Maree Tomkinson and Diamantina sweep to kur victory at the 2012 Australian Dressage Championships
Photo © Franz Venhaus

Last night was the 'Night of Freestyles' at the 2012 Australian Dressage Championships. Unfortunately, the number of spectators was slightly down on previous years. This was a shame as the spectators are integral in making the event viable. They add to the atmosphere, spend money in the trade village and more importantly they help spread the word about the world of dressage. In saying that, the evening was enjoyed by all and there were plenty of beautiful horses to keep us inspired.

The Grand Prix Freestyle CDI-W wasn't as surprising in regards to the placegetters. First place went to Maree Tomkinson on her incredibly popular mare, Diamantina IV, scoring 69.450. Second went to David Shoobridge on the very accurate, 00 Seven (69.150) and third went to Sheridyn Ashwood on the expressive stallion Prestige VDL (67.450). Fourth was Heath Ryan on Regardez Moi scoring 67.275.

One of the lovely things about the Freestyle competitions is that it is enjoyable to watch for people who are not necessarily involved or interested in the sport. Last night I invited my sister along who has never been to a dressage event in her life. She arrived late afternoon, browsed the trade village and found a couple of things for her two daughters and then thoroughly enjoyed the evening competitions. She was intrigued by the horses and surprised by the amount of spectators - it gave her a glimpse of a world she had no idea existed. I think she will be back next year. This is what we need to do - introduce new people to the sport (not necessarily in the saddle).

by Scott Pollock
Photo © Franz Venhaus

 

Maree Tomkinson on Diamantina (by Diamond Hit)

Maree Tomkinson and Diamantina IV won the CDI-W Grand Prix at the 2012 Australian Dressage Championships on Friday with the battle for first heating up as the competition neared its end on the second day of competition at the Nationals. 

Tomkinson and her 10-year old Oldenburger mare Diamantina, which she owns with Lyn Sultana, were the penultimate combination to enter the indoor arena on a day that delivered plenty of action and much more pleasant weather conditions. Tomkinson and Diamantina entered the arena immediately following Sheridyn Ashwood and Prestige VDL scored 67.021 which handed them the lead – a position that NSW combination David Shoobridge and OO Seven had held for most of the afternoon after they were awarded a score of 66.787.

Despite a strong performance, Ashwood and her 15 yo KWPN stallion’s grip over the competition was short lived after the Victorian duo of Tomkinson and Diamantina scored 67.298.

With the final combination of Heath Ryan and Regardez Moi scoring 65.234 to secure fourth, Maree didn’t have to wait long to learn that the Grand Prix title was hers.

Following her win, Maree admitted that her mare can sometimes become tense in the indoor arena and says their carefully planned warm-up away from the noise worked well to dispel her anxiety.

“She’s really noise sensitive and noise reactive so today we warmed up on one of the far arenas right away from the noise and crowds,” Maree said.

“It’s like being in the eye of the storm, if we’re very careful and we don’t hit the edges its perfect,” she added.

There’s still the GP Freestlye and GP Special to contest before this year’s National Champion is crowned but Maree is revelling the position she is in.

“I’ve been riding horses my whole life and I’ve been coming to the nationals for ten years with different horses and we’ve been lucky enough to win some young horse classes and the small tour but the Grand Prix is the main deal so if we could win that it would be very exciting,” she said.

A full weekend of dressage action awaits those heading out to the Sydney International Equestrian Centre with Saturday evening’s Grand Prix Freestlye expected to produce some stunning performances as Australia’s best battle it out for the national title.

Related Link
Scores 2012 Australian Dressage Championships
 

 

 

Following the conclusion of the 2012 New South Wales Regional Championships as fifth selection trial, the Australian equestrian federation  released the names of the qualified combinations for the 2012 Equestrian Grand Final to be held at 2012 Equitana in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday 17 November.

The ranking and qualification of the combinations is based on their best Grand Prix Freestyle result achieved at the selection shows. Twelve riders will be travelling to Melbourne for the Final:

sessions which rank horse and rider combinations by their best Grand Prix Freestyle result, EA can confirm the 12 riders who have gained automatic qualification to the Equestrian Grand Final – Dressage are as follows:

• David Shoobridge - OO Seven - 72.575
• Heath Ryan -  Regardez Moi - 71.275
• Maree Tomkinson - Diamantina IV - 70.675
• Tor Van Den Berge - Fisherman’s Friend - 68.750
• Fiona McNaught - Ostra - 66.750
• Caroline Wagner - Tango V - 66.725
• Sheridyn Ashwood - Prestige VDL - 66.325
• Nadia Coghlan - Northern Campion - 65.875
• Megan Bryant - Northern Xanthus III - 65.325
• Anjanette Harten - UQG Alladin - 65.300
• Ann Slatford - Silvery - 64.850
• Stephanie Spencer - Rambo - 64.825

David Shoobridge and his KWPN stallion OO Seven are firming as the combination to beat at this year’s Equestrian Grand Final for Dressage after their performance at the NSW State Dressage Championships at the weekend has placed them at the top of the leader board. This is the second consecutive Grand Final qualifier that the duo has won and only the second they have contested. Their score of 72.575% in the weekend’s Grand Prix Freestyle is the highest of the series and puts them ahead of Heath Ryan and Regardez Moi which led the series for most of the series with their score of 71.275% from the Sydney CDI in May.

“To crack 70% is amazing and we did that fairly significantly,” David said. “All I want to try and achieve is personal betterment and if that means we win some competitions, then that’s a bonus, but my focus is on improving,” he added.  “There are combinations here in Australia that have years and years of experience, riders who have trained multiple horses to GP very successfully. It's an exciting time but not one that I am taking for granted at all.  OO Seven and I will continue to work hard and see what's around the corner,” he added.

The Australian federation will award a further three horse and rider combinations with a wild card entry which will take the startlist for this year’s Grand Final for Dressage to 15.

Related Links
Final Qualification Opportunity for 2012 Equestrian Grand Final
Qualifying Events for the 2012 Equestrian Grand Final in Melbourne