The Virtual Equestrian - Dressage & Jumping with the Stars - Young Dressage Horse Winners & Champion.

Dressage & Jumping with the Stars - Young Dressage Horse Winners & Champion.

Dressage & Jumping With The Stars
Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre
18th & 19th November

Young Dressage Horses
Pictures & Report By Berni Saunders
Class Winners & Champion of Champions

Wow, what a show. Although the Australian Dressage community has had a 'full on' month with the Australian Dressage Championship, Equitana and Dressage with the Stars, there was great enthusiasm and support for this event which just seems to get bigger and bigger each year.

The view into the arena from where the horses enter.

The inaugural event was conducted in 1998 and was the brain child of Dirk & Sicca Dijkstra from the AEA Stud near Geelong. The EFA took over the running of the competition in 2000 and it has now become a highlight of the National Dressage Calendar.

For many competitors it has been a month almost entirely devoted to travel and living out of the horse truck. Even though the dedicated campaigners are weary and feeling the strain, there is a great feeling of optimism about the future of the sport. We have just witnessed the best ever PSI Dressage and Jumping with the Stars, with the quality of the horses coming up through the grades in both disciplines, outstanding.

We owe the development of Young Horse classes to the German, 5 times Olympian Dr Reiner Klimke, who got the concept started in the late 1980's. The concept has developed the sport of Dressage and helped to attract more people like breeders and owners of horses to young to be doing FEI work. This has created many commercial opportunities which have given people confidence in the viability of investing in the top bloodlines.

In Australia, we are now seeing the same growth and development in Dressage and the top placegetters were either imported or from imported horses. Most people acknowledge that Australia has made great progress since we have had better horses and I think it is safe to say, the best is still to come.

This years Champion of Champion was Donner Carina who was imported and owned by NSW Lawyer, Andrea Beatty and is trained and ridden by Judy Dierks. She is by Dormello from a Donnerschwee line mare. The compliant 'black chestnut' mare scored a sensational 8.36 in the first round and 8.18 in the second. She was beautifully behaved and a joy to behold.

A very happy Judy Dierks with Donner Carina and the sponsor of
the 5 YO class - Eva from 4 Aces.

The beautiful mare won the 5 YO class went on to be Champion of Champions. Donner Carina was imported by Andrea Beatty and impressed everyone with her delightful temperament and 'can do' approach to her work. She recorded sensational scores of 8.36 in round 1 and 8.18 for round 2. On percentages, she well deserved to the ultimate award.

Judy Dierks & Donner Carina

A delighted Judy Dierks and PSI De Caprio

The winner of the 6 YO class was the stunning PSI De Caprio by De Niro from a Sion line mare, he is also owned by NSW Lawyer Andrea Beatty. She imported the stunning gelding in 2003 and he has beenn in training with Judy Dierks since he arrived in Australia. He is full of nervous energy and presence ... but there was a little too much of exuberance today. He was third after the 1st round with a score of 7.70 and won the second round with 7.98.

Congratulations to Andrea - what beautiful horses you have ... and of course to Judy Dierks who is the ultimate professional when it comes to their training, presentation and competition succss. Judy looks sensational. She has been on a 'get fit and thin' campaign, and has come out on top - looking 15 years younger!

De Caprio would not stand for his indoor picture
but was more settled outside.

Judy had to muster all of her talent and expertise to get the most from De Caprio and at the presentation of awards after the second round, he would not settle or stand and Judy did well to stay on his big rears, which were quite awesome to watch. The horse has such perfect lines and this picture is to highlight the skill of the rider and and high 'mettle' of the world's best Dressage horses.

Judy told me, "Andrea is a little different to many owners ... she is a 'hands on' lady and the horses traveled to Melbourne in her truck and she had a helping hand in their preparation. She rides her horses as often as possible ... weekends or whenever and is great fun and easy to work with".

We have come to recognise that without something of a 'hot and reactionary' nature as youngsters, horses often lose their presence and expression. Well done Judy and Congratulations to his owner, Andrea Beatty.

The winner of the 4 YO class was Clyde Wunderwald's Greenoaks Weltman. The powerful colt is by his imported stallion, Man About Town (dec'd) from his imported Weltmeyer mare Weserfee. He scored 7.24 (4th) for his round 1 ride and 7.84 (1st) in the second round. Heath Ryan campaigned both the sire and the dam and now this youngster for the owner - who has brought some fantastic horses to Australia (he imported Donna Carrera, Greenoaks Dundee and Greenoaks Legend), so it was great to see him have success.

Clyde Wunderwald with class sponsor Joanne Everly from
Waterview Park, with Greenoaks Weltman and Heath Ryan.

Greenoaks Weltman and Heath Ryan.

There can only be one winner in each class and then and from such a quality field the judges has a very tough job. The winner of the first round in the 6 YO Class was Maree Tomkinson's outstanding imported stallion Rodrigo lll. The attractive, loose moving Rotspon stallion was clearly ahead after the first day's competition with 8.08 with Tasmanian, Sally Latona's PSI import, Fibonacci sitting in second place with 7.94 and De Caprio third on 7.70.

Maree Tomkinson and Rodrigo lll (by Rotspon)

The three class champions came out and PSI's Ulf Möller rode them to find his Champion of Champions. Ulf had a great ride on Greenoaks Weltman. It was easy to see that he was the baby of the group, but he was lovely and over the back and clearly showed us his future potential.

Donner Carina was a 'lady' in every way and got on with her job, no fuss and loads of talent. The beautiful mare was so calm and accepting with outstanding paces and rideability.

Ulf then had a short ride on De Caprio, who was 'quite over' the idea of being well behaved. He was fidgety and full of nervous energy ... but he looked gorgeous. The ride did not take very long and Ulf did not get much from the stunning gelding and said that he found it difficult to assess the as De Caprio was so unsettled.

The arena at Werribee Park looked fantastic and the D&JWTS Committee deserve a big pat on the back for conducting such a great competition. This effort has meant that when we ask the best judges and officials to Australia they are happy to come and their input has been a significant factor in our improvement! Well done.

I will be including my full pictorial report in a few days when I have finished processing all of the photos and collating the information.

Judy Dierks on the 2005 DWTS Champion of Champions