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Dressage WA Newsletter
JULY 2015
1
Message from the DWA Chair
2
Meet a Committee Member –
Elaine Greene
3
Riders Representative – Tracy
Spackman
4
DWA Committee Members
4
Stewards Corner
6
Meet a dressage rider – Tanya
Pasznicki
8
Xmas in July Masters Series
Qualifier
9
From the Judges Box
10
Serpentine HPC Jill Stanton
Memorial Dressage Day
Do you think dressage in WA is heading in the right direction? Do you
have questions about competitions, rules or anything else? Do you have
some good ideas? What can we do to make it better? We would really
like to have some feedback.
In this edition we meet Tanya Pasznicki, DWA committee member Elaine
Greene plus a new section – From the Judges Box. Would you like to add
something to the newsletter? Contact us at www.dressagewa.org.
Message from the DWA Chair - Gill Botten
Gill
All those riders who get home from work and dash to ride before darkness
falls must be pleased we are now past the shortest day of the year and
heading for longer days.
I saw the best example of submission recently whilst observing a carriage
drawn by four greys followed by three riders on three greys negotiate
Piccadilly Circus in Central London. Surrounded by four lanes of taxis,
cars, motor bikes and buses, they calmly proceeded without an ear
bonnet in sight! Amazing horses and riders.
DWA have noted that FEI riders have been concerned that they need more competitions at this level. It is
always great when members of the dressage community come forward to help and it looks as if we will be able
to add some more events to the calendar.
The "Christmas in July" Masters Series qualifier is rapidly approaching and entries are looking good and the High
Performance Clinic in June was very well attended by dressage squad riders.
Thought for the day (when referring to dressage riding):
“Less is more”
Edgar Lichtwark
Gill Botten (Chair DWA)
Meet a Committee Member – Elaine Greene
Meet Elaine. She’s the DWA Official Liaison as well as Chair of the Dressage Judge’s Taskforce and is extremely
knowledgeable when it comes to judging dressage. She has been lucky enough to have had access to great
trainers and spend time with international judges. Did you know she’s also an accredited British dressage
judge?
Misty morning; arrived early but where are the other judges? Hartpury College, Gloucester, 2013
It’s fair to say, horses have always been a huge part of my life in all areas; as a rider, trainer, breeder, owner
and judge. I feel very lucky to have had access to some of the most fantastic horse-people over the years,
who have been instrumental in developing my passion for dressage and three day eventing.
I started out as a keen showjumper when I was younger living in the UK, my idols being David Broome, Marion
Mould riding Olympic medal winning pony Stroller and Andrew Fielder riding the explosive Vibart. It was when I
moved to Australia and began riding with coaches Heather Larwood, Nadine Merewether and working with
Domini Morgan that my dressage gene kicked in and I became fascinated with the training and development
of the horses.
I still dabbled in a bit of showjumping and cross country with my horses Psamead, a 16.1hh Anglo Arab and
Jester, a 16.2 hh holsteiner, but there was no doubt I
was finding a real passion for dressage and so
began my journey to become an NCAS coach and
NOAS dressage judge.
One of my big focuses during that time was looking
at how correct training can create horses suitable
for disabled riders and for many years I ran an RDA
group from my property in the hills, using mostly my
own horses and ponies.
Just off the truck strappers duties, Reaseheath
College, 2014
I have always believed that developing a horse
correctly should never just be for an end goal of
riding in a competition but to make the animal
happier, more confident and more athletic overall. I
enjoyed spending time with the marvelous Edgar
Lichtwark whenever he was in WA, soaking up his
superb approach to training. I loved taking his
approach and using it while riding and training the
beautiful
black
16.3
h
NZ
thoroughbred,
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Gainsborough, who my daughter, Michelle,
competed up to PSG level.
It was with Edgar’s help we took on the 3yr old
chestnut Hanoverian gelding, Adamas and
over the years trained him through to
advanced level. I took over the ride on
Adamas when Michelle moved to the UK and
enjoyed many special hours continuing his
training.
As well as becoming an EA coach and judge, I
have always been a huge supporter of the
Pony Club Association, acting as Chief
Instructor at Eastern Hills Pony Club for many
years. I became an examiner and Visiting
Commissioner
and
was
awarded
the
Australian Sports Medal for my work in the
equestrian sphere.
Early days for 5 year old Royal Casino Cheshire 2012
More recently I have enjoyed mixing my dressage judging commitments and my role as chair of the Dressage
Judge’s Taskforce, with a focus on three day event officiating. I have recently been promoted to FEI CCI 3*&4*
level and look forward to working on the international ground juries at events in Australia and overseas.
I have partially hung up my riding boots now, saving my riding days for when I am in the UK where I ride Royal
Casino, a 9yr old British WB I part own, who is starting his Advanced work. I also part own a lovely 3yr old black
colt who has the magical Donnerhall, Rubinstein, Ferro, Sandro Hit bloodlines.
