DressageNZ Bulletin by DressageNZ Bulletin

Issue 03 | October 2016

From the

EDITOR

Wendy Hamerton WELCOME TO THE THIRD ISSUE OF THE DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN Well it might be the Oktoberfest 2016 in Munich but it’s surely going to be the Oktoberfest of Dressage in NZL. There’s always the buzz at the start of the new season to see who has bought a new horse, who is challenging themselves in a higher level? What’s been happening over winter? Riders start to hit the road going to the regional events looking forward to catching up with friends from other areas in the après arena truck merriment. South Canterbury/North Otago host the first southern RE at Winchester on 8/9 October. In the north, there are a number of LE in early October, then Equidays at Mystery Creek will occupy equestrian fans from 14/16. This “unmissable” event offers wide variety of dressage training presentations. Dressage NZ and Para Equestrian will be at Equidays Site P10. Come and see us - bring your questions. If you have a helmet that meets the new standards which will become effective 1st August 2017, bring that too and get you can get your official “red tag” The Boekmann Horse Floats North Island Championships at Taupo NEC over Labour Weekend are expected to be huge and then all roads lead to Manfeild for the Central Dressage Fest incorporating the FEI World Challenge, CDIW/Y and Central Districts Championships. The cost of running international events is ever increasing and it is not foreseeable that Dressage NZ could host a standalone CDI in the near future. We must however continue to be smart and find ways to offer these events in order that both riders and officials can maintain and improve their international rankings, and create a greater fan base. Last month I talked about team spirit. A new type of team spirit has emerged with a number of riders getting involved in fundraising projects for the October CDIW/Y and World Challenge. Thanks to you all. And speaking of teams - The Equitak Excel Area Team Challenge kicks of at the SCNO regional event alongside the Super 5 League. An exciting and innovative national competition that all areas can participate in. Read about it more in this issue. And I’ll leave you with this thought “Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect”

Wendy Cover Image: Sally Issac and Vincent St James Photo Credit: Jan Sutherland TaketheMoment

Editor: Wendy Hamerton Email: dressage@nzequestrian.org.nz Design and Production: www.snaffledesign.co.nz Graphic Design: Sarah Gray Email: sarah@snaffledesign.co.nz Sales & Advertising: Jeremy Gardiner Email: jeremy@snaffledesign.co.nz Copyright © Snaffle Design and Dressage NZ 2016

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CONTENT

VALE VINNY Vincent St James - The Kiwi Horse with the big heart...

PARALYMPIC WRAP UP

We celebrate the joy of the Paralympic dressage from Rio...

FEI WORLD DRESSAGE CHALLENGE

WHAT LIES BENEATH

The Strength and Conditioning Journey, Part 1...

A PERFECT TRANSITION

COMPETING IN YOUNG HORSE CLASSES

SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT INJURY

DRESSAGE WAIRARAPA

Young Waikato rider Caitlin DeLangen on her new mount, the German Riding Pony stallion Hilkens Denali...

A report from Melbourne Dressage and Jumping with the Stars...

by Dr Chris Rogers and Dr Erica Gee of Massey University ...

Katrina Watkins from Striding Images was out and about at the recent Wairarapa dressage day...

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 3

VALE VINNY - RIP 1993 - 2016

Vincent St James - The Kiwi Horse with the big heart

Vincent St James - a slightly quirky, but kind and gentle St James station bred gelding was dominant at Grand Prix level from 2005 - 2008 with Bill Noble and then continued his successful career with Sally Isaac. Born in 1993, he was bred by Paerata’s Diane and Rebecca Bush, by the thoroughbred stallion Wharfs Son out of Valea. He was bred to be a low to mid level eventer like his dam who won Pony Club Eventing champs three times with three different riders but that never eventuated. Bill Noble first saw him while judging a five year old young dressage horse class at Clevedon. “He roared around the arena in trot” says Bill “then disappeared in canter out of the arena at ‘A’ back to his truck. He reappeared to finish the test but unfortunately I had to eliminate him. It was a shame as he showed three nice paces, but was unrideable!” Soon after, Bill heard the horse was for sale, and so started another Grand Prix chapter in the Noble stable. “I always look at a horse with a view to training it to Grand Prix and Vinny felt really kind when I tried him. Kind, but difficult for quite a long time in his early training - he was working at level 5 before he did his first competition test that’s how long it took before he became rideable enough” When they progressed to Prix St Georges level, a new problem emerged namely the double bridle. “He would get his tongue between the bits and I had to abandon a few tests. He always hated the double but gradually became more and more settled in it. I used to have to ride him in the double every day for two months before the

big events. If I rode him in the snaffle he just became really resentful of the double again. It was such a shame for him snaffles were not permitted at this level as I don’t believe he really ever produced the work he was truly capable of in the double” Of his quirky nature, Bill says that Vinny’s head was often spinning with all sorts of ideas, but he was never anti and never said no. “He just sometimes got the wrong answer” he muses. “Our last Horse of the Year in 2008 was probably my saddest moment for the horse. He was showing some of his best work ever and then in the extended walk, they started playing Stand Up for the Champions for Mark Todd in the jumping arena next door. It was piaffe all over. I just felt so sorry for the horse” Bill just wishes he could have ridden Vinny better and have done greater justice to this horse that he describes as warm and generous In 2007 Sally Isaac’s father Derek had purchased Vinny from Bill, but leaving Bill with the ride. The grand plan being that he could be sold later for a profit! However as time went on, it became clear neither Sally nor Bill could bear to part with this wonderful horse, so in 2009 when Bill decided that Vinny had done all he could for him, he and Sally persuaded Derek to let Sally have the ride. Something perhaps he always knew that his daughter and Bill had up their sleeves! Vinny and Sally had many wins together during their time including placings at the Dressage Nationals and in 2011 won the CDN at Horse of the Year Show. By now he was eighteen, and whilst still fit and healthy, there was very little more could he do in the Dressage arena, so it was decided to retire him from that

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discipline. He spent the following year having fun in the show ring as a saddle hunter winning lots of ribbons with Sally and also her friend Vicki Knight. Over the past two years he had enjoyed being ridden by some of Sally’s pupils and going for hacks down the beach. Only days before his colic attack, Sally’s ten year old daughter Anna had started to ride him. “He was our once in a life time horse” said Sally. “ I don’t need to tell you what an amazing horse he was, he wasn’t the biggest, flashiest moving dressage horse we had ever seen. He was just an ordinary Kiwi horse with one of the biggest hearts in the world. I will never be able to thank him enough for the joy he gave both Bill and I and for what he taught us, all the high’s and the lows, the happiness and the tears, we shared them all. He had his quirks and funny ways but he always gave a 100%. To Bill and Felicity I owe you so much for allowing me to share this amazing boy with you. We will never be able to fill the hole he has left in our lives and he will always hold a special place in my heart. I want to thank my wonderful Dad for being silly enough to buy him for us!”

Vincent St James • BURKNER MEDAL NATIONAL GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIP 2007/08 • TIRONUI TROPHY GRAND PRIX FREESTYLE CHAMPIONSHIP 2007/08 • GRAND PRIX HORSE OF THE YEAR AND RIGOLETTO TROPHY FOR HORSE OF THE YEAR GRAND PRIX FREESTYLE AND 2005/07

Photo: Joan Gilchrist

Photo: Barbara Thomson

Photo: Libby Law

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 5

THE LONG ROAD HOME FROM RIO

Photo: Libby Law

Seven months ago, February 2016, the build up campaign for Rio selection began in earnest at the Bates Nationals for Julie Brougham and Vom Feinsten. The Olympics are over. Where to now? It’s not just a matter of everyone getting on a plane and coming home to Godzone. The special support team of husband David and coach Andrea are back home, as are family supporters, Nicholas and Nigel.

“I am very much looking forward to being back in this busy and vibrant yard, and catching up with friends Anna McIntyre, Peter Storr and Isobel Wessels who all have their horses agisted at Paunceford Court. In addition to the further training opportunities that are available to us in England, I am hoping I can entice Anna to come hacking with me down the country lanes!”

“ We (Steiny & I) would like to be home too” rues Julie, “but as you all know, Steiny is not allowed back into New Zealand for three months”. So this intrepid pair have embarked on yet another adventure taking them back to England and Paunceford Court in Gloucestershire - the home of Chris, Libby and Olivia Towers where they stayed on their initial arrival in the UK back in March.

Steiny commences quarantine in Newmarket in early October. Julie plans to spend a couple of days with him at the facility to ensure he is happily settled before heading home. Steiny will be in quarantine for three weeks before the very long flight to Melbourne via Amsterdam, Dubai and Singapore. Then he has another month of quarantine in Melbourne, and then finally he is allowed back into New Zealand!

THANKS TO EVERYONE FROM JULIE & STEINY “I would like to take this opportunity to again express my grateful thanks to all of you who have been such wonderful friends and supporters and have helped us in so many ways to achieve our goal of competing at the Rio Olympic Games. The wonderful messages, letters, gifts, even flowers – they were all so appreciated.

A huge thank you to our sponsors Prebble Equestrian, Totally Vets/Randlab and Kep Italia, Dressage NZ, the Charisma Trust, my own super Central Districts Dressage Group, all the other Dressage Groups who supported us, and to everyone who so generously donated to our campaign page and bid for Rio.

I am so indebted for the very much needed expertise of ESNZ’s High Performance team of Sarah Dalziell-Clout and Warrick Allan, and Dressage NZ Sport Manager, Wendy Hamerton. These people did a tremendous amount of work to enable a New Zealand rider to represent New Zealand at the Games. Media team Diana Dobson and Libby Law – you girls were fantastic too!

Thank you also to Lynley Schollum (‘Road to Rio’ facebook page), the Auction Team, Lynley Moroney, and Anna Gale who is doing such a grand job of looking after my other horses Furst Fellini and Hope for me in my absence.

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To Ton and Alexandra de Ridder, David, Nicholas and Katrina Brougham, and Andrea Raves, a special thanks. And lastly, but most importantly, ‘Steiny’, it wouldn’t have happened without you buddy!

THE CHARISMA TRUST SCHOLARSHIP The Scholarship is available to support the international development of a talented and committed New Zealand rider who is deemed to have the potential to represent New Zealand at Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, World Championship or World Equestrian Games competitions. The selected scholarship recipient will not have previously competed at this level. Prior to Rio Olympic Games the Charisma Trustees awarded the Charisma Trust Scholarship to Julie Brougham to support her training and International Competition experience. Julie represented NZ at Rio and shared a willingness to commit to the effort required

to successfully campaign at an internationally competitive level.

“We congratulate Julie on representing Equestrian Sport NZ professionally and acting as an ambassador for New Zealand, ESNZ and the Charisma Trust.”

Charisma Trustees • SIR MARK TODD • CHRIS HODSON QC • MRS JENNIFER MILLAR, CNZM

MATTHEWS ROSES Cath Matthews and Matthews Nurseries from Fordell near Wanganui also joined the support team for the Dressage NZ Rio fundraising effort by the production of the Grand Prix Special rose. Cath has had a life long association with horses and love of dressage. She first got involved when the late Pat Dalrymple convened the Bulls based Central Districts Dressage Group and went on to become Wanganui branch president, organising rallies and Lockie Richards courses. She chuckles as she recalls helping at the early Bulls tournaments. “There were tapes and electric fence standards for Africa! Bit of a “no no” nowadays”.

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Matthews were especially thrilled to be able to support a Central Districts rider. “I think Dressage NZ has done great job over last 30 yrs to get the sport to this level - it’s such an amazing sport with horses and riders seeming as one, and age is no barrier to a rider wanting to follow their dream. I watched Julie’s ride at Rio on TV and thought it was just marvellous - a super effort” Dressage NZ acknowledges Bob & Cath Matthews from Matthews Nurseries for their support of our 2016 Rio campaign. The Grand Prix Special rose is now available through garden centres

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: 1. Mitsuhide Miyaji JPN. 2. Lee Pearson GBR - Gold. 3. Susanne Sunesen DEN. 4. Anne Dunham GBR - Silver. 5. Alina Rosenberg GER. 6. Individual Freestyle Grade 1b Pepo Puch AUT - Silver. Stinna Tange Kaastrup DEN Bronze. Lee Pearson GBR - Gold. 7. Karolina Karwowska POL. 8. Anastasja Vistolova CZE. 9. Sophie Wells GBR Gold Medalist Grade IV. 10. Sophie Christiansen GBR. 11. Laurentia Tan SGP.

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GUEST COLUMN LYNDA CLARK Belonging to a community of people who share a common passion is what I love about dressage. This does not detract from the joy experienced on a daily basis from being and working with horses, having some magic moments, it adds to it. The journey has to be good, it is not all about the destination. My introduction to the world of dressage was awesome. Some years ago I very nervously went along to compete at Te Aroha Morrinsville Dressage Day. I experienced support, encouragement and help (and some yummy food). It meant that I felt confident to come back for more. I was introduced to training days, clinics, camps, scoring at club days, and much more. It was fun, supportive and I learnt a lot. Many of you will have had similar experiences. Sadly I also hear of riders, young and old, who don’t have quite that same experience. Going along to a local dressage day and being involved in any capacity; rider, writer, judge, OC, scorer or a supporter, needs to be a positive experience. Many things compete for our time, so ‘horsey’ and dressage time needs to align with our goals and values. There were some magic moments at Rio. Firstly, congratulations Julie, Steiny and team – you looked like you belonged and we felt so proud of your achievement. Two comparative situations that went viral through social media from Rio showed the importance of values and act as reminders of the significance of how we conduct ourselves. An article in the Washington Post stated that “Commercial sponsors’ dropped 12-time Olympic medal winner”. The theme of the article is the alignment between the values of a brand

and behavior demonstrated by the athlete and the mixed messages this would give. What will be remembered about this extremely talented athlete? The second incidence was listed as one of the seven greatest moments of the Rio Olympics. The act of kindness shown to New Zealand distance runner Nikki Hamblin by Abbey d’Agostino from the U.S.A. will be remembered. They didn’t win medals but will both leave Rio with something far more precious. How we behave, treat our horses and go about our business, is a demonstration of our working values. These will be noticed and will influence the health and growth of dressage. Why are values so important? They lay the very foundation on which all decisions rest and behaviours and attitudes are modelled. They will influence our own and others experiences. Dressage Growth Plan (2014-15) states its values as; Welfare of the horse, sportsmanship and fair play, rider centric, valued volunteers, enjoyment and fulfilment, trust, respect and integrity, leadership and teamwork, accountability. It is paramount that at Board, management and area group level we lead the way with this and I encourage you to ask how does this play out? The dressage community will have the opportunity early next year to be part of the review of the Strategic Plan and it will be timely to re-visit and update our Vision, Purpose and Values. I’m looking forward to it.

