AEA JUST DE POMME         DIJKSTRA, DIRK   VIC     251(14) 243(12) 251(12)    745   62.08
  
  AEA Just De Pomme and Dirk Dijkstra have proven themselves at PSG level over the past
    12 months recording some good scores which saw them take part in the EFA PSG Challenge
    final in October.  This picture was taken at one of the qualifiers.  Just De Pomme (Apples)
    has a great temperament and bloodlines well suited to both jumping and Dressage.

  13  128 MIDNIGHT WINGS            ROSS, CAROL   VIC     256(11) 247( 8) 241(18)      744   62.00
  
   Carol Ross on her elegant TB Midnight Wings - still early days at this level, but improving
   all the time.

  14  193 SIENNA TAILOR MADE        HENDERSON, LISA   VIC       253(13) 236(18) 251(12) 740   61.67
  
  Sienna Tailor Made and Lisa Henderson who has trained her Anglo Arabian right from
    the start.  This is a great achievement for a young rider and the horse has much talent.

  15  221 WELFENDADEL               TAYLOR, LESLEY-ANNE   SA   245(19) 242(13) 250(14)  737   61.42
  
    Welfenadel by Welt Hit ll (as is his stablemate Weltklasse) and Lesley-Anne Taylor
    from South Australia,  This is a personality stallion and he works with a 'smile on his face'
    He is young and still to consolidate.  He was purchased from PSI and has great potential.

  16  210 TIMBERTOP                 LUXMOORE, KATE   VIC     235(23) 246(10) 254(11)  735   61.25
  
  Timbertop (by Northern Hermes) and Kate photographed at a competition in 2004

  17  166 RICHMEED MEDALLION       LOUREY, ANN-MAREE   NSW    249(18) 233(19) 250(14)  732  61.00
  
  Richmeed Medallion and Anne-Maree Lourey.  Pic taken in   Sydney.  
   This well bred stallion is not huge but tends to throw size. He is by May Sherif
   - the sire of the legendary stallion Matador who partnered Kyra Kyrklund on so many
   winning occasions.     A-M also rode his lovely son Byalee Magic.

  18  042 BERKELEY CASTLE           FITZHARDINGE, ROGER   NSW 245(19) 239(15) 242(17)   726  60.50

  19  195 SIX HATS ILLINGA          SMITH, SUZANNE   VIC    257( 9) 227(24) 240(19)     724  60.33
  
  Six Hats Illinga (by Wunder) and Sue Smith have put in the work to see a steady and clear improvement
    at this demanding level.  Sue is a popular person in Victorian Dressage and was the
   Chairperson of the EFA (Vic) Dressage Sub-Committee for quite some time and made a huge
   contribution to the sport.

  20  102 HOLME GROVE BOLERO        TIPPETT, ROZ   WA       251(14) 237(17) 234(22)     722   60.17
  
  Roz Tippett and Holme Grove Bolero by Holme Grove Solomon showed some nice moments
   during their warm up in the second indoor arena.  They have come all the way from WA
   and this attractive mare did not look relaxed enough to show softness and harmony.
   It is always a pity to travel long distances and have something about the trip cause a set back.

  21  171 RITUEL                    DIJKSTRA, DIRK   VIC      260( 7) 228(22) 232(24)   720   60.00
  
  Rituel (imported stallion by Weltmeyer 11) and Dirk Dijkstra prepare to enter the indoor arena.
    Dirk has made steady progress with this imposing stallion and they show some very
    impressive moments.  Rituel has some lovely foals on the ground and is proving the strength
    of his well respected bloodlines.

  22  220 WANGARA SHOWMAN           D'ELIA, LUCIANO   VIC   1  242(22) 228(22) 238(21)  708   59.00
  
  Lou D'Elia and Wangara Showman are another Victorian combination to be making an impact
    as they approach the important end of the training process.  Showman has exceptional self
    carriage and lightness of the forehand that gives him great potential for high scores at 
    Grand Prix.  Lou is such a nice person and always puts sound training and steady progress
    ahead of short tem reward.

  23  194 SILKSTON                  WOODYATT (YR), KYLIE   NSW   234(24) 231(20) 239(20)704  58.67
  
  Silkston and Kylie Woodyatt have travelled down from NSW to be part of this competition.
    The Aachen Challenge has really given out Young Riders great incentive and encouraged 
    them to take Dressage seriously.  Kylie did a great job and Silkston is charming.

  24  053 BYALEE MAGIC              LOUREY, ANN-MAREE   NSW    243(21) 224(26) 227(26)  694  57.83
  
  Anne-Maree Lourey  and Byalee Magic the lovely son of Richmeed Medallion who is
   now competing in the same class as dad.  This is a lovely scopey moving horse with
   size and elegance on his side.  Anne-Maree got a couple of first on times and the 
   'spookey emptiness' of the near empty arena was not to his liking.  Anne-Maree did
    a good job to keep him concentrated and on the aids.

  25  024 BALMORAL ICE              MC NAUGHT, FIONA   VIC     234(24) 225(25) 233(23) 692   57.67
  
  Fiona McNaught and Balmoral Ice - a young rider with a big future.

  26  104 H.P. FONTAINE             WELSH, KATY   VIC       216(29) 231(20) 232(24)    679   56.58
  
  Katy Welsh and HP Fontaine - a lovely mare with a super steady temperament.

  27  011 ALLOUETTA                 MAIDEN, AMANDA   SA   231(26) 224(26) 218(28)     673   56.08

  28  140 NORTHERN AJAX II          GEE, HEATHER   VIC   224(27) 206(29) 225(27)      655   54.58
  
   Heather Gee and Northern Ajax.  This lovely horse never does his best work indoors as he is
   frightened by the clapping and noise from the crowd.  Heather says, "He is getting better, but
   it is never our best work"  
  

  29  180 ROYAL TREASURE            SANDERS (YR), BROOK   NSW  218(28) 212(28) 207(29)  637   53.08
  
  Young Rider Brook Sanders from NSW is making the giant leap up to FEI classes on her
    charming horse Royal Treasure.  She will have gained much from the experience and it is
    great to see such combinations working to improve as they are the talent of the future.

    Brook was camped near us and it was a highlight of the event to meet her family.

      118 LET'S GET RHYTHM         CROWLEY, JENNIFER   VIC                ELIM

            E:                   H:                   C:                   M:                   B:

    Judges: KELLY, M   VIC       SCHWENNESEN, MARIA   SEEFRIED, MARY   AUS
    Tests Placed:  40                                         7:53PM  10/04/2005
    H/C:             Scratchings:  3           Eliminated:  1          Retired: