A successful final Australian outing for Maree Tomkinson and outstanding performances by Jayden Brown were among the highlights of the triumphant return of dressage competition in Victoria. However, the ability to simply be back in the competition arena had everyone feeling like a winner.
Almost 700 competitors from Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia embarked on the journey to Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre for the Hygain Victorian Dressage Festival in 2021.
With 50 classes over the three-day meeting in December, event director Lizzy Schirmer ensured Victoria’s return to State Championships started with a bang! “This year I felt we needed an event that was not only extremely horse and rider friendly, but an event where people could come together,” says Lizzy. “Our ‘European style’ arena precinct gave the event a new, fresh feel and allowed everyone to enjoy the event together in a Covid Safe way. It was nice to see riders mingling, spectators meeting up to enjoy the show and everyone in very high spirits.”
In the competition arena there were opportunities for all with championships for the overall winner, AOR champion and Young Rider champion in all EA and FEI horse and pony classes. Accompanied by a first-class market village and with highly competitive classes, this event was one for spectators, competitors and judges alike to enjoy.
The first day of competition highlighted that with the borders now open for travel, Team NSW had arrived, and whilst their numbers may have been small, they were mighty! Lizzie Wilson-Fellows riding Lets Charmeux scored 81.200% for the Young Horse Six-Year-Old Round 1. Jayden Brown and Terry Snow’s WillingaPark Miana won the Black Horse Preliminary Championship, with fellow NSW riders Lizzie Wilson-Fellows and HB Furst Choice placing fourth in the Preliminary 1B on 73.572%, Alycia Targa and Zoolander TPH placing sixth on 71.667%, and Ethan Ramos-Hill on F1 Strictly Taboo just missing the placings on 70.446%.
Jayden Brown continued his successful day with a win in the Horse in the Box FEI Prix St Georges on WillingaPark Quincy B with a massive 77.500% from Tokyo Olympic judge Susie Hoevenaars. Karen Blythe and Sonic K secured a win for Victoria in the Young Horse Seven-Year-Old Round 1 with an exciting score of 77.333%, with 79.800% for paces and a technical mark of 74.800%.
The Victorian Dressage Club Pony Prix St Georges was won by Allison O’Neill and Roseglen Toytown on a final score of 64.599%, and the Kelato Animal Health Pony Preliminary Championship was won by Caitlyn Porter and Kaiser’s Goldfinger, with scores of 73.572% and 69.018%.
Despite 71.481% for Jayden Brown and WillingaPark Spot On in the Interpath Advanced 5B on day two, Victorians Janet Seccull and Bloomfield Vegas, and Jason James riding Sylvia McLachlan’s Florino 48, secured the Champion and Reserve Champion titles in this highly competitive class. Jessica Dertell and Sabble Farm’s Gladstone MH were also one point off Reserve Champion with scores of 69% for both tests, claiming the Future Farms Young Rider Advanced Championship.
Justine Greer had a successful day in the office winning the Westernport Dressage Club Novice Championship on the exciting young horse Otway Bojangles, with Reserve Champion going to Jayden Brown and WillingaPark Tito. In the Horse in the Box Intermediate I, Jayden and WillingaPark Quincy B took another win with a score of 73.676%. Justine Greer and Yarramee Fonzi were a fraction behind in second with a score of 73.480%, which led them to also being awarded the Gert Donvig Memorial Award for the highest placed Victorian.
Louisa Smith and the stunning stallion HP Fresco had an exciting debut for their first Intermediate A (sponsored by Equissage) for first place with 66.618%. Karen Blythe and Sonic K continued their winning streak, securing the Young Horse Seven-Year-Old Championship. Similarly, Lizzie Wilson-Fellows and Lets Charmeux won the Young Horse Six-Year-Old Championship and Victorian Clair Arnold riding the eye-catching Fawks Crocodile Rock won the Young Pony Six-Year-Old Championship.