Lynda Clark

Dressage NZ Chair OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 11

NEWS

Corey Miln on Crystal Mt Xodo. Photo: Kendall Alice Photography

BATES SADDLES SUPPORTING SOUTH ISLAND TRAVEL FUND

Riverhead rider Greg Smith will be seen out and about this year on the Friesian stallion Crystal Mt Xodo. Their debut outing scheduled for the Cambridge Stallion parade in early September was thwarted by a young horse giving Greg a jolly good boot in the leg resulting in partner Corey Miln picking up the ride at short notice. “I couldn’t ride for several days” said Greg “and Corey didn’t want to let the team down”. Xodo has only been back in work for a few weeks following colic surgery just after Horse of the Year, but he had become established at Level 8 during the 15/16 season. Greg and owner Sandy Noguiera are looking towards Grand Prix when the horse’s fitness improves and the horse and rider establish a new partnership. Xodo is a Dressage NZ Stable of Stallions supporter.

Bates Saddles are again helping South Island riders get across the strait to compete at the Bates Nationals being held at Manfeild Park from 1-5 February 2017. Tickets are now available from area dressage groups for the “Bates Saddle of Choice” valued to maximum of $4,999. Dressage NZ has added a further three prizes of $100 Dressage NZ vouchers which can be used for the Freestyle Collection or horse/pony annual starts. Just $5 a ticket or $25 for a book of 6

HUBERTUS HUFENDIEK CLINICS Hubertus Hufendiek returns to New Zealand in December for courses in Hamilton (almost full), Nelson (spaces still available) and Christchurch (fully booked). Other courses may be possible if there is enough interest. Andrea is looking forward to seeing him follow up on his fantastic courses from last year. If you would like to know more please contact Andrea Raves on 021 474 609.

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CLEAN SPORT FEI President celebrates top equestrian sport and clean Games at Rio 2016 FEI President Ingmar De Vos had double cause for celebration after confirmation that all human and equine samples taken during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games had returned negative. “Keeping our sport clean is a central part of our daily work at the FEI, but to have back-to-back clean Games in London and Rio is something for any sport to be proud of, especially as we were testing for more substances than ever before”, the FEI President said today. “And that’s on top of absolutely brilliant equestrian sport in Rio, so we really have something to celebrate!” A total of 60 equine samples – 30% of the 200 competing horses – were tested during the Games. The samples were sent to the FEI’s Central Laboratory in Newmarket (GBR), one of the five FEI Approved Laboratories worldwide, with the final batch of results returned to FEI Headquarters this week. Human testing, which is conducted by the IOC during the Olympic Games, also returned 100% negatives for the equestrian athletes that were sampled.

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“We couldn’t have asked for more exciting sport and now to have confirmation that clean sport and fair play have also come out as winners is the icing on the cake! I couldn’t be happier!”

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 13

PRYDE’S EASIFEED FEI WORLD DRESSAGE CHALLENGE 2017 Friday 28th October at Manfeild Park

Selectors have named a full contingent of 40 combinations and reserves for the Pryde’s Easifeed FEI World Dressage Challenge. This event is a great international “starter” for selected riders, the majority of whom will have not yet experienced international rules and requirements such as the trot up. There are also a number of experienced riders bringing younger horses and looking to get an assessment from one of the world’s most experienced judges, Mary Seefried (AUS FEI 5*). Linda WarrenDavey (List 1 NZL) is the co-judge. The competition is divided into 5 levels and each country can decide the number of competitors they select for each level. It is not compulsory to nominate riders in every level. The five levels are: Riders 12-16yrs (approx Level 4 NZ) and for riders over 16, Medium (approx Level 4 NZ) Advanced (Level 5) Prix St Georges and for the first time Intermediate I. In previous years, the team result has been decided by adding together the scores of the four riders nominated for the team. This did tend to give some advantage to countries who nominated lower level horses given it is easier to get higher scores at 14 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

Preliminary than Prix St Georges. That has now all changed percentages from the four nominated riders are still added, but Advanced carries a coefficient of 1.5 and PSG and Int I both have a coefficient of 2. So a rider in PSG scoring 65% will earn 130pts for the team score. Individual and team world rankings are established. The 2016 Challenge finishes at the end of December. NZL riders have the opportunity to compete alongside a much wider range of other FEI federations under the new format With 11 of the 43 challenges completed to date, current individual leaders are Int I: Sandra Sysojeva (LTU)Furst 68.947 (11 starters) PSG: Sandra Sysojeva (LTU) Furst 70.666 (12 starters) Advanced: Line Moen (UAE) Al Khattar W’rsan 69.392 (29 starters) Medium: Pia Kjellstrom (UAE) San Diamond 73.594 (73 starters) Junior: Vanda Ljolje (CRO) Ashen Dew-Drop (47 starters)

NZL SELECTIONS Pryde’s Easifeed Junior 12 - 16yrs

Heritage Equine Advanced

Reserves In Order:

Belladonna MH - Julie Flintoff

Revelwood Smash It - Samantha Jones

Amador - Madison Schollum

Dante MH - Hannah Burden

Runanuku R or Leandro - Angela Lloyd

Amillion MVNZ or Whistledown Kristopha Alison Addis

Donatello MH - Wendy Skelton

Northern Ivanthus - Frankie Webb

Buckton Denniston - Meila Picard

First Impression - Lisa Blackbourn

My Shadze Of Grey - Victoria Middleton

Fortunato - Tessa Van Bruggen

Sanderson - Amy Nicholls

Georgio - Jacqui Thompson

Double Magic - Debra Cowen

Kozee - Alena Dorotich Prima Bella - Isabella Chatfield Prima Magneto - Lilly Jefferies Sherwood Travel Man - Samuel GradowskiSmith Wembleybrook Sergio - Morgan Beere Woodlands Park Light O’Day - Rebecca Aplin

Equissage Medium Alamo BL or Kinnordy Golda - Sophie de Clifford BL All By Chance - Renee Etherington Giuliani - Abbie Deken Hapsburg PSH - Liz Hutson Kirkwood Greenlight - Willa Aitken Salute - Lucy Robertshawe Sisters II Etta J - Chelsea Callaghan Sonic Spirit - Sharlene Royal (Res New World Frankie J/ADV) Stoneylea Lord Locksely - Christine Weal Windermere J Obèi W - Melissa Galloway (Res Windermere Johanson W/ADV or Zeilinger/PSG )

Letty Lei - Victoria Wall NRM Andreas or NRM KH Arion Vanessa Way (Res NSC Pronto/MED) Vollrath Latimer - Rochelle Speirs Wolkenstein BC - Louise Duncan

Syncroflex FEI Prix St Georges Astute - Toni Louisson Avante Garde (or INT I) - Greg Smith Besonders - Robyn Coupe Donnerheim - Vanessa Fenemor Lindisfarne Laureate - Rosanne Rix Playmate - Louisa Ayres

Images (from left to right):

Quality Presentations FEI Intermediate 1

Hannah Burden - Dante MH (MED) Libby Law

Dancealong - Susan Tomlin (Res Reflexions/ MED) Hollywood Superstar - Siobhan Fauth Lingh II - Alex Matheson Parkridge Disco SW - Sheena Ross

Dressage NZ sincerely thanks the naming rights and class sponsors for the event, Walton Dressage Stables (Kieryn Walton) for their sponsorship of the best presented prizes for Junior, Senior and overall and GC Equestrian for sponsoring presentation rugs.

Lilly Jefferies - Primo Magneto (Junior) Striding Images Victoria Wall - Letty Lei (ADV) Confectionary Images Rebecca Aplin – Woodlands Park Light O’Day (Junior) Libby Law

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 15

Jody Hartstone and Ali Baba Photo: Libby Law

MANFEILD HOST PACIFIC LEAGUE QUALIFIER The introduction of a third international event to the 2016 FEI calendar has been a brave move by Dressage NZ in an international climate where a number of events have been cancelled world wide most OC’s citing lack of financial backing. This of course is also true of the World Equestrian Games, the next global pinnacle event which was scheduled for Bromont in Canada for 2018, and now looking for a new home via the FEI bidding process But this new event was a “must do” for NZL to maximise opportunities for home based riders to qualify for the Pacific League World Cup Final next February at Manfeild, and in addition both the CDIY and CDIW give riders a chance to improve their world rankings. “To be able to combine these events with both the Pryde’s Easifeed FEI World Dressage Challenge

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and the Central Districts Championships gave us the opportunity to rationalize costs and maximise resources and use of international officials for a wide range of competitors” said Dressage Sport Manager Wendy Hamerton. “The support of major sponsors for the event have made it all a reality. A huge thanks to Pryde’s Easifeed, Kieffer/Equiscan, Heritage Equine, Equitak Excel and the Southern Trust. Competitors have also been quick to back the event which is hugely gratifying for the organisers. Tracy Smith from Royston Equestrian donated a service to GT Jake, Jody Hartstone from Hartstone Equestrian donated a horse behaviour information and education evening, Jon from Team Williamson a Musical Freestyle compilation, and Wendi Williamson, Vanessa Way and Penny Castle each donated two lessons.’

CENTRAL DRESSAGE FESTIVAL

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» PRYDE’S EASIFEED FEI WORLD DRESSAGE CHALLENGE - FRI 8AM » HERITAGE EQUINE & PRYDE’S EASIFEED CDI-Y YOUNG RIDER - FRI/SAT 5PM » KIEFFER, EQUISCAN & EQUITAK EXCEL CDI-W GRAND PRIX - FRI/SAT 6PM » CENTRAL DISTRICTS DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS - FRI/SUN, SAT NIGHT MUSICAL FREESTYLE ENTERTAINMENT

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OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 17

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EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO NZ RIDERS The Saddlery Warehouse is leading a change in the Equestrian Industry by making available the latest in European technology in saddle fitting available in all their stores throughout New Zealand.

The most accurate horseback measurement system, Equiscan, is now available to precisely measure the back of the horse, a critical component in getting the perfect saddle fitting. The Saddlery Warehouse have also arranged for the exclusive availability of the world renowned Kieffer brand which is particularly recognised in the Dressage community to provide the optimal riding solution – the best saddle fitted perfectly. Alicia Collins was one of the first riders in New Zealand to experience the new offer and had this to say – “I have been a Kieffer addict for some time, always disappointed that it wasn’t available in New Zealand. I appreciate more and more the importance of saddle fitting. I am a big believer in the use of Science and technology, and Equiscan is both of these things. I can’t imagine a system better than this” “When my new Kieffer Luisitano saddle made for Leo Donna using Equiscan technology was placed on her back, it literally fitted like a glove. It was amazing. The change in Leo Donna on her first

ride was extremely noticeable, she was far softer and fluid in her movement than she had ever been before. Her flying changes are now clean and uphill, whereas before, they were always a bit touch and go. Pretty amazing.” Peter Thorowgood (SW MD) and Warren Brewin (CEO) discovered the system on the annual trip to Spoga and decided to revolutionise the Industry by bringing the successful proven technology in Europe to New Zealand. An agreement was put in place with Equiscan and two staff from Germany came to New Zealand to train staff from every outlet in the New Zealand operation, to ensure the process is followed correctly to eliminate guess work from the fitting procedure. Each Equiscan measurement provides a 98 point topographic picture of the Horses back which is communicated directly to Kieffer via an on line platform. Kieffer in turn reproduce the saddles back on a specially designed Equiscan saddle stand at their factory in Hamburg Germany, and custom make the saddle

to precisely fit the horse. This system is effectively operating in the Kramer stores throughout Europe and Kramer now have 30 stores. The Kieffer staff, Anna and Annette, arranged for the introduction to Kieffer on their visit to New Zealand and after some negotiation this iconic brand is now exclusively available throughout the 13 stores in New Zealand and Mail order. If the product is available ex stock Germany the entire process is completed within 3 weeks and the new saddle fitted to the horses and customers delight. Kieffer and Equiscan, in conjunction with the Saddlery Warehouse will be sponsoring the FEI Dressage World Cup Qualifier at Manfeild from October 28 to 30, and will have the Kieffer range and the Equiscan system available for those that want to upgrade to the latest and greatest technology available For more information readers can follow the You Tube link https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=dt74sMtqX0w

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 19

DRESSAGE WAITEMATA RIDER PROTOCOL DAY Dressage Waitemata organised a protocol day for riders after Robin Potter and Judith Cunningham were “spurred” into action after the panel discussion held at the Committee Meeting day of Dressage NZ Conference in June. The area is very fortunate to have these two Judge Mentors, and so it was relatively easy to set this day up as part of our annual winter training sessions. The judge mentors worked together with a trainer, Jill Flyger. Jill trains local riders and has mentored her daughter Chanel from lead rein ponies through to Prix St Georges on two different horses. She has trained many horses for herself over the years, currently rides at PSG level and also has a very nice young horse in the early stages of training. The format of the day was structured so each rider was allocated 40 minutes. They worked- in alone, as they would at a competition, then rode their test. Both judges scored it – and Jill, the trainer, watched and listened. The judges made comments after the test and then Jill took the rider aside to work on a

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few key areas. The rider then rode the test again, it was scored again, and final comments were given to the rider. The first three basics of the training scale were kept firmly in mind in discussions and in the training tips Jill gave. She also worked on horse and rider posture, which with all the riders, made quite noticeable improvements. There ended up being too many applicants for the available places which were limited to 10 for the day. The riders rode the “C” test of their choice and there was a mix from Level 1 up to Level 5. It meant for a very full day for the facilitators, but it was such a beautiful sunny spring day that it went by very easily! Overall the day was a resounding success with the riders ALL improving by at least a mark in most movements, and generally gained a mark more in each of the final assessment summing up marks. As the format was so popular, the group will look at holding another day for the riders who missed out and others who are keen.

