The Western Victorian Dressage Club ran the Hewtitt and Whitty CRT Ballarat Dressage Festival in the spacious Victoria Park. This wonderful venue was well prepared despite the drought like conditions, with the arenas well watered and much effort put in to decorating with flowers and plants. The day saw good entries in all classes from Preliminary to Grand Prix, along with Freestyles at all levels and the competition at the top end of the classes producing some complimentary scores.

The highlight of the day was Hagen Park’s Kylie Riddel, who rode a great Grand Prix test on Clive to gain a 65% and a 68% from the two judges, Clive took it all in his stride and performed like Ballarat was a mini Olympics! Some well deserved and seriously high marks in the passage piaffe, would have had them on a higher score, however a mistake in the two tempis and a lack of balance in the first extended trot lost some important marks. The new combination looked at home making the test appear easy, and that's what dressage is all about. In the Freestyle they finished on 66.5% and were infront of Marianne Crawford and Jaybee Bellair.  Marrianne also rode two good tests but for some mistakes in the piaffe which is where the coefficients are now counted.

Preliminary Champion went to Nina Loyd and Ballahowe Fortuna a good moving bay gelding with a strong top line and good canter. Runner up to Flowervale Sandeka and Joy Endresz.

The Novice tests were hotly contested and the eventual Champion was The All Black for Hillary McGregor-Potter with a 69% and 71%. Joanna Muir was runner up of the seventeen entrants. Her horse Napoleon Jack, an attractive dappled grey gelding produced a very consistent test with a steady outline and tempo.

The Elementary was also a strongly contested class with the Champion here to a very attractive bright bay gelding, Withered Wings. This gelding showed good rhythm and   trainability. There is no question that in time this horse is going to develop well. His rider Holly Hormsby showed a great style and position and the overall picture looked great. The runner up Remi Faberge and Erica Henderson. This horse is a bright and energetic liver chestnut with a very round outline and expressive paces. Perhaps a little tension caused the loss of a few marks, but this horse is looking good for the next levels.

The Medium champion was the impressive brown horse Hit Singer and Judy Peel, Hit Singer is developing such an uphill way, unfortunately in the test there were problems with a few late changes and that was where the marks were lost for sure. He will get confirmed here without any problems in very near future and instantly more marks easily.

The sponsorship for this was fantastic with over $2000 cash being divided amongst the winners and an embroidered woolen rug for the Championship classes. Ballarat Veterinary Practice was also a major sponsor along with Hewitt and Whitty CRT who supplied bags of feed to the place getters. Simplex Insurance Solutions, Formosa Nursery as well as Horseland and Equissage were also generous in their sponsorship.

The Advanced Champion went to Emilly O’Connell and Moonlight Park Foxtrot, just in front of Waterfords Tiffany, a bay mare bred in WA by Hannie Byrnes and ridden and trained by Dianne Humm. Both horses scoring in the low to mid 70% and handing in consistent work.

Onto the Prix St George and it was a win to the flamboyant mover in Knotuk Wilson ridden by Jason James. For Jason, who deserved the win, I am sure he could well be questioning things given there was nearly a 7% difference in his scores. But, it's called dressage and in Victoria with a large discrepancy like this, there is a form that the judges after viewing the papers and discussing the horse and the marks, fill out with an ordered reason why they saw the differences. This is an excellent idea and an initiative, which is positive in making the sport more and more transparent. It only takes 0.5 in each movement to come to his percentage difference. It's not so hard to do if one judge perhaps sees a horse not forward and the other thinks it is, or one judge doesn't like the contact and frame and the other does. It happens, and after discussing it's easy to come to an agreement and I think that the overall score of the 66.9% would have been a very acceptable outcome. This horse has plenty of expression in the trot work with an arched and raised neck. The canter work at times could show more jump and hind leg as well as in the changes. There is no doubt nor question that this horse is improving at every outing and that's what is good to see. It will be interesting to watch this horse on his journey to Grand Prix and he surely has the look factor.

Second to Clifton Court Laurenz for Sue Nevett. This lovely scopey big brown gelding showed some fabulous parts but again a lack of consistency staying shoulders up and in front of the leg took away a few marks. With this came a few moments of a little behind the vertical and for sure that lost a few more marks, but all the same it was a creditable test and a mark of 64.88% showing the quality of the work. Belcam Cadel for Bianca Barnes was 3rd and again a super uphill grey horse also very well ridden but a few too many overly expressive changes! It always goes to show that a correct test with no mistakes is first and foremost when it comes to winning at this level. Too much expression and a few mistakes in tempo and balance and hey presto a few 4s (especially on coefficient movements) and down the list you go. But no one can deny dressage is a tough sport and mentally challenging.

In the Inter I there was only the one starter in Belcam Cadel for Bianca Barnes and a score of 65.8% was certainly well deserved. This horse made a few costly mistakes in the flying changes and a few rhythm lapses, so in turn lost important marks. This upstanding grey certainly has the consistency in the outline and Bianca does a great job and has a super elegant and effective position.

The Ballarat Dressage Festival was a great competition; a great venue and a progressive committee who made it work. The arenas and the ambience, the friendliness and thanks to the sponsors that really attracted a lot of interest and competitors to this prestigious event, the ease of the competition was delightful.