THE weather gods were kind to competitors at Shoalhaven Dressage Club’s competition held on February 16.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Overcast conditions and some light rain kept the temperatures down and made riding pleasant for the club’s opening competition of 2014.
The new year saw some new combinations making their test debuts and some well known combinations stepping up a level for the first time.
Sandra Steward decided she was not just going to support her talented daughter Jess, but stepped into the ring on her own horse Curly.
They won the prep A with 55 per cent.
In the open preliminary tests, mother and daughter competitors Robyn and Alycia Targa swapped first and second places on their young horses.
Robyn won the prelim 1.2 with the high score of the day on her 18 hand youngster Furst Fling on 74.230 per cent.
Alycia won the 1.1 with Neversfelde Sachin on 66.931 per cent.
Sue Rayner stepped up to novice level with Vincent Van Gogh and won both of the closed restricted classes.
Test of the day had to go to Kim McDonald on her gelding Warburton Regatta.
They scored 70.142 per cent in the Advanced 5.2.
This was a truly beautiful test with Regatta staying in a correct uphill frame with lots of energy and swing.
His trot extensions are truly world class and stayed powerful for the entire length of the diagonal.
His canter changes were big and expressive and he showed a real ability to sit in the canter pirouettes.
It will be good to see how this combination continue throughout the year.
If they continue this form then they should be in the placing at the national championships.
Shoalhaven Dressage Club’s next competition is on April 13, 2014.
See the website on www.shoalhavendressageclub.
com.au for details.