THOROUGHBREDS IN EQUESTRIAN SPORT PRIZE MONEY 1st $1000, 2nd $650, 3rd 450, 4th $250 5th $100, 6th $50 NZ Thoroughbred Racing is again supporting a national series for registered thoroughbred horses competing in dressage competitions. The 2016/17 Ties Series will be contested in graded classes at Regional Events, and Island & National Championships, beginning with SCNO on 8/9 October and finishing at SI Champs 10/12 February. Points allocation will stop from this date. As it is the horse who earns the points, not the combination, the horse can be competed

Competing a registered thoroughbred? This competition is for you with $2500 prize money on offer...

by different riders at different events and still accrue all points earned. The TiES Competition starts from the October being the first Regional Qualifying Dressage Show of the season and ends on the 12th of February 2017 at the SI Champs POINTS ALLOCATION Points will be based on the following table and percentage scored. In the event of a tie then the placings shall be decided by a count back of the highest placings of the rounds that incurred points for the season.

Percentage

Points

Level 1-3

Level 4-5

Level 6-9

57 – 59.99%

60 – 64.99%

65 to 69.99%

70% plus

It is anticipated that the series prize giving will take place during the 2017 Horse of the Year.

Equitak Excel teaming up with Dressage NZ this season means exciting new opportunities for all levels of our sport.

EQUITAK EXCEL SUPPORTS AREA TEAM CHALLENGE, GRAND PRIX AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT The Equitak Excel Area Team Challenge is an innovative and exciting new concept on our competition calendar. The Area Team Challenge will run alongside the Super 5 League. As combinations earn points in the Super 5 League, they will also earn points for their Area Dressage Group. At the end of the season, the area with the most points will receive a winner’s cash prize of $1500 which will support a dressage development project in that area. The winning area will also receive the Equitak Excel Area Team Challenge trophy at the annual awards dinner and all riders who have contributed to the winning score will receive an Equitak

team rosette. Riders must compete for the Area Group they reside in as defined by ESNZ boundaries. The winning area will be required to submit their plan to Dressage NZ for approval. Equital Excel will have naming rights of the project. Pacific League Final Qualification for Grand Prix Riders. Equitak Excel are the naming rights sponsor for the Grand Prix class at the October CDIW. This third CDIW on the 2017 calendar is vitally important to get as many NZL based riders as possible qualified for the Pacific League Final in February. This support is essential to the success of this event.

First up for the Youth Development, will be support for the Young Rider Talent ID Clinics in Christchurch and Taupo. These clinics are integral components of the Dressage Performance Pathway helping young riders understand more about dressage, horses and their own responsibilities as an athlete. Aligning with this support of our youth programme, Equitak Excel is the naming sponsor for the CDIP (Pony International) Freestyle at Manfeild in February. This is the first time a CDIP has been scheduled for NZL and is recognition of the standard of pony dressage now being achieved

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 21

Have you ever joked that your horse eats better than yourself? We are very pleased to have Fitfood joining us as monthly contributors, sharing tips and ideas for how we can add that little bit more spark to our training and performances through wholesome, simple nutrition.

HEALTHY EATING, NOT JUST FOR HORSES

Spring, it’s already upon us and that means for those of us who haven’t exactly had the fittest and leanest of winters the mad rush is on to whip ourselves into a semblance of summer shape. The days are getting longer and the nights are getting warmer and this means the swimsuit/ white breeches season is looming. So, here’s what I thought I’d discuss this month, the importance of not just what you eat but when you eat. We all have an idea of what we think is good nutrition, however, with the star rating and big company marketing things start falling into a bit of a grey area. For example, there are big name companies that would have you believe that their cereal is perfect for the on the go people because it is rated highly on the good health star chart, but what they fail to mention is that it is man-made, thus far removed from our natural food source, and it is definitely high in either sugar or fats because the

star system works on an overall rating not the actual nutritional content or value of food. Thereby creating a false confidence in a food that isn’t really a food at all. So, that leaves us with what foods do we eat? Well, let’s start with what foods to avoid, simple sugar is the number one culprit when it comes to weight gain. Simple sugars are basically refined sugar products, such as white, raw, icing sugars and the man made foods such as cereals and soft drinks that have extremely high sugar contents. Without going in to a long winded explanation as to why simple sugars are bad, they are basically empty calories with no nutritional content that also wreak havoc on the pancreas and insulin release. These are to be avoided at all costs. Next on the bad food hit list is saturated fats. Yes, we do need a certain amount of saturated fat for normal hormone regulation but that amount is very small. On the other hand, not all fats are bad, mono and polyunsaturated fats are what we call good fats and are essential in maintaining optimal health and actually aid in fat loss! Lastly, and

possibly the easiest food types to avoid are highly processed, canned or packaged foods, especially processed meats! So, back to what foods should we eat, ideally the foods closest to nature are optimal for us to consume, things such as lean meats (chicken breast, turkey, lean red meat, fish), complex carbohydrates (sweet potato, wholegrain rice, oats), good fats (avocado, whole eggs, olive oils), fruits and of course vegetables. A varied diet is key so that you don’t only give yourself all the macronutrients you need but also all the micronutrients and vitamins that the body needs for optimal function. Eating this way not only gives a better body, but more importantly guarantees mental clarity, increased energy, better sleep, faster metabolism, stronger bones and less slumps in the middle of the day from bad eating habits. Now we know what foods to avoid and what foods to eat, the next question is, meal timings. There are certainly optimal meal timings to ensure the best uptake of nutrients. Let’s start with breakfast. Definitely DO NOT skip this meal. This

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22 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

“Dinner should be lower in carbohydrates because as we near the end of our day we no longer need the fuel to keep us moving...”

ideally needs to be consumed within an hour of rising. This meal as the name implies is the first meal since breaking your nightly fast (sleep) and is the most important meal of the day. This needs to be a full balanced meal with all food groups included, complex carbohydrates, lean protein, healthy fats and fruits. For people whose lives are super busy and claim that they just cannot find the time to whip up an egg white omelette with a side of fruit and wholegrain organic oats the answer is simple, breakfast smoothies. This is an easy way to cover all your nutritional needs. The majority of studies show that grazing on small amounts is the better way to fuel the body instead of the traditional 3 meals per day, so ideally, having a smaller breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacking on healthy foods

between meals is the best way to ensure a steady stream of energy and mental acuteness. Easy snacks are low fat Greek yoghurt, a small handful of a raw nut mix and fruit or vegetables like carrots (horses love them!). The other thing to remember with meal timings is the types of food you eat at the right times. For example, breakfast and lunch needs a full mix of all your macronutrients, however, dinner should be lower in carbohydrates because as we near the end of our day we no longer need the fuel to keep us moving and we can lessen the intake of these and increase our vegetable and healthy fat intake to keep hunger satiated. As you can see there is a lot that goes in to good nutrition and this article would cover the entire magazine if we

went in depth with this, however, this is where FitFood can come in helpful, for all you busy people trying to balance family, work and your passion for all things equine. If you don’t have the time to shop, prepare, cook, clean and learn all the dos and don’ts of healthy eating let us do it all for you. We have taken the time and energy to map out a huge range of healthy meal options, from breakfast smoothies, lunch salads, right through to roast dinners. We have 26 gourmet meals, 15 different pre-set 6 packs, 6 super smoothies, 4 family packs and over 1000 ways to customise your own menu, all designed by nutrition specialists, cooked with love by amazing health food chefs and delivered right to your door ready to just heat and eat. No mess, no fuss and no worries and all in portioned controlled sizing. The one last final point that I must stress is don’t forget good old fashioned water, at least the old 8 glasses a day and no matter how healthy the food any excess consumption will lead to weight gain. So there it is for another month, happy competing everyone!

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 23

WHAT LIES BENEATH

Article by Debbie Rolmanis Photo provided by Hayley Beresford

The Strength and Conditioning Journey, Part 1

Debbie Rolmanis, founder of db Muscle Therapy is a fully qualified Personal Trainer, Human Sports Massage Therapist and Equine Sports Therapist. Debbie holds a BSc (Equine), BHSAI, Diplomas in Human Personal Training and Sports Therapy and Equine Sports Therapy, all gained in the UK. Debbie currently works/lives in the UK, with regular trips to clients in Germany including successful Grand Prix rider Hayley Beresford. www.dbmuscletherapy.com

Strength and Conditioning the dressage horse is often overlooked by riders and coaches as training tends to focus on the acquisition of skill, rather than the impact each session might be having on the body. The truth is, every step your horse takes has the potential to either positively or negatively impact his body. The form/ posture he is ridden in each day will impact not only how well he will ‘acquire skill’ or learn a movement, but also how sound he will be able to stay. Building an athlete requires a much more comprehensive approach than being completely skill focused. Let us look for a minute at the fastest man in the world; Usain Bolt. He makes running 100m in sub 10 seconds look like it requires no effort at all. What we see is him running 100m in under 10 seconds. What we don’t see is how he has made that possible. It is the same with the top equestrians. We see the end product and marvel at their skill, finesse and apparent ease with which they perform a GP test. What we don’t see is the road they have taken to get there. Mechanically, the engineering of Usain Bolt’s framework (skeleton) enables him to have a naturally higher aptitude for running than say, me. However, this doesn’t mean that his training consists only of nurturing that skill, he has to strengthen and condition the structures that will set that skill on fire.

24 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

Tennis players; they absolutely have to practice their actual shot making skills, but they also have to spend hours in the gym/ away from the court so they can actually get to the right place to get the racket on the ball. The dressage horse needs to learn a huge array of skills, but the application of each skill is only possible if the body has been strengthened and conditioned in the right way.

SO WHAT IS STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING? The science of athletic strength and conditioning serves to improve the functioning of the body as a complete unit. The main components of strength and conditioning, according to exercise science to be developed upon a strong foundation, are: • Strength: The force exerted by a muscle against a resistance • Power: Maximum muscular contraction in an explosive burst of movement • Agility: explosive power movements in quick succession • Balance: the ability to control the position of the body • Flexibility: Ability to achieve maximum range of movement • Local Muscle Endurance: the ability of a single muscle to perform sustained work • Cardiovascular Endurance: the ability of the heart to deliver blood to working muscles • Strength Endurance: the ability of muscles to perform a maximum contraction again and again • Co-ordination: the ability to integrate all of the above! The aim of training the dressage horse should be to increase the capacity of these 9 components and this can only happen if the body has a strong infrastructure. This starts with Phase 1; the strength and integrity of the joints, which is the purpose of this article and will be explored in more detail below.

THE FRAMEWORK The foundation of strength and conditioning lies in the framework of the horse; the skeleton. It is the scaffolding upon which the power houses of locomotion will be built. What you see from the outside is completely dependent on this framework; you cannot build a castle on weak foundations.

HERE’S HOW: Biomechanic and Strength/Conditioning Training Principles and Non-Negotiables Every step your horse takes will have a strength and conditioning impact on his body. You will either be strengthening from a place of alignment and building a sound horse, OR you will be strengthening into a dysfunction and therefore making the dysfunction stronger. Which one you are doing depends on whether the horse is in the correct biomechanical position or not.

STRAIGHTNESS To be biomechanically sound, the horse must travel with his shoulders in front of his hind quarters to ensure the joints are aligned and in a position to receive appropriate amounts and direction of load. Unfortunately, horses and riders are naturally crooked, which means the horse will tend to travel with an uneven load through each side of the body. Ultimately, one hind leg will not be travelling underneath the body, which means it won’t be dealing with as much load, and therefore it will not be strengthening. This strengthens the dysfunction of a weak hind leg scenario, of which everyone is so familiar! This is why straightness should be a key focus of each step the horse takes, and is a key staple of strength and conditioning work.

NECK POSITION; ALLOW THE JOINTS TO MOVE Ligaments are only able to strengthen if they are allowed to move and to actively resist load. The positioning of the horses’ neck has a direct impact on how the joints are able to operate. We are all familiar with the horse needing to be stretched over the top line and into a neck that is seeking the contact forwards, but do we really know why?

As with any machine (man made or animal) that requires mobility, it is the joints that enable motion to take place. Joints rely on a strong support network of soft tissue structures to maintain the joint’s integrity throughout each phase of movement. The architecture of each joint in the horse depends on where it is located in the body as this will determine how much load it has to take, the amount of energy it has to transmit and the range of movement it has. The purpose of phase 1 of strength and conditioning training is to strengthen the soft tissue support network at each joint by ensuring they receive the correct mechanical input. That means each joint has to be moved within its range of movement, with the right amount of load and the right direction of load.

