NEWS ARCHIVE Bowral Dressage Club

A warm hello from new President Katrina Stuckey...

 Hi everyone.

I was delighted to be elected as the new President of the Bowral Dressage Club at the AGM on July 29. For the last three years I have helped out at the BDC competition days in various capacities, and for the last couple of competitions I have “shadowed” Mim on the day.

Mim will certainly be a hard act to follow as President, and I am very grateful that she is staying on as a Committee member. I will look to her and the other committee members for advice and guidance as I make the transition into this new role.

For those of you who don’t know me, let me tell you a little bit about myself. First of all, I am passionate about horses and dressage. My horse’s name is Jerez. He is a 17 year old grey thoroughbred gelding, and he lives at Hollyhall Farm in Avoca, where he has been agisted for the past five years. Because I work full time in the city and live in Darling Point, I currently ride Jerez on the weekends, but I have plans to move to the Highlands in the next couple of years, when I will be able to ride more often.

As well as being passionate about our sport, I have over 25 years experience in the corporate world, at IBM and now PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Hopefully some of the marketing and management skills that I have acquired will stand me in good stead as I move into this exciting new role.

I look forward to seeing you on 23rd August at our next competition, the Members’ Championship (Associate Day).

Kind regards,

Katrina Stuckey.

Your BDC Committee for 2009-10 ...

Club Patron: Pat Boyle; President: Katrina Stuckey; Vice-President: Mark Dowling; Secretary: Annette Hill; Treasurer: Pam Dalby; Event Secretary: Terry Hams; Sponsorship Co-ordinator: Yvonne Springett; Judges' Co-ordinator: Margaret Alcock; Volunteer Co-ordinator: Jan Chesterfield-Evans; Website manager: Sally Kean; Young Rider Co-Ordinator: Peter Rocca; Membership Co-ordinator: Sandra Hams; Ground Development: Yvonne Springett, Mark Dowling; Other Committee Members: Mim Poolman, Rachel Hunter.

The last three years at BDC ... from retiring President Mim Poolman

As I look back over the last three years I think we can all be well pleased with the progress made by BDC.  Three years ago the first sod had not been turned in the creation of the sand arena complex and competitions were confined to the lower levels due to the quality of arenas we had to offer. 

With the official opening of the grounds earlier in the year we were able to showcase what has been achieved and this has flowed throughout the Club.  Competitions now run to Grand Prix with entries coming from Australia’s elite riders.  Members are now able to watch all the FEI levels at their home ground and hopefully this may inspire us all to try and step up to the next level.  At the same time the lower levels have not been forgotten, with the Prelim and Novice Associate classes being divided into age classes and their placings going towards the Leaderboard awards at the end of the year.

Although the competition days are extremely successful - often as well attended as Clarendon - they are also very demanding on our small Committee.  To expedite ground development, between us we have undertaken the vast majority of the work involved in conducting events ourselves. This has enabled us to inject regular sums into the coffers of ground development.  The sand arena complex may look complete but there are still some problems with drainage that must be resolved before any further projects can be undertaken. The Grounds Committee, in the capable hands of Mark Dowling and Yvonne Springett, are in the process of obtaining quotes for the completion of this work.

Competitions start with the receival of entries and our Event and Membership Secretary, Margaret Alcock, has done a marvellous job for the Club.  She has collated entries, ensuring all information and money is correct and then put it together and done the draw.  With the larger entries that are now the norm for BDC, this is a very time consuming job. Indeed, this is the reason we have to be strict in our cut off dates, as we have lost the flexibility to slot in entries at the last minute.  The issue of insurance also has to be watched meticulously, as we must check that the relevant horse and rider are currently covered by EA or BDC insurance. 

Margaret has been an integral part of the Club for many years (we moved to the district nine years ago and she was part of the Club culture then) but she has notified the Committee of her intention to step down at the AGM.  I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Margaret and cannot thank her enough for all her input.  Margaret is also a first rate cook and we are all really pleased when she says she is bringing some of the lunch and morning tea.  Margaret, you will be missed as Event/Membership Secretary, but we are thrilled you have put your hand up to be Judges' Co-ordinator.

