Last month, Queenslander Bridgette Dalmau was named our 2024 Australian U25 Big Tour Champion with Bon Jovi MH. Her first time riding the U25 Grand Prix in competition, she couldn’t be happier with the results and is looking forward to a bright future in the sport.
All eyes have been on the Olympic Games in Paris the past few weeks, however, back home in Australia our next generation of riders are gaining valuable experience at our homegrown events. With Brisbane 2032 on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to dream big as a young Aussie rider.
The 2024 Australian Youth Dressage Championships took place just north of Brisbane in Caboolture last month, where many of the country’s top young riders competed for national titles across the levels. Our 2024 U25 Big Tour Champion was Bridgette Dalmau riding 12-year-old New Zealand Hanoverian Bon Jovi MH (Bonifatius x St Pr St Welkanje, by Weltmeyer), with the pair taking a clean sweep of the U25 Intermediate II, U25 Grand Prix, and U25 Grand Prix Freestyle classes.
“I felt very proud of both ‘Jimmy’ and myself. I am incredibly grateful to be riding at this level, and that I have a special horse that can teach me,” reflects Bridgette.
Remarkably, it was the first time the 18-year-old has ridden the U25 Grand Prix test in competition. “To ride at Big Tour for the first time was an amazing feeling, let alone at a national championship. I was a bit nervous, but as soon as we got into the arena I knew that Jimmy and I were ready to be competing at this level, and it was just going to be a matter of trusting each other and building confidence. It was an amazing feeling at the final halt,” she says.
“Youth championships are always such a fun shows, with so many great people. I felt so much support and friendship throughout the whole weekend. To me, this is what a youth championship should be about.”
Bridgette and Jimmy scored an impressive 73.775% in the Freestyle, which was no doubt a highlight. “When I designed the floorplan for my test, I knew I wanted to use simple lines and do them well rather than getting too complicated, because we are new to the level. I know I will reinvent this Freestyle as we get stronger and more confident, however I really loved riding it, making the most of our strengths at the moment and minimising the challenges so we can gain confidence,” she explains.
“I put my own music together and I really love it. It was great to get lots of positive feedback about my music, I think it really suits Jimmy. On the freestyle day, I tried a few different ways of riding the piaffe/passage tour, and this really paid off. When I saw the score, I was surprised. I was so proud of our test, so it was wonderful to get this result. It was such a fun and rewarding ride; it was the best way to finish the youth championships.”
Bridgette also won the prestigious Sharon Doe Memorial Young Rider Challenge, a competition held in honour of the late Sharon Doe – a highly successful young FEI Queensland dressage rider. Donated by Marion and Edgar Lichtwark, this event commemorates Sharon’s passion for riding, capturing the lightness and harmony she exhibited in the saddle.
The class has been formatted along the lines of the European Riders Championship and is open to riders up to 25 years of age, with a goal to emphasise their skills and artistry. The Sharon Doe Memorial is a rider class, judged solely on the rider’s ability, irrespective of the horse.
“Sharon was such an inspiration to all of the Young Riders,” reflects Bridgette. “My mum has told me stories of when she was competing against Sharon, and it is just such a privilege to be able to ride in this class.
“It’s also really an honour to be the winner of a class that Elliot Patterson had previously won. It’s important to me to ride in his legacy, and I think especially with Young Riders in Queensland who he had such an influence on, riding for him in the Sharon Doe Memorial is exactly that.”
A PONY CALLED POPPY
Bridgette says that with her mum being a horse enthusiast herself, she’s been fortunate enough to have had horses her whole life. “I can’t remember the first time I rode a horse; it has just always been inevitable that horses were going to be in my life.
“My first pony was called Poppy, and she was a Welsh mountain pony. We got her when I was four, and all I can remember is how I needed to ride with grass reins, otherwise I would not be able to get her to move! We did showing together, and she initially sparked my interest in dressage.”
Following Poppy, Bridgette says she’s been fortunate to have had a handful of wonderful horses that have taught her a lot about the sport over the years. “I have also had the opportunity to try different disciplines, and eventing was a big part of this. My second pony was Rothwell So Tempting, ‘Billie’. We did lots of showing, with the Ekka regularly on our calendar. Billie was my first championship pony, where we competed in the 10 and Under Preliminary dressage at the Queensland Pony Club State Championships.
“Next was Swingtime Swift, ‘Taylor’, a Warmblood x Riding Pony. Taylor was such an influential pony for me when it comes to my dressage journey. We competed in the young rider classes through Pony Club, winning many state championships. I was then lucky enough to have Mount Baron, ‘Robbie’. As my first horse, Robbie played a huge role in where I am today, originally bred for polo, I competed him up to one-star eventing and Advanced dressage.”
DRESSAGE ALWAYS A FOCUS
With Bridgette’s mum being an FEI rider herself, dressage was always a focus point as she moved through the eventing levels. “I always enjoyed the challenge of this phase. While Robbie wasn’t blessed with the physique to be a dressage horse, he taught me to ride properly in order to bring out the best in him. He gave me a taste of the higher levels of dressage, and I enjoyed this. I love the attention to detail needed for dressage, and that it is a sport of development with each level just increasing the challenge that bit more.
It was at this point that Bridgette’s love of dressage won out and, deciding eventing wasn’t for her, she embarked on a journey to find a schoolmaster so she could learn the higher levels of her preferred discipline and continue the journey that she had started with Robbie.
“Finding a horse like Jimmy is luck and timing and we were quietly looking for ages. Through a handful of contacts, we were introduced to Wendi Williamson who is based in the North Island of New Zealand and knew that if she found the right place, she would consider selling Jimmy.
“As soon as school was done, we were on a plane to meet Jimmy. We immediately loved him. We stayed for a week, riding him multiple times, before Mum flew home, leaving me at Wendi’s for another few weeks to get to know Jimmy better. Jimmy then flew to Australia about a month later and in January 2023 we started our journey together.”
FIRST BIG TOUR HORSE
As Bridgette’s first Big Tour horse, Jimmy has certainly been the perfect schoolmaster. They competed at Young Rider level throughout 2023 and the beginning of this year, and have now just stepped up to the U25 Big Tour.
“Finding a horse like
Jimmy is luck and timing…”
Currently completing her final year of school, Bridgette’s focus has solely been on Jimmy so that she could work towards the Grand Prix whilst also meeting the demands of Year 12. “We do have a young horse, but at the moment Mum has been helping with him while I finish school,” Bridgette explains.
On the training front, Bridgette says she’s fortunate to have a handful of mentors who are supporting and guiding her along this journey. “Initially, I trained with Ruth White and her words are always with me when I ride any horse. With Jimmy, Wendi has become a great friend, coach and mentor and I train online with her weekly. I work with Brett Parbery when he is in Brisbane, and I spent some time at his place last year, which really helped me appreciate the journey I am on.
“Outside that I always seek the opinion of Anjanette McLean who is a wonderful mentor. I am very lucky that Jacqui van Monfrans is our school coach, so I am able to catch up with her regularly. Her insights and feedback are always amazing, she always brings something special to any session. Gary Lung helped me tremendously at my first big show, Dressage by the Sea, when I had really only been riding Jimmy for about a month. It was so generous of him, and it really was amazing to have that support. Gary is always great to talk to about how things are going and what we should be working on.
“At home, Mum is a great help. To me, I find it extremely beneficial to have an extra set of eyes from the ground. I am incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful support and mentor team.”
OLYMPIC GOALS
“For the rest of the season, I want to become more established at the Grand Prix work,” says Bridgette of her immediate goals. “I then hope to have my first official senior Grand Prix start. Next year I am planning to head over to New Zealand with Jimmy for a season before basing myself at a stable in Australia.”
Finishing up with school, Bridgette also has plans for further study and so will likely juggle that with her riding. “I will just see how everything goes and not make too many definite plans. So, at the moment I am just enjoying the journey and continuing to learn about the higher levels of the sport!”
Looking to big future goals, Bridgette has dreams of riding overseas and representing Australia.
“I would love to represent Australia at an Olympic Games. It would be amazing to have a stable overseas, and to ride at shows on the world stage. We now have so many wonderful and inspiring dressage riders representing us and coming through, and I would love to join this legacy.”
Bring on Brisbane! EQ