Diagram courtesy of Dr Gerd Heuschmann

This diagram represents the correct posture that a young OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 25

‘There is a magic potion that nobody wants to drink. It is called Patience’

horse, a horse returning from injury/time off, and one in need of postural re-education should be adopting in his work. This position works in harmony with the natural engineering of the horses’ skeletal system and from a biomechanical perspective, it is the only position which enables the horse to cope with the riders’ weight on top of his vertebrae. In this posture, the horse is able to move the joints of the limbs in a safe, controlled and aligned manner, which will provide the input needed to strengthen. For the spine, having a rider sitting on top of the delicate spinous processes of the vertebrae makes this area very vulnerable to pain and dysfunction, particularly when the horse is worked in a hollow posture. To support the vertebrae, small and deep stabilizing muscles must be activated, which only happens when the core is engaged. Fortunately, we are able to recruit an inbuilt system which involves the Nuchal Ligament; a fibrous ligament which runs from the poll to the sacrum. When the head and neck are lowered, this cord is under stretch, widening the gap between the spinous tips and allowing the core to lift. This provides a two-fold bonus for the horse as his core can start to support the spine as it copes with the load from above, and the vertebrae are being held in a healthy position. If the neck is held in a high and shortened posture by the rider, it immediately renders the nuchal ligament system useless. The stretch of the top line has been severed, so the back has not been lifted and the core is not engaged. The horse now has to brace his back against the riders’ weight. With a hollow back and the belly in the way of the hind legs, the horse cannot step underneath himself. The braced back means that the limbs start to act as pogo sticks, sending too much concussive force through the joints and disabling the body’s ability to work at its optimum; both in movement and comfort. When the training of a skill/movement ignores the nonnegotiables of biomechanics, the horse suffers from negative mechanical input. Working in this way means that every step takes the horse closer to becoming unsound.

Diagram courtesy of Dr Gerd Heuschmann.

Poor posture showing a negative impact on strength and conditioning. Hollow back, pelvis rotated forward, compressed vertebrae and hind legs unable to step under.

LONG AND LOW; A WORD OF CAUTION Correct ‘long and low’ is incredibly difficult to master. It is only of benefit when there is an actual stretch of the top line of the horse and a lifting of the underside. In order to achieve true stretch, there has to be some sort of opposing forces; in the horse this means that the hind end has to be rounded, lowered and the hind legs must step under the belly with joints bending and being loaded. With this ‘anchor’, the top line can be stretched into a contact. A horse trotting around with its head by its knees without any contact and with the hind legs in the next county is receiving negative mechanical input to the framework. An overloading of the forelimbs and a hollow back means that the hind legs are not being strengthened and all that is happening is poor posture is being confirmed. When it comes to your own horse, it is essential to remember what you are achieving every day at home. Every time you ride, you should be thinking about the posture your horse is in and what impact it might be having on his body. Correct strength and conditioning training occurs through methodical, slow, thoughtful steps. Every horse must be allowed the time to build the framework/scaffolding that will give him the base for building muscular strength, power, agility and all the other components of strength and conditioning. By working him in such a way, he will develop control over his body so that he gains confidence in his work, avoids injury and develops his skill. ‘There is a magic potion that no body wants to drink. It is called Patience’ Next month we look at Phase 2; Strength and Conditioning of the Muscles!

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FROM THE JUDGES BOX Article by Sue Hobson - Judges Officer

August has been a hectic month. The Judges Subcommittee have just completed a new Power Point Presentation for all Mentor judges which will enable them to take Clinics for the List 5, 4 and 3 judges. This will hopefully ease some pressure for Areas getting this ticked off for their judges’ upgrading. This new format was trialled recently with over 20 judges and it was extremely well received. It will give our judges more

opportunities to receive more education without having to travel too far. Higher listed judges (List 2 and above) will have to still attend the relevant clinics for their level but these lower level clinics will enable more judges to have more discussion around the country. Another initiative to help train judges and riders from Waitemata Area was to run a Protocol Day in their Area. The day was reported as a huge success and it is hoped

that more Areas will hold these days to build a stronger communication between judges, trainers and riders. These types of days can only help us move forwards with a better understanding of where our roles lie and how we can help each other. Leonie Coker and Tracey Johnson have recently returned from their Exchange trip to Queensland and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

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A VISIT TO JEREZ Southland rider and dressage fan Lucy Collings recently enjoyed a European tour which included took in Aachen CHIO, Jerez, Hickstead and Ireland The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez (southern Spain) proved to be experience of a life time.

28 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

“The stallions were well mannered, not one put a foot out of line or called out, and there was an air of calmness, which was lovely.” got the general idea. On another arena a young colt was being worked and was putting on quite a rodeo display. He was very enthusiastic and the green shirted chap holding the end of the line was also getting a fairly good work out ! The horse was being encouraged to go in a frame with a rope arrangement which seemed to be around the girth area, through the front legs to the bit and over the poll. He accepted it quickly and gave up bucking after a time and settled in to do some nice work. At the same time this was happening there was another horse being ridden and yet another in a carriage. They all kept out of each other’s way and were no issues.

Founded in 1973, the establishment is a working school dedicated to the preservation and promotion of classical dressage, working equitation, carriage driving and tack making. The large site includes a botanical garden containing many fine trees, lawns, and a sumptuous palace which over looks a fountain. There is large indoor riding school which is used for training, and where the shows are held, as well as two comprehensive museums, one showcasing equestrian art, and the other for carriages. Attached to the school are the stallion barns where 60 of the horses are housed, with more horses located in outdoor stables. All the horses in the main barns are PRE stallions. The breeding mares and foals are kept on farms in other locations. There are 14 professional riders who wear blue shirts, apprentices wear green and pupils wear white shirts. The School offers courses that run for two weeks, but to be accepted there are two exams to pass, and a further requirement is to be able to speak Spanish. The working tack room was fascinating, like a show room, with each horse having its own gear which is cleaned after each ride by the grooms. The horses are ridden for about 30 minutes a day and no work happens after 1pm in summer as it is just too hot. The schooling we were able to observe on the outdoor arenas included a pupil working on lateral movements. The coach was very flamboyant and even though I didn’t understand what he was saying, it was fun to watch. Just by the gestures one

It was permissible to use a camera outdoors but not in the indoor school, where we went next to see another training session. Several horses and riders worked in this 20mx 60m arena, some ridden and others inhand. What was obvious was the total focus of the riders, and the courtesy shown to each other. What also stood out was the absolute discipline of these horses. Obedience and a very rapid response to a request appears to be a non negotiable. All horses we saw in this particular session wore double bridles or similar, not a snaffle in sight. Riders all wore spurs and carried whips. The stallions were well mannered, not one put a foot out of line or called out, and there was an air of calmness, which was lovely. All the horses were immaculately presented, as were the riders, some of whom had long fringes on their boot zips. The following day we saw the Show which has travelled to many countries of the world. It was slick, professional, and supported by an excellent sound system. First up was a pair of horses and riders with lances showing the teamwork required to work with wild cattle. The speed at which they could stop, start and turn was amazing. Next a girl on a lovely grey horse demonstrated a series of grand prix moves, the work being soft, and pleasing to watch. The carriage horses followed, and then several horses in long reins, and others working in hand, doing the airs of the Haute Ecole. To see the levade, pausade, cabriole and courbette was unforgettable. The piece de resistance was the final act with 10 horses and riders in a brilliantly choreographed display from which arises the name of the production “How the Andalusian Horses Dance”. It was along way to travel to see the show but it was an experience of a life time. More information can be found at www.realescuela.org OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 29

KEY DRESSAGE EVENTS 2016/17 NORTH ISLAND RE, ICH & INT EVENTS 2016/17

Venue

22/24 Oct

Boeckmann Horse Floats NI Champs

Taupo NEC

ICH

Qualifiers Y

28 Oct

Pryde’s Easifeed FEI World Dressage Challenge

Manfeild Park

INT

28/29 Oct

Kieffer/Equiscan CDIW & Heritage Equine CDIY

Manfeild Park

INT

28/30 Oct

Central Districts Dressage Champs

Manfeild Park

11/13 Nov

Dressage Waikato Festival

Kihikihi

12/13 Nov

Wellington Dressage Champs

Masterton

19/20 Nov

Gisborne Dressage Champs

Gisborne

27/28 Nov

Northern Hawkes Bay Dressage Champs

Hastings

3/4 Dec

Southern Hawkes Bay Dressage Champs

Dannevirke

9/11 Dec

Waitemata Dressage Champs

Woodhill Sands

17/18 Dec

Taihape Dressage Champs

Taihape

13/15 Jan

Taranaki Dressage Champs

Hawera

14/15 Jan

Northland Dressage Champs

Whangarei

20/22 Jan

Auckland-Manukau Dressage Champs

Clevedon

21/22 Jan

Wairarapa Dressage Champs

Masterton

1/5 Feb

Bates National Championships CDIW/Y/P

Manfeild Park

NCH/INT

1/4 Feb

Pacific League World Cup Final

Manfeild Park

INT

7/12 Mar

Horse of the Year Show

Hastings

NCH/INT

1/2 April

Equestrian Entries U25 Youth Champs

Taupo NEC

NCH

AMS only

SOUTH ISLAND RE, ICH EVENTS 8/9 Oct

South Canterbury / North Otago Dressage Champs

Winchester

12/13 Nov

Otago Dressage Champs

Mosgiel

19/20 Nov

Ashburton Dressage Champs

Ashburton

3/4 Dec

Canterbury Dressage Champs

McLeans Is NEC

9/11 Dec

Southland Dressage Championships

Gore

21/22 Jan

Malborough Dressage Champs

Blenheim

28/29 Jan

Nelson Dressage Champs

Rough Island

10/12 Feb

SI Dresssage Champs

Gore

ICH

8/9 April

Festival of Future Stars Championships

Canty Ag Park

Y (YDH only)

QUALIFICATION TERMS

RE (Qualifying scores for NCH but not series finals. Squad eligibility scores) REQ (Qualifying scores for NCH, HOY series finals. Squad eligibility scores) Series = Super 5 League, Zilco Musicals, Prestige Futures, AMS Pony & YR Performance League ICH = Island Championship (also REQ) NCH = National Championship CDIY = International Young Rider Event CDIP = International Pony Rider Event YDH = Elite Equine YDH Championships 4,5,6 yr old horses PAL = FEI Pacific League WC™ PALF = FEI Pacific League WC™ Final

30 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

WHAT’S ON OCTOBER | NORTH ISLAND 1

OCTOBER | SOUTH ISLAND

Dressage Waikato Spring Show Day 2

LE n/a

1/2

NI Young Rider Talent ID Camp (selected riders only)

1/2

Woodhill Sands Dressage and Showhunter Festival

Dressage Taranaki Spring Fling

Auckland-Manukau Dressage Group

Dressage Northland

Poverty Bay A & P Show

Dressage Rotorua Spring Spectacular Series - Day 3

14/16

1/2

Dressage Otago Spring Tournament

Canterbury Dressage Group Spring Series Day 3

8/9

South Canterbury / North Otago Dressage Group

REQ

Marlborough Dressage Group

North Loburn Equestrian Centre

23/24

White Horse Equestrian Goup

29/30

Nelson Dressage Group Spring Tournament

Equidays (No Dressage Competition) Demos only

n/a

29/30

Southland Dressage Group

Central Hawkes Bay Spring Tournament

Northern Equestrian Group Spring Series Day 3

Dressage Waitemata

Hawkes Bay A & P Show

Canterbury Dressage Group - Series with Ctby A& P

Boeckmann Horse Floats NI Championships

ICH

9/11

Canterbury A&P Show - Series with Ctby Dressage

Pryde’s Easifeed FEI World Dressage Challenge

INT

12/13

Dressage Otago Summer Championship

REQ

28/29

Kieffer - Equiscan CDIW & Heritage Equine CDIY

INT

19/20

Ashburton Dressage Group Summer Championships

REQ

28/30

Dressage Central Districts Championship Show

REQ

North Loburn Equestrian Centre

Northern Equestrian Group Summer Series Day 1

22/24

Waikato Equestrian Centre Spring Dressage Show

Warkworth Dressage Group

NOVEMBER | NORTH ISLAND 5

Morrinsville Te Aroha DG Dressage Tournament

Dressage Waitemata

Dressage Tauranga

Central Hawkes Bay A & P Show

11/13

Dressage Waikato Festival

REQ

12/13

Wellington Dressage Champs

REQ

Egmont A & P Show

DECEMBER | SOUTH ISLAND 3/4

Canterbury Championships

REQ

9/11

Southland Dressage Championships

REQ

Marlborough

NEG Summer Series Day 2

North Loburn Equestrian Centre

19/20

Gisborne Dressage Championships

REQ

Auckland-Manukau Dressage Group

Dressage Northland

Warkworth Dressage

27/28

NOVEMBER | SOUTH ISLAND

Northern Hawkes Bay Regional Championships

REQ

DECEMBER | NORTH ISLAND 3/4

Southern Hawkes Bay Dressage Championship

Dressage Taranaki Christmas Cracker

9/11

Dressage Waitemata Championships

REQ

17/18

Dressage Taihape Championships

REQ

Auckland-Manukau Dressage Group

REQ

For more details of each event & venue, and contact details go to www.nzequestrian.org.nz/dressage/competition/calendar