Sandra and Terry Hams have stepped up to the plate to fill Margaret's shoes, and we wish them all the best.

Setting up for a competition is always a bit of a surprise, as one never knows what has taken up living in the shed.  My associates in the cleaning department, Jan Chesterfield-Evans, Alison Lalak and their children, have had to learn to deal with rats and the open pit loos.  On this note I have made application to Bong Bong for the use of Wyeera Pavilion on competition days and "fingers crossed" this will be approved.  Hopefully cleaning will not take as long and the environment will be more pleasant.  Jan has organised the volunteers for the competitions and has been wonderful in getting a difficult job done. She has also been in charge of the webpage, which we have tried to keep as up to date as possible.  Although Jan is a highly regarded journalist (she has to alter or add punctuation to all my articles), she would rather write than deal with the IT issues of a web page. So I would like to warmly welcome Sally Kean on board as the new website manager.  Alison, who has been Judges Co-ordinator as well as being very involved on competition days, is stepping down from this position and I would like to thank her for a great job. We have had a wonderful array of judges and I have consistently heard from them that the hospitality they always receive makes judging at BDC enjoyable.

Catering for competitors was challenging for us.  In the beginning of my three years as President we did it in-house, with John and Nick Wasiliev on the barbecue. Although this was very profitable, we found we were just too short of manpower to continue.  The Lions Club then had a go but our events did not generate the numbers they had hoped. So to the rescue came Barry Dalby, husband of our esteemed Treasurer Pam.  Thank you to the Dalbys, this is a responsibility we no longer have to worry about. 

Scoring is always an area for concern.  We have tried to outsource this with Karen Lever from Dressage NSW, who is very efficient.  However, she is not always available and our fall back situation has been to download the scoring system from EA and use this.  When required this was done very well by Terry and Sandra Hams with the aid of a data entrier.  However, with the protocols required by Dressage NSW it can still take some time for results to be available.

In the past year we have instigated Training Days.  Usually held on Saturdays in the month between competitions, they have been very popular as well as being financially positive.  Originally intended to help the more inexperienced competitors gain confidence by riding tests in front of a judge but not in a competition atmosphere, it has expanded to people familiarising themselves with the arenas and trying out tests.  The days are very relaxed, people ride their horses, meet other members and we all have a simple lunch together.  Thanks to Jan and Mark in helping me with these days.

With very few judges in this area, BDC decided to run an official judges seminar in June.  This was very well received, in fact the support was overwhelming with many being turned away.  Carolyn Lieutenant gave a very informative day and I hope those who said they were interested in becoming part of the judging panel will go ahead.  The host for the day, Mark Dowling produced a marvelous venue.  The conference room was set out with chairs, video, tea and coffee - everything that could make for a very comfortable lecture.  His new indoor school was the ideal venue for the practical component and we were lucky with the weather, as we were all able to have lunch together and socialise.

Earlier in the year we received the sad news that our Club Patron, Erna Mairinger, had died.  In many ways this was the end of an era but I hope it will never be forgotten, with our main sand arena being named after Franz.  It was unanimously decided at a Committee meeting that Patricia Boyle be invited to become our next Patron.  Pat was a long time President of BDC and maintains a strong interest in the Club.  Graciously, she has accepted this invitation and we welcome her as the new Club Patron.

I would like to thank all my Committee for the work that has gone on in the last year and encourage all members to become more active in the Club. Committee meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at the Scottish Arms at 7.30pm and everyone is very welcome. 

My time as President has been many things for me, inspiring, challenging and sometimes plain exhausting. While we much more "on the map" than we were before we had our sand arenas, my hope is for the Club to continue its growth, and become a pre-eminent identity in New South Wales dressage.

Best wishes for the future.

Mim Poolman   

August 23 Entry Form and the latest Leaderboard ...

The Members' Championships on August 23 is the next competition. It is open to BDC members only and for this reason, all tests are associate. The tests introduced by EA on July 1 this year will be in operation. 