I am fortunate enough to be able to spend time in the UK every year, which sees me whiling away the hours at
regular sessions with Stephen Clarke, who Michelle has trained with for three years. I’ve also been an
accredited British Dressage judge for over 5 years, which gives me the chance to judge a huge variety of
horses across the UK and attend some fantastic judge training with the likes of Isobel Wessels (FEI 5*), Andrew
Gardner (FEI 5*) and Clive Halsall (FEI 4*).
Introducing the DWA Riders Representative – Tracy Spackman
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Tracy Spackman and I
am the Dressage WA Riders Representative. I feel this position
presents a great opportunity to put back into the sport that I am
passionate about and have gained so much from and so felt the
need to start giving back. I am an FEI dressage rider/competitor and
am currently competing Grand Prix on my 12 year old hannoverian
warmblood, AEA Benetton, who is also on the WA Dressage State
Squad. I also compete my German riding pony cross, Coco De Luxe,
at Preliminary level.
I am committed to represent all WA dressage riders; if you have any
issues, questions or complaints that may arise that you would like to
discuss.
I
ask
riders
to
email
me
directly
on
[email protected]. I have a fantastic support crew behind
me and will channel these communications to the DWA committee
for further discussion and solutions.
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Dressage Western Australia Committee Members
Chair - Gill Botten
Vice Chair - Dwight Pedlow
Treasurer - Dinah Fleming
Finance/Treasury - Dinah Fleming
DWA budget management, DDF
accounts, purchase orders and
payments
Issue of Information – Rebecca
DeVries
Website.
Correspondence - Gill Botten/Jo
Yacopetti
Minutes, Agendas, incoming and
outgoing correspondence.
Business/Strategic Planning - Dwight
Pedlow
Sponsorship and Events - Heidi Emery
/Rebecca De Vries
Including State Championships and
Master Series
Club Liaison - Bev Leonard
Official Liaison - Elaine Greene
Judges, Stewards, liaising with other
disciplines, national issues.
High Performance - Gill Botten
EA/EWA - Gill Botten
EWA Board and CEO, ADC etc.
Riders Representative - Tracy
Spackman
Includes downgrading applications,
Rider’s forum etc.
Performance
Medals/Trophies/Awards - Elaine
Greene/Val Mayger
DWA Newsletter - Suzanne Simons
Handbook - Dinah Fleming
Compilation and maintenance
Para Equestrian – Val Mayger
STEWARD’S CORNER
By Janet Reid
Did you know…..
The sighting of any fresh blood on the horse at the gear check prior to, or after the test, or during the
test, will entail elimination - Rule 1.4.
Anti-doping and medication control.
testing – Rule 1.6.
Horses and riders may be subject to random in-competition
A pony/horse may only enter and compete ‘once’ in each competition, including HC - Rule 1.9(h).
The number of ponies/horses per competitor is at the discretion of the Organising Committee (OC).
A gear check is required for ‘each test’ (not just the first test entered!) – Rule 1.11(a).
Monkey-grips are permitted at all levels from Preparatory to Grand Prix - Rule 2.1.
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Bridles must be black or brown – Rule 2.11(b).
Reins must be black or brown with no elastic inserts or loops – Rule 2.11(c).
A black or brown noseband is compulsory. The wearing of more than one noseband, or wearing nonapproved nosebands, will entail elimination. Rule 2.11.1.
Only a cavesson noseband shall be used with a double bridle under penalty of elimination. Rule 2.11.2.
When using a double bridle, it is not compulsory to use a lip strap, or to use a leather or rubber cover for
the curb chain. Rule 2.11.2.
False tails are permitted but must not contain any metal parts under penalty of elimination – Rule 2.12.
Any pony/horse on the grounds that is not entered in the event is not permitted in the warm up area
(either ridden or led) until after the completion of competitions for that day – Rule 3.12(h).
The gear steward must not alter any gear. If gear is too loose or incorrectly fitted, the rider or their agent
must make the necessary adjustments. Rule 4.5.
Any equipment which the Ground Jury, Technical Delegate, or Chief Steward may determine is against
the intent and general principles of dressage – Table 2.12.
THE FOLLOWING ARE “NOT PERMITTED” IN DRESSAGE
Offset Spur
Offset Jumping Spur
Spursuader Spur
Nose Nets
Transparent nose nets are only
permitted to be used in competitions and
warm-up areas with written approval from
the Australian Dressage Committee (ADC) –
Refer to Rule 2.15
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Riding with Elasticated Reins, or Elastic Rein Inserts, are “Not Permitted”
Meet dressage rider Tanya Pasznicki
Tanya and Relevance are at the top of the scoreboard in the Participant preliminary and novice classes. She
hopes to tackle the Competitor classes soon and to train Relevance to medium level. Her commitment to
getting the basics right is commendable and 2016 will be an exciting year for them in the Competitor classes.