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 31

QUALIFICATION FOR NATIONAL EVENTS 2016/17 BATES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2-5 FEBRUARY (OPEN & AMATEUR) Entries Close 16 Dec on Equestrian Entries Qualification Criteria: The following scores must be achieved at a Regional, Island or National Championship or Horse of the Year between 1st January 2016 and 30th January 2017. Levels 1 - 2: One total score of 63% and over Levels 3 - 5: One total score of 60% and over Levels 6 - 9: One total score of 57% and over (A total score is the final combined marks of all judges) Level 6 - 9, Championships: Grading points at date of close of entry (16th December 2016). Level 6: PSG Championship for horses that have gained not more than 60 points in Level 7 Level 7: Int I Championship for horses that have gained not more than 60 points in Level 8 Level 8: Inter II Championship for horses that have gained not more than 60 points in Level 9 Note: Level 6 &7 Freestyles at the NCH will be ridden as separate classes. Level 6 horses will be restricted to level 6 movements using the Dressage NZ Advanced Freestyle (ie 3x and 4x tempi changes and canter half pirouettes only). Level 7 will ride the FEI Int I Freestyle. HORSE OF THE YEAR SHOW 7-12 MARCH 2017 Entries Close 24 January on Equestrian Entries HORSES Level 1: Horses must have gained one score of 63% or more in a graded ESNZ test at a Regional, NI or SI Championship or Young Rider Championship show. Level 1 Horses that have qualified in a Zilco Level 2 Musical Freestyle Qualifier may enter either the HOY Level 1 Horse Title OR the HOY Level 2 Title classes. Level 2: 63% (1 score) in a Zilco Musical Qualifier. Level 3 and Level 4: 63% (1 score) in a Zilco Musical Qualifier. Level 5 and 6/7: 60% (1 score) in a Zilco Musical Qualifier. Level 8: 58% in a level 8 or 9 test (not FS) at a RE, ICH or NCH Grand Prix (CDI 3*) 58% in a Grand Prix, or GPS at a RE, ICH or NCH CDIY 60% in Test 6B, PSG/YR, Int I at a RE, ICH, YRCH or NCH PONIES Ponies do not qualify in a Musical Freestyle. Levels 1, 2 & 3 must have gained 60% or more in a graded ESNZ competition since 1 August 2016 at the level they are entering. The Dressage Pony of the Year Title is run under Dressage NZ Article 465 Special Conditions. Ponies with more than 30 Level 5 points or above are eligible. All ponies compete on equal terms. The Dressage Pony of the Year Title will be decided at Level 4 and will be open to ponies that have gained 60% or more in a Level 3 or above graded competition since 1 August 2016. Downgraded ponies are eligible EQUESTRIAN ENTRIES U25 DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS Taupo NEC 1/2 April 2017 New for 2017: The Waldebago Trophy for the NZ Young Rider Championship will be contested at Level 6, not Grand Prix. There will be a new U25 Championship introduced at Grand Prix level. Riders from 1625yrs may contest the U25 GP level Championship No prior qualification necessary for any class at this event 32 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

TALENT ID CLINICS POPULAR WITH YOUNG RIDERS

The Dressage NZ Young Rider Conveners Julia Thomson (SI) and Jo Telfer (NI) have busy weekends ahead with 30 young riders selected to take advantage of Talent ID Clinics in Christchurch and Taupo. Penny Castle and John Thompson will share their training expertise alongside a number of Sports Science presenters who will share knowledge in their own fields ensuring the young athletes have a sound background complementing their pathway to performance. NORTH ISLAND CLINIC (20 RIDERS) Alison Addis (Northland), Alyssa Harrison, Emma Turnbull, Irina Smith, Madison Schollum, Morgan Beere (Waikato) Amy Sage, Grace Farrell, Isabella Small, Kiri Marie Pape, Phoebe Brown (Auckland), Becki Williamson, Georgia Gibbons, Samuel Gradowski-Smith (Waitemata) Emma Dickons

(Central Districts) Hannah Van der Horst, Isabella Chatfield Tayla McDonald (Bay of Plenty) Lilly Jefferies, Tylah Brown (Wellington) SOUTH ISLAND CLINIC (10 RIDERS) Carys Gale, Kerry Goldthorpe, Meila Picard (Nelson) Charlotte Thomas, Georgia Allison, Grace Thomson, Lucy Cochrane, Millie Thompson (Canterbury) Georgia Straight, Monica Lewis (Marlborough) Thanks to Equitak Excel and Branding Solutions for their support of the Talent ID Camps Nelson, top of the south, and one of the smaller areas in NZ, has been proactive in identifying and encouraging young riders to attend the Christchurch clinic and can boast three of the selected riders plus a reserve. Well done Nelson.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT ST PETERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EQUESTRIAN ACADEMY, CAMBRIDGE Sunday, 6 November 2016 Waikato School of Dressage/Parenga Pony Club Spring Tournament Sunday, 20 November 2016 Practice Show Jumping Saturday, 3 & Sunday, 4 December 2016 Pukete Show Jumping 1* Show Sunday, 19 February 2017 Waikato School of Dressage/Parenga Pony Club Summer Tournament Sunday, 26 March 2017 Waikato School of Dressage/Parenga Pony Club Autumn Tournament Friday, 31 March 2017 N.I.S.S Dressage Championships For further information visit www.stpeters.school.nz - Equestrian Academy

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 33

A PERFECT TRANSITION Written by Jess Roberts Photo by Debbie Stevens

Young Waikato rider Caitlin DeLangen has taken over the ride on her mother Amy’s striking Prix St Georges level German Riding Pony stallion Hilkens Denali, and it doesn’t look like she’ll be giving him back any time soon!

34 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

How does one receive the news that they are about to inherit one of the best dressage ponies in the country? A royal announcement ceremony? A scroll of parchment delivered to the door? Red carpet rolled out to the stable? Not quite, says 13-year-old Caitlin: “Mum text me while I was in Spanish (at school) and my day was really boring and then I read it and I was really excited to get home!” As for Amy, she feels the time is right. “For a long time I’ve felt like I should give Caitlin the opportunity and I’ve been feeling a bit guilty that it’s all been about me – it’s been really hard to take her pony mare together with Denali to shows. Our truck is not really set up for that so often Caitlin would miss out. So in hindsight, I think I’d probably been mulling it over for a while. I just decided I need to focus on Golden Strike [my other younger GRP stallion at the AD Pony Stud], and hand the Denali reins over to Caitlin - and really hand them over meaning I don’t ride him much more at all. It’s her time now to get out and do some competitions. She’s a good little rider.” Hilkens Denali was a rising three year old when Amy bought him; he’s now 10. He had only been lightly backed in Germany with just a couple of rides under his belt before he left for New Zealand. Amy has done a beautiful job of training the 14hh stallion, the pair finishing up last season with some starts at Level 7. It was a bit scary” said Amy. “But my whole philosophy is just to get out there and do it. The more you do, the more you learn. You only learn by making mistakes,” she reflects and notes Denali’s kind and workmanlike temperament. “He has got such a generous nature and he is very forgiving. I’ve learnt so much riding him.” Amy discovered the German Riding Pony breed back when she was looking for a full-size pony. “I wanted a nice, competitive, good-moving pony and stumbled across Davidoff [at that point the only GRP stallion in NZ). I contacted Heike Miller who had imported Davidoff, and purchased a pony who was out of the same dam as Davidoff, and that kind of got my passion with the German Riding Ponies started - googling them and searching them – I didn’t even know they existed! So

then, goodness knows why, I thought importing a stallion was a good idea! There just seemed lack of that type of pony in New Zealand, so I thought there would be a good market for them.” Buying Denali just before his licensing in Germany was a risk, but one that has paid off for Amy. The owners didn’t think he would get his license due to his size (the ponies go through the same stallion licensing process in Germany as the horses) but he flew through it and received Second Reserve Champion. Had he been sold after the licensing, the asking price would have undoubtedly been a lot higher. The DeLangens are still in contact with Denali’s breeders, who follow what he is up to over this side of the world. This season, young rider classes are on Caitlin’s radar, as well as qualifying for Nationals and HOY. She has been to both as a spectator but is looking forward to attending as a competitor. Caitlin has been riding for most of her life but acknowledges that this new adventure is a huge step up for her even though her Mum Amy is on hand to help. She also trains with John Thompson who lives not far away. Amy admits “I’m quite emotionally involved obviously with the pony and the child so I’d like to be able to hand over and be a mum just sitting on the sidelines. Caitlin is quite a talented rider I think – although of course I’m going to say that, I’m her mother! – but I do think she’s got a lovely natural feel on a horse. She has ridden HP Fresco, John and Holly’s young stallion and she can just sit to the trot. I’m like, ‘I spent a year trying to sit to the trot properly!’” says Amy, shaking her head. I ask Amy if she is going to miss riding Denali every day, as she has done for the past eight years, all the way from a green little fellow into the nudging-Grand-Prix pony he is today. She glances over at Caitlin, who is in the living room ‘teenagering’ on her phone, and back to me, and nods silently. She must see something special in this new combination. We all look forward to seeing another talented combination joining the pony ranks as we head into the new season.

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| DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 35

Thanks to Mary Seefried for giving us these first hand insights into the JSP role. Mary was a member of the JSP at the Rio Olympics

FEI JUDGES SUPERVISORY PANEL - WHAT IS THEIR ROLE ? Article by Mary Seefried FEI 5* Judge (AUS)

The Judges Supervisory Panel ( JSP) was initiated in 2011 by the FEI. It is only formed for major championships and since that time I have worked at the World Cup Final in 2014, European Championships in 2015 and then the Rio Olympic Games. FIRSTLY TO GIVE SOME BACKGROUND AS TO WHAT THE JOB ENTAILS. The purpose of the JSP is to ensure fair judging. Each panel consists of three people, a trainer and two independent and experienced judges - in RIO the panel was David Hunt as trainer and Uwe Mechlem from Germany, a retired 5* judge, and myself. Since taking on this role as a member of the JSP standing panel, I am no longer able to judge at major championships. The JSP may correct definite technical mistakes and counting errors. This assists those judges who virtually by their position around the arena may have difficulty in seeing a movement clearly – ie how short a flying change may be on the centre line is difficult to see for the C judge in the Grand Prix Special in the line of 9 flying changes. WHAT CAN WE CHANGE? The JSP can only change marks to within the range of the 7 judges – it cannot choose a mark that has not been given by any of the judges. Why is this? Then it could be stated that the JSP is actually judging the competition themselves if they decided on the “right” mark and this is not the purpose of the JSP at all. Many judges think that the JSP can change any mark but this is definitely not the case. Below is a list of what we can change and they are clearly technical mistakes and not about the assessment of quality of the movement. •

Numerical mistake in flying change series

•

Numerical mistake in canter zig-zag or mistake in the changes in canter zig- zag

•

Changes late or short behind or late in front either in a series or single changes

36 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

•

Clear change of leg (not just jumping together) in pirouette

•

Clear break of gait in trot, canter or extended walk (gait changes in passage or

•

collected walk e.g. jogging, should be the verdict of the judge), for example change

•

to canter in a trot half pass or falling into trot in a canter movement

•

Number of steps in piaffe

•

Number of steps in rein-back

SO HOW DO WE WORK? The team is positioned higher above the arena than the judges and has clear view of the arena, backed up by an own video camera located generally between H and S which is fed directly up into a screen in the box where we are sitting. The team of three has different tasks, one is watching the actual test, one is looking at the scores from all 7 judges coming in movement by movement. The team of three has different tasks. One member is watching the actual tests and reporting if there is a mistake or not. The second is watching a computer screen with all marks feeding in to see whether that technical mistake has been reflected in the judges’ marks. The third is in charge of the video screen – the video is tagged and can be wound back immediately to watch the movement in question again and see if there was definitely a mistake. If so, and one or more judges have not seen it, then the JSP must very quickly make a decision to change the mark or not, BUT only to a mark in the range of marks already given. Marks are not only changed down but also on some occasions changed up if it looks like a judge has dived too low for a technical mistake which did not occur. The JSP members have to complete and sign a JSP protocol for the rider whose mark(s) have been changed. This protocol includes:

The panel (from left to right); David Hunt, Mary Seefried, Uwe Mechlem.

•

the reasoning for changing the mark

•

the original judge’s mark and

•

the corrected JSP mark.

The protocol is attached to the riders test sheets for them to se what has happened. . All this has to be checked, completed and signed BEFORE the next horse is in the arena. It is very focussed and intense work and requires good equipment (and coffee)! Our office in RIO was marvellous. The view was superb as you can see from the photo. One drawback was that we were some distance from the actual scorers so our protocol sheets took a while to arrive at the scoring point to effect the changes. The actual dressage was of some of the best standard I have seen – Valegro was in a class of his own in the Grand Prix - looking so fit and fresh with outstanding power and harmony. The winning German team was also outstanding for the age of the horses and riders – relatively younger horses but displaying such a correct dressage and a very high team winning score. The Brazilians did a great job with conducting the Olympic Games ( 8 out of 10 at least) and the equestrian facility was one of the most horse friendly in terms of surfaces, stabling and openness that I have seen. Not once did I feel my safety was compromised. Rio is a very beautiful city. As usual a briefing was held with the judges after the Grand Prix Special. At this briefing the President of the Ground Jury leads it and the JSP

provide information and points for discussion, accompanied by the video material. Some of the points that the JSP raised were general observations, for example about which movements often had the highest differences even though the JDP was unable to correct them because not about technical mistakes. This is useful info for further education and judges seminars. This briefing was very well accepted by the judges and they get a chance to ask questions and fell more comfortable that a mistake has been seen and corrected where possible. The JSP also has more general roles such as •

Making proposals for the education / assessment of judges and their status (promotion)

•

Proposing list of judges to the Dressage Committee and FEI HQ for the Olympic Games, WEG, Continental Championships on Grand Prix level as well as World Cup Finals

•

Being aware of trends in judging to prevent “drifting” of standards or cases where clarification of rules is needed

•

Providing focus on some movements to achieve uniform judgment, e.g. halt, collected walk

I enjoy the work of the JSP very much as it provides a unique concentrated overview of the judging of the sport of dressage and offers opportunities to point out where improvements can be made in an educational sense.

