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Photo – Franz Venhaus<\/em><\/p>\n An international event at an international venue with international judges \u2013 and international horses, too? There were a few.<\/p>\n Several combinations would do well in overseas small tours but when it comes to horses and riders who could hold their own at a major European or American Grand Prix, it\u2019s another story.<\/p>\n It has always been so but a lack of international big tour contenders did not detract from the success of this annual event \u2013 it was one of the best. Toni Venhaus and her team should be proud.<\/p>\n There were many competent performances; pleasant interludes; a Forum hosted by one of Germany\u2019s Freestyle experts, Katrina W\u00fcst; positive interaction from overseas judges who avoided dispensing cocktails of platitudes and pleasantries, and there were some good scores. On many occasions it was a male rider who dominated the top spot on the podium\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n Winners in the GP, Matthew Dowsley and Adloo Richard –\u00a0Photo – Franz Venhaus<\/em><\/p>\n The weather was perfect for each day of competition and Saturday\u2019s GP Freestyle night was a sell out \u2013 standing room only, and a packed VIP area. Waiters worked tirelessly catering to the many and various needs of diners \u2013 vegetarian, vegan, no nuts, gluten free, fish only, there was even a demand from a customer that her food not be contaminated by other cooking containers – it was suggested she brought along a sandwich.<\/p>\n Photo – Franz Venhaus<\/em><\/p>\n One of the diners was Australian TV personality Tracy Grimshaw (she\u2019s very partial to fish) who had travelled to Aachen CHIO with Judy Dierks, a rider who has been at the forefront of competitive dressage for many years. Judy had a great CDI riding the Newhams\u2019 Diamond Star<\/em> (by Diamond Hit). She placed third in both the Grand Prix (68.260%) and the GP Freestyle (71.825%) and won the Special (69.216%). Her daughter, Daniella, also performed well on the Rapsons\u2019 Rosetta <\/em>and Emma Youngman\u2019s 5-year-old Revelwood Desmond<\/em>. Daniella\u2019s own horse, Solo Feliz,<\/em> was scratched from the small tour due to a mouth abscess caused by an impacted hay seed \u2013 very disappointing for both rider and spectators as this stallion is truly of international quality.<\/p>\n Judy Dierks and Diamond Star – Photo – Franz Venhaus<\/em><\/p>\n Tracey was exuberant about the Saturday evening.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a fantastic night and the indoor was packed to the rafters. The first two days had been a tussle for the first three placings. It was a showdown between three of our most accomplished riders with an incredibly strong field hungry to knock them off.<\/p>\n \u201cI love horses. Because they do most of the physical work you have riders ranging in age from teenagers, like Mary Warren, competing with Olympians. Men going toe to toe with women. Tiny girls up against 6’4″ blokes with neither at an advantage or disadvantage because of that.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat other sport but equestrian offers that?\u201d<\/p>\n Photo – Franz Venhaus<\/em><\/p>\n The chief judge for the night\u2019s event was Katrina W\u00fcst who has invented a new system of judging GP Freestyles (the traditional methods were used in Sydney). She explained the structure during a Forum held at SIEC on the Sunday to judges, riders, coaches and spectators.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m delighted we had so many people,\u201d said organiser Sue Cunningham. \u201cKatrina detailed the benefits riders would receive from a more objective approach to evaluating the difficulty of movements and transitions.\u201d<\/p>\n In the morning W\u00fcst presented power points and film footage and in the afternoon created brand new freestyles for three riders and their horses.<\/p>\n \u201cThe audience was treated to a total revamp in 30 minutes for each horse,\u201d said Cunningham. \u201cNew lines, new entries and dramatic finishes.<\/p>\n \u201cAssessing the Degree of Difficulty has always been a subjective element of the marking of a Grand Prix freestyle test and the audiences and media are demanding more transparency as to how these marks are reached.\u00a0 Simply speaking, the new method is built into the computer program which mathematically assesses the movements and\/or combinations of movements and arrives at a figure which is then included in the final artistic marks as the Degree of Difficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n The idea for this new system, which was used recently at the FEI World Cup in Omaha, began to develop eight years ago<\/p>\n \u201cI was with the task force in 2009,\u201d W\u00fcst explained to THM<\/em>. \u201cI was working with people from gymnastics and ice skating which have \u2018D\u2019 (Difficulty) judges who do nothing but sit outside and look to see whether the difficulties the athlete has announced beforehand are being kept. So it came to my mind that riders should indicate what they want to show in a floor plan before they begin their test.