Tell us about Relevance. He is a 7 year
old chestnut gelding by Rivendell
Winston (hannoverian, Weltmeyer line)
out of Krystelle Park Dark Angel (WB). I
was fortunate enough to purchase him
here in WA as an unstarted 3 year old.
With the assistance of Vanessa Hancox,
I started him under saddle and he was
an extremely easy horse to start which I
believe was due to his easy going
nature, good handling and preparation
by his original owner.
I chose him
because I was looking for a horse that
seemed to have a good temperament,
was uphill, well balanced with natural
rhythm showing some signs of cadence
in his paces; he seemed to tick all the
boxes.
For those that don’t know
Relevance, he has a big personality; he
will almost sit on you for a scratch. If
you’re not paying attention to him, be
sure to keep a careful eye on him or he
might just find his water bucket and
cover you with water. He constantly
makes me laugh with his playful antics,
half the reason why I love him so much.
Tanya and Relevance at Gidgegannup dressage day 2015
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Why did you start dressage? I don’t think I can say
“why” or even “when” I started dressage but even as a
young rider I saw the importance of training your horse
to understand what it is you are asking of them no
matter what discipline you choose to follow. I took a
break from riding in my late teens and then as an adult
rider I purchased my next horse and discovered adult
riding which was great fun. I started regular lessons with
my current coach, joined dressage clubs and
participated in training days. During the past 18 months
Wombat and I have entered regular competitions at
Participant preliminary and novice level.
Dressage is such a wonderful sport I guess I’ve become
addicted to learning all that I can. I love the fact that it
is about what we can achieve together rather than it
be about “us against them”. I feel very lucky to have a
wonderful group of friends that love dressage and are
there whether they are competing or not. It’s great to
be able to celebrate their achievements. I’m sure
dressage will be our main focus for many years to
come.
What has been the key for his training? I believe that
the key to his training has been not to rush his learning,
making sure he is enjoying what we are doing and
having a knowledgeable coach to help. Over the
years my coach, Alison Lee, has guided us, ensuring we
Tanya and Relevance at ARC
have set ourselves realistic goals and has planned our
lessons for which he is mentally and physically capable
of doing at the time. I have a very happy horse who tries his very best and Alison’s coaching is a reflection of
this. Over the past 4 years Relevance and I have also attended ground work clinics, ARC, dressage training
days, trail rides and beach days ensuring he has had a variety of work.
What are your goals for 2015? And what are your long
term goals? My goal for 2015 is to enter a number of
Participant preliminary/novice competitions and have
as much fun as we can. As for my long term goals, I
hope to one day compete at medium level.
When will you start to compete as “competitor”? I am
hoping we will both be ready to compete as
“competitor” in 2016.
What do you think is the purpose/advantage of
“participant” and when is the right time to go
“competitor”?
I can only answer for myself as every rider and or horse
have a different level of experience. For me, however,
it was quite simple, both Relevance and I started as
“participant” as I felt we needed to gain experience
without the added pressure of competing against the
more experienced horse/rider combinations. This I
believe is an advantage of having Participant classes. I
guess for us the right time to go “competitor” is when
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both my coach and I feel we are both ready and I want to be 100% confident that he is coping with the
different environments. I may have taken a little longer to get him to where he is but I really believe we have
built a solid foundation of trust and friendship which will benefit us in the future.
How could dressage in WA be improved? I would like to see more clinics/demonstrations open for members to
watch and learn. We have some great coaches visit from Interstate, not to forget our knowledgeable coaches
here in WA but I rarely see many opportunities to be able to go and spectate.
I’ve noticed the helper duty seems to be a problem for many competitors. Some riders can‘t simply afford the
additional cost and then another issue is that many riders often travel alone to shows and simply can’t leave
their horses unattended at the float for 1or 2 hours. I think by giving riders the option to pay or do self-help gives
everyone the chance to compete. I know many of us are more than willing to help if we can.
I’d like to see freestyle classes offered at events and would love to see the organisers bring back the Freestyle
tests at the State Championships, it’s sad that the fun side of dressage is not being encouraged. Maybe they
could introduce a separate Freestyle Championship event.
www.dressagewa.org
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From The Judges Box
By Elaine Greene
To help dressage riders navigate the EA Dressage Rule Book we are introducing something new to the
newsletter this month.
Members of the DWA Dressage Judges Taskforce will answer your most frequently asked questions. For riders
new to our sport and to those who have been competing for many years; there are often questions, especially
with regard to rule changes, you would like to ask but don’t know who to ask. The first thing to remember is that
every dressage rider should have a copy of the current EA Dressage Rule Book which comes out at the start of
the year and can be found on the EA National or DWA website. The onus is on the rider to know the rules and
rule changes are made annually.