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 37

Sheena Ross (owner) and Satorial Hit SW - Elite Equine NZ Young Dressage Horse Champions 2016 (rider Andy Daines)

COMPETING IN YOUNG HORSE CLASSES - IS IT FOR YOU? Report by Linda Warren-Davey Photo by Libby Law

A new season - a new generation of young horses. There is always the discussion about the value and purpose of young horse competitions. Why are they not more popular in NZL? Are they designed to simply evaluate the potential of the horse or evaluate the current correctness of training relative to the age of the horse? How can these factors be judged together? How connected is the correct early training to the potential of the horse, as opposed to the physical attributes and perceived talent of the young horse to be able to perform the Grand Prix work approximately 5 years from now? Both factors play their part it seems, but correct and ethical training is always going to be the key to future success. 38 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

Canterbury judge Linda Warren-Davey has a particular interest in Young Horse classes and earlier this year attended Dressage and Jumping with the Stars in Melbourne. She reports... The entries were impressive with over 75 horses in the four year old class, 60 in the five year old, and interestingly the least amount was in the six year old classes. Two and three horses were in the arena at one time in the first age group rounds, a terrific experience for both horse and rider, and an official caller called the

test over the loudspeaker system. The judges line-up was a highly experienced team of international young horse judges including 5* Francis Verbeek (Ned), 5* Isobel Wessels (GBR), 5* Mary Seefried (Aus), 4* Alison King (HKG), 4* Maria Schwennesen and 4* Ricky McMillan (Aus). Most of the comments were about improving the horses understanding of throughness, working over the back into a better established contact. FOR THE JUDGES: A young horse judge’s re-accreditation clinic was facilitated by Mary and Francis, focussing on the following concepts – ‘WILLINGLY FORWARD’ - THE FOUR YEAR OLD should be bright and fresh, and interested in it’s surroundings. The judge needs to take note of how the rider deals with the four year old horse, and should not be using too much leg. The horse should be willingly forward with downwards transitions from the hind-leg and not from the rein. Downward transitions from the rein blocks the hind-leg and does not encourage the early stages of the horse discovering self-carriage. In the collected walk we want to see a round and long top-line, with a supple back. ‘A WILLINGNESS TO COLLECT’ THE FIVE YEAR OLD is required to show a willingness to collect. Transitions tell the tale - too much from the hand will prevent collection. The best transitions come from and through the hind legs. Riders do not want to ask for too much collection in the canter at this stage, otherwise there will be a loss of freedom. Judges must inform the rider if there isn’t an even looseness, suppleness and straightness on both reins. The submission mark encompasses connection, lightness, and an easy way of going – as a judge you should have a feeling that you don’t want the test to end and that whole picture is easy going. In the simple changes, judges should look for the riders feel and that they take their time to prepare for a quality transition. Development of collection leads to increased engagement with an increasing

lightness and lift in the shoulders. ‘ADJUSTABILITY’ - THE SIX YEAR OLD should have increased development of suppleness, elasticity and engagement. There should be a clear willingness and ability to show adjustability. The rhythm stays pure and clear, but we want to see big steps in the collected trot, active but bigger, not shorter and smaller. The same trot should be maintained in the lateral work, and the medium and lengthening paces should show even steps, even tempo, regularity. Judges should be uncompromising about rhythm, regularity and impulsion. The canter should have a natural balance but we don’t want to see shortened strides before and in the corners, rather lengthen and engage through the corners using increased activity. We don’t want to reward short strides in the changes, or too much shortening before beginning the changes. FOR THE RIDERS - Dr Ulf Moller from the famed PSI Auction house, shared his expertise, knowledge and pearls of wisdom in the training of the young horse which I have endeavoured to capture. FOUR YEAR OLDS - there was a big focus on the correct rhythm, bend through the body and the joints, and submission to the contact, and Ulf commented that the outside rein should be stronger at this level.... “The rider needs to just feel the mouth, consistently, yet not take a hold and force the head position.” He also commented it’s ok to sit trot on a young horse, particularly when they are tense and rushing as the rider can keep a more consistent balance when sitting rather than rising, which will assist the horse. Sitting trot should be introduced to the 4 yr old, as it’s all part of their development. Ulf also reiterated “Don’t praise by reaching forward with the hand, patting the neck and ending up with a loop in the rein. You have gone to all that trouble to get a good contact, and then you have to re-establish it. This is not fair on the horse. Touch the mouth, keep contact with the mouth at all times, particularly if the horses head position is unsteady.” “USE your corners - they should be OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 39

Continued from page 39... ridden as a 1/4 Volte. It is fine to use clear aids at the beginning of your horse’s education - if you are teaching your horse to bend through its body, take your hand away from the neck and insist on the bend, but you must always return your hand to the correct position. The goal is invisible aids, and that will take time with a young horse.” Riders should aim to ride quality transitions and if it takes time, that’s ok. Take the time. When riding corners and circles, you can start the turn with your hands, then follow with your legs. Mainly think of your hands as the finishing touch. Because what we want to is that the rider has influence over the hind leg. The concept of inside leg to outside hand - the outside rein and leg are like the wall in your arena - they are there to be used for support and guidance. Once that’s established, the horse should be on both reins, equally, so as to start the development of straightness.

Without the back, and hind legs, you won’t get the neck... your aim is to develop the back and the wither upwards and round. The direction of the training is to improve what nature has given the horse and this is done by developing not only the suppleness and elasticity through the body, but also focussing on the bending of the joints. With the five year olds one should be able to ride more with the legs, and less with the reins. The bend needs to be developed (suppleness) and is a huge part of the horses education as it is required in so many movements later. The bend produces suppleness over the back, and encourages the hind leg to step under and strengthen. Bending athleticises the horse - it improves the mechanics of the horse and therefore improves the paces. Exercises such as shoulder-in have to have a value

when they are introduced into the horses training. Improve lazy horses by making them through - once they are through then they are accepting the aids and will become more responsive. A good tip for preparation for walk to canter and in fact any transition... “produce the frame that you want in your first stride of canter - rather than spending the first three strides in canter re-establishing the frame and connection.” “You can always tell a trained walk. The horse stays on the AIDS and follows the contact. So many walks are not trained and do not show purpose or ground cover.” There were several demonstration horses used in the clinic and all improved under Ulf ’s expert guidance. NEXT MONTH – Judges Guidelines for judging the Young Dressage Horse - get to know what the judge is looking for.

NORTH LOBURN EQUESTRIAN CENTRE DRESSAGE FOR EVERYONE WITH OVER $1500 IN SPONSORSHIP PRIZES

Spring Dressage Series

Sept 18th, Oct 16th & Nov 20th // Rangiora Showgrounds A relaxed and friendly atmosphere – we aim to encourage new combinations into the sport; young horses, junior riders and the more mature rider stepping into the arena for the first time or returning to competition riding. 40 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

Download schedule at WWW.NLEC.CO.NZ // info@nlec.co.nz - 03 313 1247

YOUNG RIDER PROFILE

Kerry Goldthorpe Fifteen year old Nelson College student, Kerry Goldthorpe will be unique at the South Island Talent ID Clinic as the only lad amongst the girls. He has a far reaching goal - to ride Grand Prix. From a non horsey background, he was first inspired as an eight year old when he watched a movie about horses and then started trekking. It wasn’t for another four years that he got his own pony Hunter Valley (aka Hunter), a ten year old, 147cm old TB x English Riding Pony who had done a little showing. “He chews anything and everything, can be a little on the grumpy side and naughty at times” says Kerry of Hunter The pair have gone from strength to strength in the dressage discipline and are now competing successfully at Level 3, winning the 2016 Nelson Dressage Winter Series Pony Level 3 Graded Champion and the Nelson Dressage Special Awards for Rising Star and Newcomer

Sharon Higgins and her daughter Georgia have been instrumental in Kerry’s training and he understands the importance of this training. “Sharon (Higgins) - she has helped me with everything to do with horses and helped me get to where I am now, she really sets me up to do well” Kerry clearly has some shorter term goals and also has some thoughtful insights around his future. His immediate goal is to aim for Level 4 and the South Island Championships He sees a longer term barrier could be the financial cost of lessons, competing and general costs of keeping horses, but he knows he would benefit from more training with top level coaches. “I like riding well trained horses” he says. Dressage NZ Talent ID Clinics - helping young riders achieve their goals

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 41

The most commonly reported health problem in dressage horses is lameness, with 33% of British dressage horses having been lame at some stage during their career [1]. This figure is similar to data presented for horses used for other sports and for those used in racing. However, the reasons for the lameness differ between sports, in part due to differences in the magnitude of the load on the limb and the repetition of the load.

SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT INJURY Dr Chris Rogers and Dr Erica Gee Equine Research Centre, Massey University

Injury can often be due to “abnormal strains on a normal tissue” or “normal strain on abnormal tissue”. In this article we will briefly look at these in the context of suspensory ligament (interosseous ligament) injury.

Figure 1: Youtube clip of distal limb anatomy Source UC Davis distal forelimb clip: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=AGck-JnxutM

Like all ligaments and tendons the integrity of the suspensory ligaments deteriorates with cyclic load (use) and age. The analogy used in teaching about the age and load related changes in tendons and ligaments are to think of them as a combination of a spring and a newly purchased woven lead rope (the old fashioned rope lead ropes). Initially the lead rope appears as a single unit, but closer examination shows it consists of woven smaller strings, which in turn consist of smaller fibres. With age some of these smaller fibres become broken and the lead rope starts to unwind or unravel. As this unravelling progresses the strength of the lead rope is compromised. The second part of aging with tendon and ligaments is the loss of spring, in part due to unravelling, but also due to repeated load cycles stretching and expanding the tissue. If you break open your ballpoint pen and repeatedly stretch and expand the little spring inside the pen it quickly becomes overloaded and loses it ability to stretch and contract. This is similar to the (much more gradual) process that occurs with tendons and ligaments with repetitive strides (load cycles).

FUNCTION OF THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT The primary function of the suspensory ligament is to prevent over extension of the fetlock in association with the other structures of the suspensory apparatus. The ligament stretches and absorbs energy during loading of the limb (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Computer model of stance and tendon load Source UC Davis: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ONcFiHyp8QU

42 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

ABNORMAL STRAINS ON A NORMAL TISSUE For dressage horses abnormal strains generally occur within training. The horse’s limb can become fine-tuned to the surface that it works on to optimise elastic recoil. At present we lack hard data on how quickly the horse can alter the fine-tuning of the leg in response to changes in the surface (i.e. within a stride or across a couple of strides) or even how great or small the variation has to be before problems occur. However, we do know that some things such as boggy arenas and a lower rate of arena grooming between horses (ie. only one per week) are risk factors for injury. There does appear to be some horse adaption in relation to the surface, with a decrease in injury risk with more time per week the horse was trained on that surface reported. The other mechanism that provides abnormal strains is fatigue and the resulting delayed neuromuscular capability to

respond to the limb loading. Dressage training encourages the horse to change from an efficient gait to a more expressive but inefficient gait. This provides greater loading of the tissue and an opportunity for neuromuscular fatigue. To minimise fatigue any new, or additional, increase in load (expression or difficulty of task) should be performed at the mid-point of the training session – This can be displayed diagrammatically below

cheaper in the long run) to manage what you have rather than buy a new athlete. Meeting at the start of each season with your support team (farrier, veterinarian and allied health practitioner) permits identification of small limitations and the development of a proactive plan. Suspensory ligament injuries can be hard to detect in the early stages, but multiple eyes reviewing the horse at the start of the session are more likely to be able to identify potential risks.

HOW TO MINIMISE INJURY Look after what you have – reduce the exposure your horse has to variable and deep boggy surfaces (fix that arena now and don’t forget to harrow) Figure 3: Schematic representation of optimal timing of training load. X axis is the stage of the training session. The Y-axis represents the type of movements during training session. The red box represents the best time to introduce the more difficult/strenuous movements

NORMAL STRAIN ON ABNORMAL TISSUE Unfortunately the development period for a dressage horse is relatively long (approximately 4 years) and we start training with a mature horse (3 – 4 years). This career profile has implications on the ability to prime the different aspects of the musculoskeletal system to the loads expected later in life [2]and may explain why the median registration career for a dressage horse is only 3- 4 years [3]. The progressive increase in technical difficulty with increasing grade means that as the horse ages we have accumulated load cycles on some vulnerable tissue (tendons and ligaments) and size of the load these tissues are exposed to is greater?. This interaction of age and load in part explains why dressage horses appear to be more vulnerable to soft tissue injuries. Prevention is always better than cure. In human sports medicine proactive management of the athlete is the norm. Most elite sports teams utilise all their supporting health practitioners when reviewing and planning the training load for their athletes – it is no different with a horse. It is easier (and

Avoid fatigue in your horse and have a balanced training session – warmup – difficult work - warm-down When planning the training and competition programme remember that the risk profile for your horse increases with increasing age and technical difficult Use all your support team to proactive manage and plan the training and competition season.

USEFUL RESOURCES UC Davis – Suspensory ligament injury in horses http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/local_resources/pdfs/ Pubs-SuspBrochure-bkm-sec.pdf Distal limb anatomy – Youtube Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGck-JnxutM Loading of the distal limb – Youtube clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONcFiHyp8QU REFERENCES [1] Murray RC, Walters JM, Snart H, Dyson SJ, Parkin TDH. Identification of risk factors for lameness in dressage horses. Vet J. 2010;184:27-36. [2] Rogers CW, Bolwell CF, Gee EK. Proactive management of the equine athlete. Animals. 2012;2:640-55. [3] Friedrich C, Konig S, Rogers CW, Borstel UKV. Examination of Longevity in Dressage Horses - A Comparison between Sport Horses in New Zealand and Hanoverians in Germany. Zuchtungskunde. 2011;83:68-77.