Day three saw Team NSW reign supreme in the Whittlesea Plenty Valley Dressage Club Elementary Championship, with Jayden Brown and Pamela Barton’s gorgeous Kasjmir placing first in both tests with scores of 75.250% and 74.329%. Reserve Champion went to Alycia Targa and CP Charmore, solidifying Dressage NSW as the Novice winning team.
The Fager Elementary Pony Champion was won by Robyn Pearce riding Buckwell Park Peter Pan, with young rider Rosemary Heagney riding Mr Buck Meister and claiming Reserve Champion. Jayden Brown and WillingaPark Quincy B concluded the Horse in the Box Small Tour Championship with a win in the Intermediate I Freestyle on a score of 78.588%. Justine Greer and Yarramee Fonzi secured Reserve Small Tour Champion with 74.075% and Jackson Stern riding Templeton Fursteniro won the Young Rider Small Tour Championship.
Jessica Dertell riding Gleniph Tiramisu won the Pony Small Tour Championship and Young Rider Pony Small Tour Championship, with Bella Plumridge riding Illawong Harvest Moon named Reserve Champion and Reserve Young Rider Champion.
The Horse Bit Emporium Grand Prix saw exciting combinations take centre stage with Pauline Carnovale and Captain Cooks securing the win on a score of 69.783%. Jayden Brown on the promising Senator Nymphenburg, owned by Rose Deo, was second with 68.152%. With only a handful of rides for this combination and yet to produce a fault-free test, it will be exciting to see the scores they produce when they do.
The final day of the Hygain Dressage Festival saw the last tests for Maree Tomkinson on Australian soil for some time as she plans to head over to Germany shortly. Maree had wins in every class she competed in, including first in the Wagner’s Saddlery Intermediate II (day one) on her Total Diva (by Totilas out of Maree’s World Equestrian Games mare Diamantina), and a massive score of 93.200% on Imagine II in the Five-Year-Old Round 1 (day three), including a 10.0 for canter, 9.8 for trot and 9.5 for perspective! The pair also won Round 2 on 88.8%. We will miss Maree and wish her well with her overseas endeavours! Equestrian Life, along with the rest of Australia, will be following her journey.
Sunday was a 10/10 day – not only was the weather amazing but it saw Jayden Brown and WillingaPark Fangio receive the perfect score for their trot half-pass to the right. They finished the Lara Tweedie Medium 4C with a score of 77.568% and won the overall Championship. Karen Blythe and Sonic K kept Jayden on his toes, narrowly beating them in the Medium 4B and claiming Medium Reserve Champion. Jasmine Abernathy and Royal Diamond Jubilee were awarded Young Rider Medium Champion.
The Grand Prix Championship went to Pauline Carnovale and Captain Cooks with a flowing Freestyle that finished them on a score of 73.517%. Jayden Brown and the stunning Senator Nymphenburg scored 72.442% for second with their passage a highlight. The Young Rider Grand Prix Championship went to Jessica Dertell riding Sabble Farm’s Eskara De Jeu, for their first Grand Prix Freestyle together to finish just shy of the magic 70%. The Grand Prix class was not short of talented combinations for the future!
The Medium Tour Championship was won by Olivia Gillespie and Versace I with their Freestyle scoring 68.308%. In the NRG Para classes, Maddison Cooke and Byalee Magic II won the Grade 2 Championship and Stella Barton riding Falcon Disco Hit were Grade 1 Champions in their first competition together.
All of us have had our ups and downs through COVID-19 and I think that, regardless of the results achieved, the smiles on everyone’s faces for having the opportunity to compete and participate in the sport we love made this event very special. We appreciate the hurdles that event directors, judges, stewards, volunteers and everyone else involved had to go through to produce this event within the new Covid guidelines.
“I think it was the event a lot of people needed,” says Lizzy Schirmer. “I am very thankful to the team and suppliers who worked so hard to bring it together. It was a lovely way to end the year.”
We look forward to the next major events coming up this month, with the Australian Youth Dressage Championships and Boneo CDI both being run at the amazing Boneo Park. EQ
Full results from the Hygain Victorian Dressage Festival can be found here.
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