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Dressage & Jumping with the Stars
10th & 11th November 2006 Pictures by Berni Saunders |
Champion of Champions Report
As part of the evening program Hubertus Schmidt would ride the winners of all three age groups in order to decide the Champion of Champions. Hubertus said in his introduction, that HE would not be judging and the judging panel would be made up from the judges who had officiated in the first two rounds of the competition. The judges all contributed to the decision and obviously they were looking at how the horses performed with a new rider. They would also have taken into account just what level of work Hubertus was able to achieve in a very short time. I am sure that after watching Hubertus in action in his Masterclasses over the course of this event, that most of this audience of keen Dressage watchers would have expected to see him work his magic top horses of each age group. Because this part of the event was held after the sun set, the inadequate lighting of the Werribee indoor arena made motion shots which had to be taken from a good distance away, pretty difficult to get. A flash does not work at long distances and also would have frightened the horses.
The Judges for the 4yo class
Firstly Hubertus rode the 4 YO winner, the Prydes sponsored gelding Stylist, by Contango ll and from a TB mare. The horse was bred by his owner, Canberra district Veterinarian, Rebecca Walshe who said that she has done everything with her promising youngster since he was born. She has taken him quietly and would certainly be reflecting on the positive benefits of good care and management when considering how well he worked at this competition Today's enthusiast can easily over look the outstanding qualities of a good thoroughbred mare. Top breeders will say "you have to have good mares"! Here is Australia we are envied by the Europeans for our ready access to lovely TB's which are often available to us at a fraction of the cost of a purpose bred Warmblood/performance mare.
Those interested in lineage and 'nicks and crosses' can trace many of the world's most successful performance horses back to a strong TB line - notable is the fantastic stallion Purioso who goes back to the TB sire Furioso who is by the legendary 1030's stallion, Precipitation. Stylist is the fine type of 'modern sporthorse' that has gained popularity in recent years. Most people acknowledge that more women are keen dressage riders and for the smaller person, the old fashioned heavier type has presented lots of physical difficulties. I doubt there was anyone at the competition who would not have appreciated the elegant gelding with the lovely temperament and clear willingness to oblige.
Hubertus spent most of his ride quietly implementing the bending and suppleness exercises that we had watch at his three Masterclasses (Thursday night, the mini Masterclass on Friday and the main Masterclass on Saturday) For the 4 YO there were no fancy tricks just nice solid work that clearly gave the youngster confidence. It was a pleasure to see "the Master" at work. As mentioned Hubertus did not make a judgment, but he did comment favourably about the
Second ride for Hubertus was the powerful and mature 5 YO chestnut stallion Barjar Winston by Weltmeyer. Again we did not see any fancy tricks, but it was clear that Hubertus was keen to assess the horse's response to his seat and legs and also how the 5 YO winner accepted the influence of the reins. Having 'got the feel' Hubertus did not need to do much more he showed a measured approach which says, when these things are right the rest will follow on. Hubertus enjoyed his ride on the imposing Winston.
Hubertis ridinf Barjar Winston
The final ride for one of the most respected riders and trainers in the world - Hubertus Schmidt was the 2005 Champion of Champions, the elegant yet powerful mare Donner Carina. This mare would take some beating as she is the perfect all round Dressage horse. She has three outstanding paces which are made all the more pleasant by a perfect unwavering rhythm. The trot work score 8.00 and 7.9 in the first two rounds and would be considered a highlight of the work. Again Hubertus started out with the 'basic' exercises to ensure that he and Donner Carina were in tune and that he could get the response he was looking for. The 'black lover chestnut' mare flowed effortlessly and never faltered from her wonderful metronomic rhythm. Hubertus dismounted and confirmed what we had just all witnessed, a beautiful young mare with good potential for Dressage. He said that the only thing he would like to see if that the mare was a little more forward off the leg. Congratulations to Andrea Beatty who purchased the mare from PSI in Germany and Judy Dierks who has trained the horse right from the time she arrived in Australia. A great team effort.
Owner Andrea Beatty thanks her wonderful PSI mare Donner Carina and accepts Dr Ulf Mõller
PSI have been right behind this competition for a few years now and we have all learned so much from Dr. Ulf Mõller who has made the big trip to Australia each year and explained the German Young Horse system to us. I am sure he would have seen a huge improvement in the standard here since his early involvement. PSI are conducting their annual Performance Horse Auction on the 14th December - you might be able to find another Donner Carina if you visit their web site. A number of Australian horses have been sourced through PSI and it is easy to see that they have the advantage of systematic early work and many hundreds of years of purpose bred Dressage blood in their veins. Thanks to Dr Mõller and his Germany associates who support us each year and have helped us to raise the bar many notches.
After some chatting and comparing of notes - the Champion of Champions was announced - Donner Carina does is again. She is Dressage's Makybe Diva - what a girl. It is a thrilled Andrea Beatty and Judy Dierks who accept the award and they both acknowledge the wonderful mare herself.
The Champion of Champions received a fantastic Bates Innova saddle and a beautiful Mal Byrne bridle. In all my international travels I have never seen such gorgeous bridles as are made by Mal here in Victoria at his Werribee Park workshop and showroom.
The winner takes home a new Bates Innova Dressage Saddle
Both Andrea and Judy thanked everyone involved for a great event - and they thanked their lovely mare for the fun she had given them and Donner Carina's many fans.
Announcer Roger Fitzhardinge hands over to Judy Dierks to say a few words
I would like to acknowledge the thrill that we all experienced watching and hearing Hubertus. He was audible in his praise of the horses and you could see their expression soften and confidence build. What a nice man if only he lived here with us and could guide us through the times of change on a more permanent basis. It is not only the Elite riders who need the help of experts, we all could use the expert eye on the ground from a Riding Master of the calibre of Hubertus Schmidt. For most of us this all too brief meeting was just not enough.
I have many photos available, if you are interested in purchasing copies please e-mail Berni and I will send you the proofs.
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