With 29 of Australia's loveliest 5 year old Dressage horses on display, it is no wonder that all of the seats are full and the crowd seems mesmerised by the display.  Unlike in the first year, all of the horses that took part in the 2002 event had to qualify in order to have their entry accepted.

Most Australian regional Dressage Clubs hold one or two competitions with specific classes which are known as Young Horse Qualifiers.  The horses get a chance to ride through the test that is set down for this final.  This procedure is a big improvement on the first and second years's DWTS,  when no qualification process was in place and all of the horses which were entered were accepted.  I think if my memory serves me correctly, about 160 horses took part in round one of the 3&4 year old classes.  When Isabell Werth was the riding judge, she commented that with this number of horses it becomes difficult to properly asses them, "In the end all you can see is legs" she said, "It is not fair of the horses"

The qualification competitions also ensure that these youngsters have been out at least a few times and should be a little more experienced at handling the excitement of lots of strange horses and a big crowd.  It is still a lot to ask, and as I said previously, all of the young horses were very well behaved and seemed to cope well.

Allambie Horse Wear make outstanding horse rugs for summer and winter.  Their Shadecloth Combis are an excellent way to keep the flies off and also stop your horse from getting sunburnt.  We are currently road testing one of these very well made rugs and will have the results available on The Virtual Equestrian very soon.

Trying out a new Peter Horobin saddle is part of the fun of coming to DWTS.  Peter and Julie attend most of the country's big events to make a personalised fitting possible.

The Werribee Park Equestrian Centre was quite a spectacle with an extensive Trade Fair with all kinds of merchandise ranging from the latest fashion trends in equestrian wear for both rider and horse, a wide range of feed products, saddlery, veterinary products, artworks and specialty nick knacks that would have ended up in some lucky person's Christmas stocking.  There was truly something for everyone.

Go to: Australian Young Dressage Championships Results | CDI-W Results
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