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have many hidden difficulties (that are not obvious to spectators)<\/em>: halt to passage; halt to extended trot; piaffe to extended; we\u2019ve set up a catalogue noting all the movements which can be done in a difficult way. We\u2019ve identified all transitions which are beyond the level of the GP test. In the GP we have walk \u2013 passage, canter-passage but we don\u2019t have halt-passage.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve set up a list of twenty transitions and the rider can choose from these.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019 being W\u00fcst and Daniel Gohlen an I.T. whizz and app designer who was also at the CDI.<\/p>\n One of the aspects of this concept which appeals to international event organisers and spectators is that announcers and broadcasters are privy to the riders\u2019 floorplans and can commentate accordingly: – \u2018Carl\u2019s now coming towards X and will execute a 360 degree piaffe pirouette\u2019; \u2018Charlotte\u2019s approaching the centre line and is going to do 20 flying changes on a 10m circle\u2019; \u2018look for Edward\u2019s transition from halt to passage\u2019 and so on.<\/p>\n All very well if the event is being broadcast and the commentator\u2019s voice doesn\u2019t intrude on the performance. At SIEC there\u2019s no T.V. coverage so how can there be an engagement with spectators?<\/p>\n Maybe prior to a test the announcer can pre-empt the performance by describing over the PA system some of the movements to expect from the rider\u2019s floorplan.<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be a good idea, said W\u00fcst. \u201cIt\u2019s important to involve and sell the sport to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n more follows<\/em><\/p>\n And what are her feelings about judging generally?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI think the method we have now is the best possible; it has weaknesses but we shouldn\u2019t touch it, educate the judges and engage in discussion. As Churchill said \u2018democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThe weakness are that we\u2019re human beings. There are biases \u2013 each of us has them. And it\u2019s not so good when the FEI asks for the draw according to what ranking the riders have \u2013 those not so highly rated riders are placed at the beginning and the good ones at the end which supports this bias.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to try to deal with this in the fairest possible way. Riders have their biases, and spectators too \u2018the next three riders aren\u2019t interesting so I\u2019ll have coffee and come back in half an hour\u2019 \u2013 that\u2019s also a bias. But we have to deal with and try to minimise them.\u201d<\/p>\n It was suggested by some commentators that Laura Graves and Verdades<\/em> performed better than Isabel Werth and Weihegold<\/em> in Omaha.<\/p>\n \u201cI judged that test and I can understand that the public liked her better, it\u2019s a very impressive horse. The GP is composed of 35% piaffe\/passage transitions and this is one of Isabel\u2019s highlights. She made a mistake in the two tempis and wasn\u2019t as impressive in impulsion, but her collection was better than Laura\u2019s. And the same goes for Carl Hester and Nip Tuck<\/em> who were third. The horse isn\u2019t the best mover in the world but Carl\u2019s such a brilliant rider he really made no mistakes and everything was done where it should have been. All three horses were really well ridden.<\/p>\n \u201cAt Omaha we had spectator judging and there was a wonderful new stallion from Holland named Cennin<\/em> ridden by Madeleine Witte-Vrees. He made a big mistake at the very beginning \u2013 from halt he went into extended trot then broke into canter. The public was low on this horse as bad judges once used to be \u2013 make a mistake at the beginning and you never get a high mark for the rest of the test.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember the bad judges who did this when I was competing. For example, if you did a bad halt at the start you never got a high mark for anything. I hope that\u2019s changed.\u201d<\/p>\n This THM<\/em> reporter remembers seeing Werth run backwards at the Olympics in Hong Kong, yet she still won silver.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must understand the philosophy of our sport \u2013 you can compensate. A test lasts six minutes. You make a big mistake but you can try to compensate by being better in all the other things.<\/p>\n \u201cIn showjumping they say you cannot compensate \u2013 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fairer than dressage. You can have the nicest rider on a happy horse and it catches a rail, and another horse is kicking, rushing and touching every rail but none of them fall down and he\u2019s the winner.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you can\u2019t compensate when you\u2019re running a hundred metres \u2013 have a bad start and you\u2019re never going to win; the same goes for skiing.<\/p>\n Brett Parbery and Weltmieser –\u00a0Photo –\u00a0Julie Wilson<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLike your Brett Parbery and Weltmieser<\/em> who came second in the GP. He was on first \u2013 I liked him he was my winner. He knows how to compensate and I rewarded him.”