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 43

The Stable of Stallions is a co-operative fund raising venture between Stud Owners and Dressage giving mare owners the opportunity to secure discounted service rates and support Dressage

STABLE OF STALLIONS

WHAT IS THE STABLE OF STALLIONS? The Stable of Stallions is a joint venture between Dressage NZ and stallion owners. WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STABLE OF STALLIONS PROJECT? The Stable of Stallions has four key objectives • For the Studs: To assist stallions owners promote their stallions in a cost effective way by utilising the marketing opportunities available via Dressage NZ • For the Breeders: To make available discounted stallion services from participating studs/stallions which makes the use of these studs more desirable and cost effective and with the knowledge they are also supporting the development of equestrian sport in New Zealand • For Equestrian Sport: The increased availability of quality purpose bred sport horses thus boosting the development of equestrian sport in all disciplines. • For Dressage NZ Events: Increased funds to further develop the major events on the Dressage Calendar, the National Championships and the Under 25 Championships HOW DOES IT WORK? All participating studs have generously donated ONE SOS service. The stud retains any booking fee and any usual applicable stud charges and Dressage NZ benefits from the service fee balance. The good news is we discount all services by $200 giving our fans a great deal. You must call the stud and use the promo code Stable of Stallions - and contact Dressage NZ if you are the lucky purchaser. Tell your friends - help us sell ALL of these services.

CEVIN Z

1997 16.2hh Grey Zangerscheide (Holstein) Stallion. Approved AES/AWR Coriall Z - Larthago (Carthago Z)

Cevin Z’s breeding features the outstanding bloodlines for which the Zangersheide Studbook is famous. He carries the double crosses of both Cor de la Bryere and Capitol 1 in his pedigree. He was the second highest priced foal from this prestigious stud in 1997. Cevin Z is highly regarded both for talent and pedigree, with an exceptional temperament with Cevin Z was one of the most consistent 6 year olds in the country which he stamps his progeny. in 2003 achieving 4th place in the Foxhunter Championships at His first youngstock were placed the Horse of the Year Show. His international winnings totalled first and second at the Young £8000.00 when competing at Lisbon, Chantilly and Vimeiro in Horse Championships in 2006. 2007, with UK wins at both The Surrey County and New Forest Shows. http://www.thebillystud.co.uk/index.php/stallions/cevin-z/ Conquistador II being the only horse to jump consistently FOR SALE - FROZEN SEMEN clear throughout the Show and SERVICE TO CEVIN Z $1500 | SERVICE TO MASTER $500 therefore earning a Bonus Prize. Outstanding pedigree, conformation, temperament & performance

both plus GST and excl all EQUIBREED FEES DRESSAGE NZ SPONSORED BY EQUIBREED & WEST KINGTON STUD Contact dressage@nzequestrian.org.nz

44 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

Pictured from Left: Airthrey Highlander, Rohdinger, Golden Strike, Wordly

PARTICIPATING STALLIONS AIRTHREY HIGHLANDER

SPORTHORSE - CLYD/ TB X

lmoughan@xtra.co.nz

www.airthreylodgesporthorses.co.nz

CRYSTAL MT XODO

FRIESIAN

sandy@crystalmountain.co.nz

www.crystalmountainstud.co.nz

DONNERUBIN

OLDENBURG/HAN

jacindayounger@xtra.co.nz

www.donnerubin.co.nz

CEVIN Z MASTER LINGH

ZANGERSCHEIDE/HOLSTEINER KWPN

lee@equibreed.co.nz

www.equibreed.co.nz

FLORIS

FRIESIAN

marianne@glenrosefriesians.co.nz

www.glenrosefriesians.co.nz

FUGATO SW

OLDENBURG

sheenamross@gmail.com

www.sterlingwarmbloods.co.nz

GOLDEN STRIKE

GERMAN RIDING PONY

adponystud@hotmail.com

A D Pony Stud - Facebook

GOSS GREEN MIRAGE

WARMBLOOD/BRITISH SPORTHORSE

info@gossgreensporthorses.com

www.gossgreensporthorses.com

GT JAKE

BY JAZZ (KWPN)

info@roystonequine.co.nz

www.roystonequine.wordpress.com

GYMNASTIK STAR

HANOVERIAN

pwjmatthews@xtra.co.nz

www.matthewshanoverians.co.nz

HP FRESCO

OLDENBURG

hpequine@vodafone.co.nz

www.hollywoodparkequine.com

JOLMER FAN TWILLENS

FRIESIAN

marianne@glenrosefriesians.co.nz

www.glenrosefriesians.co.nz

ROHDINGER

OLDENBURG/HAN

jacindayounger@xtra.co.nz

www.donnerubin.co.nz

WORLDLY

HANOVERIAN

renai@riverparkfarm.co.nz

www.riverparkfarm.co.nz

SWEDISH WARMBLOOD

DESIGN IS THE SILENT AMBASSADOR OF YOUR BRAND

W W W.SNA FFLE D E S IG N.CO. NZ

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 45

NZL and Australia operate a number of exchange programmes annually. Each country selects the judges they want to participate in the programme. The host nation looks after the judges for the duration of the event, but the home nation and /or the individual are responsible for travel costs. Dressage NZ subsidies travel cost for NZL judges as part of the national judges training programme.

JUDGES EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES BETWEEN NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA PROVING POPULAR AND BENEFICIAL The Dressage NZ Judges subcommittee selected Leonie Coker (Rotorua) and Tracey Johnson (Blenheim) to officiate at the Queensland State Dressage Championships at Caboolture, near Brisbane from 26/28 August as part of the 2016 exchange. They arrived from a wet and windy Auckland to 25 degrees and sunny skies in Brisbane which was a great start, and then were hosted by Maria Schwennesen for the afternoon at her lovely property before meeting up with other judges at their motel accommodation

and finally 7 Inter I Freestyles. On the final day, Leonie judged 26 Open 1.2 Preliminary horses and Tracey 24 AAOR 1.2 Preliminary combinations. Leonie comments that it was a really thoroughly enjoyable experience to sit and judge a whole class of horses that she had never seen before.

On the first day, Tracey judged 9 AAOR (Amateur Adult Owner Riders) in Advanced 5.2 and then 5 Inter II riders. Leonie assessed 21 Open Advanced 5.2 riders, followed by the 9 AAOR riders doing Advanced 5.3.

“There were some very lovely horses competing but we saw many of the same issues we see with the NZ competitors, not enough bend in the lateral work, not quite steady in the connection and more engagement needed. The single changes at level 5 were more established mainly I think as this movement starts at Level 4 in Australia, but the beginnings of sequence changes being comparable in execution to here.

On Saturday Tracey and Leonie judged the same classes alongside Maria who is an FEI 4* judge, starting with 16 PSG tests, then the Medium Tour Freestyle (known as Oceania Freestyle in NZL) which unfortunately only had 2 entries,

It was nice to meet and discuss dressage with our Australian compatriots and we met some great List A & B judges from as far away as Western Australia, who ironically had travelled further than Tracey and I to judge in Queensland.

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The format of the show was quite different to what we know in NZL with levels not spread over the show but allocated days, so Day one was levels 3, 5 & 8, day 2 was levels 2,4,6,7 & 9 and day 3 was level 1. There were 2 classes per day at each level, and with AAOR classes up to Level 6, these AAOR classes were very well patronised. With the big distances these riders have to travel, many had a team of horses in various grades, with one open rider having a horse in every grade except level 8. It was a wonderful experience to be able to judge and meet new judges in Australia and I can only recommend it as an experience and encourage any judges offered this opportunity by the judges’ committee to accept and go forth and enjoy.” Leonie & Tracey express appreciation to Dressage NZ for this opportunity.

Caitlin with Rosari Royal Gem and Jeanette Benzie with Caitlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Le Conniseur

DRESSAGE INCENTIVE AWARDS A BENZIE FAMILY AFFAIR The Benzie girls from Waiau Pa in South Auckland are a strongly competitive pair and the mother daughter duo of Jeanette and Caitlin were both recently awarded Dressage NZ Incentive Award badges. Jeanette, who more recently has taken a bit of a back seat as support team for daughter Caitlin earned her Silver Award with the elegant chestnut gelding by Lessing, Vollrath Legato for achievements in Level 4D. Caitlin was Reserve Champion Young Rider at Grand Prix level at the 2016 Young Rider Championships, scoring a very creditable 63.02% in the FEI U25 Grand Prix making her eligible for the Platinum Incentive Award - the highest level award of the Incentive Scheme. Although Caitlin is still a Young Rider, she has her sights set on improving performances at Grand Prix level in the coming season on her striking dapple grey, Rosari Royal Gem.

ABOUT THE DRESSAGE NZ INCENTIVE AWARDS BRONZE: Ride test 2D or 3D & gain 63% with at least one List 1, 2A or List 2 Judge SILVER: Ride test 4D or 5D & gain 63% with at least one List 1 2A or List 2 Judge GOLD: Ride test FEI Prix St Georges, 6B, Int I, Int A, Int B or Int II and gain 63% with at least one List 1, 2A or 2 Judge At each level riders must describe the scale of training and the importance of each requirement on the scale Answer five questions. Four out of 5 must be answered correctly. The questions are progressively more difficult at each level. For more details go to www.nzequestrian. org.nz/dressage/resources/riders PLATINUM AWARD â&#x20AC;&#x201C; HONORARY AWARD: Ride test FEI Grand Prix or FEI Grand Prix Special and gain 63% with at least one List I or FEI 3*or above Judge OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 47

Images of Kirsty (from left) - working her own horse at home in Germany - with German trainer Johnny Hilberath at Rio Olympics - with Isabell Werth at Rio Olympics

OVERSEAS RIDER REVIEW KIRSTY TAYLOR- GER Kiwi riders seem to materialise from all parts of the globe and they all have an interesting story to tell. The first time Germany based dressage rider Kirsty Taylor made contact with Dressage NZ was to seek a rider’s license, so we just had to uncover her story. Being lucky enough to grow up on Mid Canterbury farm near Asburton, Kirsty and her brothers and sisters all had ponies when they were children. Eventing was her main interest, and she admits that “dressage was something I had to do to be able to ride a cross country course!” During this time with ponies, she mainly competed in Pony Club events including the famous Springston Trophy. Kirsty stopped riding when she was about fifteen, and didn’t get back on a horse for another fifteen years when she found herself working in the outback of Australia chasing cows around on horseback. This experience reignited her passion for horses, and that was the turning point. Riding was what she wanted really wanted to do.

“Horses are my greatest love and after a short stint in Perth where the big city and traffic drove me a little crazy, I put an advert on the internet for any job that involved horses. Tanya Seymour’s mother who lives on the Gold Coast called me one day and asked if I want to go to Germany to groom for her daughter. I had no clue this type of job even existed, that Europe was the place to be for dressage and I still felt the same way about dressage. However..... I love an adventure so got on a plane to Germany the following week. Here I am still, three and a half years. I have an S level (Advanced) trained horse I adore, I am having the time of my life” Kirsty’s journey to Germany then took her to the Rio Games as groom

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for her employer, Tanya Seymour and Ramoneur, who were selected as an individual dressage combination for South Africa. “It’s a been a pretty amazing adventure that’s turned into a dream I never knew I wanted. I have been so fortunate to be able to learn from Tanya for over three years now and then to be able to travel to Rio. I have no words to describe how fortunate I feel I was to get this opportunity. It really was an honour to be able to go to Rio to help Tanya and look after her amazing stallion. Two weeks of watching and being around the best in the world during their training and competition, it doesn’t really get much better than that, and being there to watch our whole New Zealand team was a once

“The level of competition here is extremely high, particularly around the region where I am based so it really pushes you to strive for perfection...” be seen and there was no divide between riders, grooms, owners or trainers.

in a lifetime opportunity for me! The Dressage at Rio…. Wow! What an absolute dream spending two weeks watching the best in the world training and competing. Every part of my experience in Rio was magic. The competition was so incredible to watch, how the judges scored was sometimes a bit hard to follow but it was also a fantastic learning experience with the different countries and names represented. I thought Charlotte 100% deserved the win, watching the harmony between this horse and rider I really believe is a once in a life time experience. Walking around the stables and these amazing people that you read about are saying hello as they walk by, walking my horse out for grass and Valegro is standing beside us eating like the rest of our horses with no idea how special he is, going to the dining hall and Isabel Werth is sitting next to me chatting like an old friend. I have to admit I was a little star struck! I spent many hours sitting on the fence watching the training from the most interesting and effective trainers and riders, there really are many different roads to get to the same destination in dressage! It was the most inspiring, educational and at times emotional experience I have had so far in the horse world. I found the spirit of the Olympics atmosphere much more friendly and almost less competitive than other international dressage events, everyone seemed to be there for a great time, huge patriotism was everywhere to

We were all there having fun together - who would have thought when a gold medal was on offer! The preparation to even get to Rio was massive, from the qualification system and events, endless paperwork and equipment preparation, keeping the horse wrapped in cotton wool to ensure that the dream didn’t fall apart at the last minute from a silly mishap to the teary eyes watching his plane finally leaving for Rio after all of the hard work. Back in Germany, everything is really great. This place certainly is a dream come true for anyone interested in horses. I really, really hope many more New Zealanders are able to experience it all. My mind is constantly inspired with the way of life, the horses and the riding here. It is absolutely amazing how well everyone rides and the training of the ponies and horses is exceptional, even in the lowest levels. There is so much to learn! I had a really fantastic time watching Julie Brougham and Vom Feinsten at Cappeln when she was in Germany. The show was just 15km from my house and my day was made seeing a Kiwi doing such an amazing job. What a fantastic combination and I was so excited to see her on the world stage at Rio! “ Kirsty considers her own horse is a star with a truly amazing quality that she will be lucky to ever find again. “And I am having so much fun with him” she says. “We have not been out to a competition yet but focusing on training at home and getting the basics right. He has needed

to learn to move through his body and over his back to build strength in his back and hind quarters whilst keeping the all important correct connection. This has been my goal and is taking time. We are training PSG with some Grand Prix movements also”. There are a number of young horses in the yard and Kirsty has been riding them in lower level competitions resulting in some good placings. “The level of competition here is extremely high, particularly around the region where I am based so it really pushes you to strive for perfection. It has been so much fun introducing these youngsters to the competition world and building up their confidence before we sell them on to new homes all over Europe. I hope to soon start my own horse at some PSG competitions - I’m more inspired than ever! But there is also another special partnership in the planning for this Kiwi adventurer come dressage convert. Sometime in the not too distant future Kirsty plans to head back to New Zealand to marry her long time fiancé Mitch Ireton, an engineer from Timaru. They met ten years ago through a mutual friend and have been engaged for five years. Hopefully I will be able to continue my riding journey back at home and share some of my experiences and knowledge with people who may be interested” Who knows what paths Kirsty may follow next, but we can be sure there will be no stones unturned or opportunities not grabbed.