If you are at an event and unsure of who to approach with regard to a query, ask the organising committee. If
they don’t know the answer you or they can ask one of officials (judges, stewards, and technical delegates)
there on the day.
If you have a question relating to dressage rules please contact us at www.dressagewa.org. Please note
questions must be accompanied by name and contact details although names will not be used in the
newsletter.
Q) I have entered an event and have been given a test draw time. Do I have to ride at this time?
A) Yes, you should ride at your given time. Event organisers do the draw to; accommodate all riders including
those who have more than one horse entered for an event, to ensure that there is time allocated to raking an
all-weather surface after a certain number of horses and to give judges break times. If there are extenuating
circumstances preventing you from riding at your given time contact the Organising Committee or Steward as
soon as possible. You cannot be forced to ride before your draw time, however, if the horse prior to you is
scratched and you are ready to ride, the steward may ask if you would ride earlier than your given time or
consideration should be given to approaching the judge earlier. By presenting to the judge, even if you are
early, you are indicating that you are ready to ride. Therefore, if you are not ready to enter the arena
immediately, wait away from the competition arena until such time as you are ready or your start time arrives.
The reason for this is to allow all competitors equal warm up time around the arena, therefore, not benefiting
any particular combination. See Rule 11.12 Reporting to Judge and Riding the Test.
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Q) My horse is sensitive to flies around his ears. Can I use a fly hood on my horse when riding a dressage test?
A) There has been some confusion amongst riders with regards to using fly hoods in dressage. Fly hoods can
now be used in both indoor and outdoor arenas. The hoods or bonnets are designed to protect the horses’ ears
from insects. The colour of the fly hood should be discreet and blend in with the horse’s colour; avoid bright
colours and too much bling! On leaving the arena the steward or marshal will ask you to remove the fly hood
to check for insulation or padding. See Rule 2.14 Fly Hoods
Fly hoods are permitted to be worn under the following
conditions:
a) the fly hood must not cover the horse’s eyes
b) the fly hood must be made of thin material
c) the covering over the ears must not be insulated against
sound
d) no materials may be used to plug the horses ears
e) the OC/TD/Gear Steward will, after completion of the
test, request the removal of any fly hood to check for
insulation or padding
Q) What is meant by Penalties in a Dressage Test?
A) Penalties in dressage have been introduced in 2015 to avoid some instances where in the past riders may
have been eliminated from a competition. A penalty is minus 2 marks from each judge and can be found in a
separate box near to the final score. The judges will agree to give a penalty and will give the reason for the
penalty in the box. Penalties are not an error of course. An example off a penalty being given instead of
elimination would be entering the arena before the bell, exceeding 45 seconds to enter the arena, incorrect
dress where a penalty is provided for i.e. gloves, riding around the outside of the arena or entering the arena
with bandages or boots. The rider would incur the penalty and be requested to remove boots bandages. It
would be unlikely that a rider would pass gear check with boots or bandages on but there has been an
incident where a sausage boot was left on. The rider entered the space around the outside of the arena and
was requested by the Chief judge to remove the boot before entering the arena, a minus 2 penalty was given
by all judges.
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Jill Stanton Memorial Dressage Day at Serpentine HP&C, 6 June 2015
By Tahna Lambert
Serpentine Horse and Pony Club held the 8th
annual Jill Stanton Memorial Day Dressage Day
on the 6th June. Jill Stanton was a member of the
local community and a member of Serpentine
Horse and Pony Club and passed away from
cancer.
We had Pony Club, participant and competitor
classes from preparatory to advanced level with
a total of 102 tests ridden. There were a few
green horses doing their first tests and some very
happy riders performing personal bests. Our pony
club novice 2.2 class attracted quite a few entries
and was a really great competition. The EA
Participant classes were very well represented in
Preliminary 1.2, Novice 2.1 and 2.2 and EA
Competitor had good representation in Novice
2.2 Horse, Medium 4.1 and 4.2 Horse. There were
a total of nine judges moving between six arenas
and they did a fantastic job as it was a bit tricky
juggling classes and judges. They all received a
lovely rose from Living Roses, who did a wonderful
Emma Cumming on Leedale Micardi from Riverside
living wall display where riders could get their
Horse and Pony Club
photo taken on their horse and dressed up our
main arena with some beautiful standard roses on the corners. Our major sponsors were Saddles Plus, Anitone
and Red Foto. A huge “thankyou” goes out to these sponsors, as without them we wouldn't have had the
fantastic prizes. We are only having one dressage day at Serpentine this year. The Jill Stanton Dressage Day is
run in June each year so keep that in your diary for 2016.
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