<\/p>\n \u201cWe (the judges)<\/em> had some differences in this test as I had the eventual winner (Dowsley\/Adloo Richard<\/em>) in sixth place but it didn\u2019t stop this combination from coming first.”<\/p>\n \u201cWe work as a team, that\u2019s very important. Even if a judge has a rider on 15th<\/sup>, 8th<\/sup> or 1st<\/sup> the outcome is correct.”<\/p>\n \u201cI have tried the Hi\/Lo scratching system \u2013 but this takes away the only judge who might be right. If I\u2019m the only one who can see something from my position and am taken out because I alone have given a four or a nine, it would intimidate the others.”<\/p>\n \u201cJudges have to give clear comments, interact with competitors and it\u2019s important he or she has been a rider, and can communicate on the same level.\u201d<\/p>\n Vittorio Barba –\u00a0\u00a0Photo Franz Venhaus<\/p>\n Back in the mid-nineties Vittorio Barba, an FEI 3* judge from the Philippines, won medals in South-East Asian Games with\u00a0Ulla Salzgeber as his trainer. He still rides today when he\u2019s not designing clothes for his Barba<\/em> fashion label, and travelling to horse shows.<\/p>\n A man with a penchant for bow ties and vibrant waistcoats, his first memory of horses was not pleasant.<\/p>\n \u201cI cried a lot when they perched me on top of one; obviously I have got over that.\u201d<\/p>\n He coaches, trains, does a little showjumping and when he\u2019s at his Makati home in Manila\u2019s CBD he rides his pupils\u2019 horses in the mornings at the polo club.<\/p>\n \u201cDressage is a niche market in S.E. Asia where I judge,\u201d he explained,\u201d and the interest in eventing has waned.”<\/p>\n \u201cI also judge in New Zealand, America and have just come back from a small tour event in Biarritz.”<\/p>\n \u201cEurope leads the way because it has better horses, trainers and riders.”<\/p>\n \u201cAt this CDI I judged on the first day the St Georges (CDI3*) \u2013 there were some good combinations \u2013 uphill, balanced, correctly into the bridle.”<\/p>\n \u201cI was on the side at B where you can see contact issues and engagement. There were a few horses which shouldn\u2019t have been in the class. They didn\u2019t have enough strength, engagement or collection and there were those whose extended trots were all up the front with nothing behind.”<\/p>\n \u201cYou see the same problems all over the world,\u201d lamented the jolly Filipino who not only designs dresses but in the past created and manufactured the uniform for an Asian Games delegation.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were holding the Games in China so it was going to be cold. I wanted them to wear a scarf representing the country\u2019s colours but they didn\u2019t have the budget so they ended up with a shirt, jacket and pants, and wore sponsored shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n Barba, who is Imelda Marcos\u2019 nephew, has many shoes of his own \u2013 it must be in the genes.<\/p>\n \u201cOne can never have too many – or too much underwear,\u201d he gurgled gleefully.<\/p>\n While Barba was judging the Prix St Georges (CDI) in an outdoor arena the indoor hall was the venue for the FEI Intermediate 11 (CDI-U25). This was won by Katharine Farrell and her father\u2019s Luxor 118<\/em> (Londonderry\/Argentina\/Argentinus). They then went on to win the GP U-25 68.344% and the Under-25 GP FS with 72.34% (a 75.750% from W\u00fcst at B).<\/p>\n Katharine, who is in her fourth year at the University of NSW, is doing a double degree in commerce and media. Her horse is of international quality.<\/p>\n Katharine Farrell and Luxor – Photo Julie Wilson<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHe was imported six years ago,\u201d she explained. \u201cDaniella Dierks did some training on him when I was completing high school. Now I have regular lessons with Brett Parbery.”<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to train overseas and would consider doing so if the time was right. This was my first Grand Prix and, hopefully, will not be the last.\u201d<\/p>\n Needless to say Katharine was a very happy 22-year-old.<\/p>\n more below<\/em><\/p>\n Dressage saddlecloth with Fleece trim (63cm wide x 52cm drop)<\/strong><\/p>\n Quality cotton drill outer with diamond quilting.\u00a0 Features two tone contrast rope binding . Lined with luxurious synthetic fleece underneath for the horse\u2019s comfort, and features fleece on the top at wither and around the back of cantle for correct saddle positioning of dressage saddles. \u00a0Available in: Black with White\/Silver trim, Blue with Red\/Royal trim & White with Gold\/Silver trim<\/strong><\/p>\n Columbian 3* judge Cesar Torrente was even younger than Katharine when he rode his first GP, he was 19. And later he twice won team gold at the Central American Games.<\/p>\n Today he travels to major dressage events around the world, and when at home in Bogota he runs a corporate law office.<\/p>\n Before arriving in Sydney he had no idea what to expect.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very exciting being exposed to a group of riders I\u2019ve never seen or heard of. When you go to the US or Europe you know about the people and what marks they get. Here we\u2019ve no pre-conceived knowledge or ideas about the competitors.