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 49

Joanne Brown - Amorette

Amber McGovern-Wilson - Starlight Giulana

50 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | OCTOBER 2016

Jeremy Gardiner warms up Rebecca Mobberley and Monstevos Just n Pretoria

OUT AND ABOUT WITH DRESSAGE WAIRARAPA Photos by: Katrina Watkins - Striding Images

Kate Tobin - Bradgate Riot Act

Tamara Savage - Braveheart Leading Lady

Sarah Jocelyn - Curioso

Samantha Jones - Revelwood Smash It

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 51

NEW SEASON HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE International & National Competition & Series

BÖCKMANN HORSE FLOATS NORTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

22-24 October | Fiber Fresh National Equestrian Centre Taupo Dressage Bay of Plenty will host the Böckmann Floats 2016 North Island Dressage Championships and Para Dressage Championships on 22-24 October. Featuring all national series from Level 1 to Grand Prix plus Amateur and Open Divisions up to Level 3 and Young Dressage Horse Classes for 4, 5 and 6 year olds. Australian judges will be officiating. Go to www.dressagebayofplenty.co.nz

CENTRAL DRESSAGE FESTIVAL 28-30 October | Manfeild Park - Fielding Incorporating the... PRYDE’S EASIFEED FEI WORLD DRESSAGE CHALLENGE and KIEFFER/EQUISCAN FEI CDI-W (WORLD CUP QUALIFIER™) and HERITAGE EQUINE CDI-Y Pryde’s Easifeed FEI World Dressage Challenge nominations close on Equestrian Entries on the 1st of September 2016. CDIW/Y Entries close on the 30th of September 2016 on Equestrian Entries. All horses and riders must have current 2016 FEI registration. CDIW horses require current FEI passports. CDIY horses require either an FEI passport or a current validated ESNZ ID Book (no exceptions) CDIY/W Schedule at http://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/dressage/ competition/calendar/2016/october/cdiwy/

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BATES NZ DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS & FEI PACIFIC LEAGUE WORLD CUP FINAL™ 2-5 February 2017 | Manfeild Park – Feilding

Entries Close Friday 16 Dec 2016 on Equestrian Entries: Qualification Period 1 from 1 Jan 2016 • CDIW and Young Rider & Pony International Events (CDIY/P) • Bates All Grade Championships, Super 5 League Finals. • Elite Equine NZ Young Dressage Horse Championship • Amateur Rider Championships and Masters Championships • Para Dressage National Championships • Dressage Musical Spectacular Sat 4th March. Door sales from 5.30pm NATIONAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE BATES NZ DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS Amateur Championship at levels 1 to 4 will be run alongside the Bates Open Championship at the Bates National Dressage Championships as separate classes. Amateur Awards will be awarded in higher grades based on Championship points earned in the Open classes. Eligibility is based around rider categories. Qualification for the Championships will be at Regional Events with the same qualification for both championships. The term “Amateur” is connected to rider category status and bears no reference to the term amateur vs professional in terms of earning income in the sport.

SUPER 5 DRESSAGE LEAGUE The 2016-17 Super 5 League comprises a points series in each island at all graded Levels 1-9 (top 5 points only to count) plus an island final at both the South Island Festival of Dressage and the Bates National Championships. National Super 5 rankings will be determined from % in each level at both these events. Tests used for Super at Regional and National Events: Levels 1 to 5 - C Tests, Level 6 - FEI PSG v 2015, Level 7 - FEI Intermediate I v 2015, Level 8 FEI Intermediate A v 2015, Level 9 Regional Events - FEI Intermediate II or Grand Prix 2015. South Island Festival of Dressage & Bates National Championships SRS Final - FEI Intermediate II 2016.

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 53

NATIONAL SERIES ZILCO MUSICAL FREESTYLE SERIES

AMS SADDLERY PONY & YOUNG RIDER PERFORMANCE LEAGUE

The Zilco Musical Freestyle Series remains the same for the 2016/17 season. The competition comprises two Island Series contested at Regional Events (Top 5 scores to count). The North Island Series completes at the Horse of the Year and the South Island Series completes at the South Island Festival of Dressage. The series includes Levels 2 to 9 (Advanced levels 6/7 combined)

AMS Saddlery Pony & Young Rider Performance League aims to increase participation at a Pony & Young Rider level and to establish a culture where these riders compete against their peers of a similar age and experience. Every Regional Event, the Pryde’s Easifeed South Island Festival of Dressage and North Island Championships will run Pony and Young Rider classes at Levels 1 and 2. The league will culminate at the U25 NZ Pony & Championships in April 2017. Competitors must be 20 years or under at 1 August 2016 to participate. Scores will be taken from Super 5 tests at Level 3 and above. League winner to receive a fabulous dressage saddle prize generously sponsored by AMS Saddlery (Auckland)

ELITE EQUINE YOUNG DRESSAGE HORSE CHAMPIONSHIPS The purpose of the competitions are to select the best young horse which is progressing on the correct way of training, with the potential to capably perform at International Dressage level. The Elite Equine National Young Horse Dressage Championship & Age Group Championships will be held at the Bates National Championships, 2 –5 Feb 2017 at Manfeild Park. The Elite Equine South Island Young Horse Dressage Age Group Championships will be held at the Festival of Futures Stars Championships, Canterbury Agricultural Park, 8/9 April 2017

PRESTIGE Equestrian www.prestigeequestrian.co.nz

Ltd.

PRESTIGE EQUESTRIAN DRESSAGE FUTURES PRIZE The Prestige Equestrian Futures Prize will be awarded to the best performed combination competing in the Super 5 League at Regional & Island events from October 2016 – February 2017 and meeting the following eligibility conditions. 4-10 year old horses competing at Levels 1 - 7 with CN - C7 riders at 1 August 2016 (Riders not to have ever earned grading points at Level 8 or above as at 1 August 2016)

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EQUESTRIAN ENTRIES NZ U25 DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS (PONY RIDERS & RIDERS 16-25 YRS) 1-2 April 2017 | Fiber Fresh

National Equestrian Centre Taupo Featuring the Hyland Pony Championship & Waldebago Young Rider Championship, York Corporation Inter-Island Team Challenge plus the final of the AMS Saddlery Pony & Young Rider Performance League. Classes for riders up to 25yrs and including pony and young rider non-graded section up to 21yrs. No prior qualification required. www.facebook.com/NZ Pony & Young Rider Dressage Championships.

NATIONAL SERIES FLYING HORSE MASTERS TOP TEN LEAGUE

and Level 3 & 4 and above by riders with no points at level 5 and above as at 1/8/16.

This competition is designed to promote dressage competition and participation for Masters Riders. The Flying Horse series provides an opportunity for riders to compete against peers at five different levels at all levels of events and competition regardless whether riders compete locally, regionally or nationally. The competition will be open to riders 50 years & over as at 1 April 2016 and is run in five main divisions plus special awards from 1st April 2016 until 31st March 2017. View full conditions and enter on www. equestrianentries.co.nz

The top 10 scores in graded competitions will count. There will be rosettes for the top placed horse and top placed pony in each area, plus national champions and reserves in all six divisions.

ALLINFLEX AMATEUR TOP TEN LEAGUE The AllinFlex Amateur Top Ten League extends from 1 April 2016 until 31st March 2017. The competition is open to Category CN - C5 riders aged 21yrs and over as at 1 April 2016 (C5 riders have never earned grading points at any level above Level 5) Riders must be annual competitive members of the ESNZ. All participating horses must be registered and pay start levies for graded competitions View full conditions and enter on www.equestrianentries.co.nz

View full conditions and enter on www. equestrianentries.co.nz PRYDES EASIFEED SOUTH ISLAND YOUNG RIDER HI-POINTS SERIES Each of the seven South Island Regional EventsÂ will offer a Hi- Points Qualifier class with the finals being decided at theÂ South Island Festival of Dressage in 10/12 Feb in Gore. Riders must be max 20yrs as at 1 Aug 2016. There is no minimum age limit for pony riders. Riders on horses must be at 12yrs in the calendar year 2016

See the next issue for news of the South Island Championships (10/12 Feb 2017), and the Festival of Future Stars Championships (8/9 April 2017)

HORSE SPORTS YOUNG RIDER AMATEUR TOP TEN LEAGUE Pony & Young Riders who have never earned points at level 5 or above, and are competing on horses or ponies up to Level 4 at 1/8/16 can compete in the Horse Sports League. All participating riders, ponies & horses must be fully ESNZ registered. Scores from 1/8/16 until 10/4/17 will count towards the Horse Sports League. Level 1 horses & ponies must be competed by riders with no Level 3 or above points, Level 2 by riders with no Level 4 or above points

OCTOBER 2016 | DRESSAGENZ BULLETIN | 55

DRESSAGE MARKETPLACE

INTERNATIONAL QUALITY YOUNG HORSE: “LEO WISPERN” 5yo by NZ Warmblood by Whisper from one of New Zealand’s most well performed dressage and international eventing mare lines, bred and produced for elite level dressage or eventing. Fun and safe to ride, personality plus, very suitable for an ambitious young rider or amateur. Purchased to produce to Grand Prix level and then breed from, my circumstances have changed dramatically and this is the only reason this horse has become available for sale. She is approximately 16-16.1hh (I am 5’8 tall for size aspect in photo). Her dam line has produced multiple champion and international elite level horses. Very reluctant genuine sale. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Alicia Collin Equestrian | alicia.collin.nz@gmail.com

UPSTANDING, QUALITY BRED DRESSAGE GELDING “LEO WIEDEMAN” Hanoverian registered weanling gelding. “Louis” is dressage bred, both parents of international breeding (dam by frozen semen) not readily available in Australasia. Very similarly bred to Italian Olympic horse Eremo del Castegno. He has three excellent paces, and a calm loving personality. By Worldly (Weltmeyer) out of a Royal Diamond mare (Royal Diamond is a full brother of Rohdiamont, by Rubinstein). Estimated mature height of 16.3hh, he is well handled, well mannered, and looking to find a competitive future home. $15,000 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Alicia Collin Equestrian | alicia.collin.nz@gmail.com

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DRESSAGE DIRECTORY DRESSAGE AREA GROUP WEBSITES & OTHER USEFUL LINKS Equestrian Sports NZ/Dressage www.nzequestrian.org.nz/dressage www.facebook.com/Dressage NZ www.facebook.com/Equestrian Sports NZ www.facebook.com/DressageNZ U25 Championships www.facebook.com/Stable of the Stallions Dressage Bay of Islands www.bayofislandsdressagegroup.co.nz Dressage Northland www.sportsground.co.nz/dressagenorthland

Dressage Central Districts www.sportsground.co.nz/dressagecentraldistricts

Dressage Waitemata www.dressagewaitemata.co.nz

Dressage Taranaki www.dressagetaranaki.co.nz

Dressage Warkworth www.warkworthdressage.webs.com

Dressage Wellington www.dressagewellington.org.nz

Dressage Auckland - Manukau www.amdg.org.nz

Dressage Horowhenua www.horowhenuadressage.com

Dressage Waikato www.dressagewaikato.co.nz

Dressage Wairarapa www.dressagewairarapa.com

Dressage Morrinsville -Te Aroha www.mtdg.co.nz

Dressage Nelson www.nelsondressage.webs.com

Dressage Gisborne www.gisbornedressage.org.nz

Dressage Marlborough www.sportsground.co.nz/marlboroughdressage

Dressage Bay of Plenty www.dressagebayofplenty.co.nz

Dressage Canterbury www.freewebs.com/canterburydressage

Dressage Eastern Bay of Plenty www.sportsground.co.nz/ebd

Dressage Otago www.dressageotago.webs.com

Dressage Rotorua www.sportsground.co.nz/dressagerotorua

Dressage Southland www.dressage-southland.com

Dressage Tauranga www.dressagetauranga.co.nz

National Equestrian Centres www.nzequestrian.org.nz

Dressage Taupo www.sportsground.co.nz/taupodressagegroup

Tielcey Park Equestrian Centre www.tielceypark.co.nz (Manawatu)

Dressage Northern Hawkes Bay www.sportsground.co.nz/dressagenhb

North Loburn Equestrian Centre www.nlec.co.nz (Canterbury)

Dressage Central Hawkes Bay www.sportsground.co.nz/chbdressage

Northern Equestrian Group www.freewebs.com/northerneq (Canterbury)

Dressage Southern Hawkes Bay www.sportsground.co.nz/shbdressage

Northgate Lodge www.northgatelodgeequestrian.com (Northland)

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