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen some of your riders competing overseas but they\u2019re the ones who don\u2019t live in Australia. I\u2019m impressed with what I\u2018ve found here. In your Young Horse classes you had many participants which you don\u2019t often see in South or North America. Last week I was in Tryon where the WEG will take place next year. There were no four or five-year-olds and only one 6-year-old.<\/p>\n \u201cI judged the second round of the 5 year olds yesterday. In the first round some had got over 80% which has possibilities for the future, perhaps even going to the World Championship for Young Horses.”<\/p>\n \u201cWhether locally bred or imported, you have quality to work with here. If you don\u2019t have quality it doesn\u2019t matter how good your riding and training are.”<\/p>\n Gina Montgomery and Iresias L – \u00a0Four-year-old winner, and champion young horse, making it a double after his win at DJWTS… Photo – Julie Wilson \u201cI see you have started with the ponies and I think this is a wonderful way to promote the sport for the new generation. One always wonders why Germany is so successful \u2013 well they learn how to ride properly and compete at the lower levels with ponies, then they go on to junior and young rider classes. They have a wonderful basis and they then do well in under-25 GPs because they\u2019ve started so well. Introducing pony classes helps the development of the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n (Yes indeed, Cesar, but most of the ponies here are ridden by grown-ups).<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYour country needs to foster good horses with good riders and maintain those relationships \u2013 that\u2019s what would help you at an international level.\u201d<\/p>\n (Yes indeed, Cesar, except that here when someone owns a good horse they tend to sell it, leaving the rider without a mount \u2013 maybe syndication is an option?)<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cA month ago in Florida I was watching Olivia Lagoy-Weltz and Rassing\u2019s Lonoir<\/em>.<\/p>\n Mary Anne McPhail of the USET dressage committee had decided to help Olivia keep her ride and bought half of the horse thus allowing the rider to continue with the same trainer. By doing so she was securing that combination as a future Olympic prospect for America.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be good for Australia if something similar happened here.\u201d<\/p>\n (A wonderful idea, Cesar, but it rarely does.)<\/em><\/p>\n While all the international judges were presiding over countless classes there was one German gentleman who was watching from the wings.<\/p>\n Daniel Gohlen, the young man who worked with W\u00fcst in the development of the new freestyle app, runs Black Horse \u2013 High Performance Software Solutions<\/em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The 29-year-old is a Bavarian GP rider who has won at national level and is a junior level judge<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here representing SAP<\/em>, a high industry software provider, which has designed a new app allowing spectators to score competitions. Black Horse<\/em> has been a partner with them since the World Cup finals and we\u2019ll be working together for the next four years.<\/p>\n \u201cAudience scores don\u2019t influence official results, the focus of this app is stronger fan involvement and a more intense engagement with the sport of dressage.\u201d<\/p>\n (The FEI will be pleased \u2013 it is anxious to keep equestrian in the Olympic loop and is keen to generate global interest in all its disciplines. It would come as no surprise if it began lobbying for legalised betting on equestrian \u2013 TABs around the world would have special FEI windows for those wanting to bet twenty bucks each way on Edward Gal riding the 2.30 GPS in s-Hertogenbosch.)<\/p>\n Gohlen was also excited about his unique saddle blanket app.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll present the prototype in a month or two,\u201d he announced. \u201cThere are a hundred pressure sensors in our saddlecloth and we precisely measure the weight distribution on the horse\u2019s back in real time on a smart phone. A trainer, for example, can follow how the pressure\u2019s distributed and he can tell his pupils when they\u2019re not placing their weight correctly. Plus there are beneficial medical aspects. It\u2019s important for saddlemakers to see how well a saddle fits; also you can try to identify where the horse is tense and on which side of its back. A leading veterinarian in Munich, Miss Blessing, is currently investigating how it can be used in her profession.<\/p>\n \u201cThe combination of the app and our blanket will, I\u2019m sure, be enjoyable and exciting.<\/p>\n \u201cIt could be used at a show like this. The horses are in the arena and you can follow the weight distribution on their backs. A leading trainer can commentate on all this as they move around and that\u2019s another way of involving spectators.\u00a0We\u2019ve called it \u2018The Infinity Blanket\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m combining my knowledge of horse sports with computer sciences and I am very happy to be doing this.\u201d<\/p>\nSuzy Jarratt reports from the Sydney International Equestrian Centre<\/h2>\n
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