Please be aware that to qualify for level Champion/Reserve (for which rosettes will be presented), a rider must enter both tests on the same horse at the one level. FEI riders must ride any two FEI tests on the one horse. Rosettes will also be awarded to the top Junior, YR and Senior Riders.

Riders who are eligible for the Sally Evans Memorial Trophy ie, are under 25 and own/train their own horse, must indicate eligibility in the box on the entry form. This trophy is always contested in the higher of the two Preliminary tests.

The entry form for the August 23 competition is now available on this page under Entry Forms in the left hand column. It is hoped that members will get behind this competition and that all levels will be hotly contested. Just be aware, CALLERS ARE NOT PERMITTED at Championship events.

An updated BDC Leaderboard, which includes the May competition, has been posted on the Leaderboard page under Latest News.

 Judges' Seminar terrific

The BDC Carolyn Lieutenant Judges’ Seminar, held on Sunday, June 28, was an unqualified success.  Originally planned to have a maximum of thirty applicants, we were overwhelmed by the response and doubled the numbers with still more turned away.  Hopefully this means there will be some members wishing to become judges.

With a 9am start at the Centennial Winery Conference Room, the day commenced with a short theory session outlining the responsibilities of being a judge, the current system of becoming one and the use of the new tests coming into play from July 1.

After morning tea the practical sessions started with a demonstration of the three basic paces.  The paces were illuminated with the use of coloured bandages, clearly showing the footfall of each pace.  Three BDC riders demonstrated the paces. First up was Liam Hams demonstrating the walk.  Liam’s horse showed a clear four beat walk with good overtrack.  Carolyn also helped to show Liam how to increase his marks in a test by keeping a light but steady contact.  Jacqueline Basquil, riding her elegant palomino "Bollinger", showed us a very clear and regular trot, while Amanda Wood on her new Percheron cross "Paddington" demonstrated a clear three beat canter and, after a little encouragement from Carolyn, was rewarded with a much improved canter and true uphill tendency.

Lunch provided by the BDC committee was held "alfresco" next to the arena allowing time to do a little socialising, meeting new members and exchanging ideas.

The afternoon sessions were primarily used to show movements out of the new Novice and Elementary tests, particularly movements not asked for in the old tests, specifically: leg yielding in the Novice and renvers in Elementary.  Our Novice riders - Emma Goldin, Jacqueline Basquil and David McKinnon - demonstrated various movements. Particular attention was paid to the entry and salute, which is the first opportunity to give a good impression to the judge.  David and "Lumiere" showed us the leg yield and demonstrated to the judges the importance of control of the shoulders to produce a good leg yield.  David then continued to demonstrate Elementarywork, together with Nick Wasiliev and Eli Rocca.  At this level the horse is expected to show the beginning of collection as shown in the lateral and lengthening work.  Eli was left to show us the shoulder-in renvers movement that was causing quite a lot of discussion.  This she demonstrated clearly, allowing judges and would-be judges to see what the movement is about.

With each rider Carolyn was able to offer clear and succinct hints on improving the movements, and certainly justified her reputation as being “one of the best eyes on the ground.”

Gabrielle Gall (a new member of BDC ) said “I was rapt that Carolyn said a lot of things my instructor has said.  It reiterated everything…. What my instructor says, Carolyn said, and it was good to see it happen as she was saying it. It’s one thing to hear it and it’s one thing to see it andthat way relate it back to your own horse.”

Long-time member, Christine Cady added: “I’ve never pencilled and I’ve never sat behind a judge. It’s so good to hear it (the test) from the judge’s perspective... I'd also like to thank Mark for his wonderful hospitality."

Demo rider, Jacqueline Basquil (aged 13) had this to say about the day overall:  “I learned a lot about what the judges are looking for and what to aim for in the paces.  And I was told (although I already knew) what a beautiful horse I have.”

Carolyn gave us a truly informative, but very practical day and we thank her for sharing her expertise with us.  Hopefully this will encourage people to become part of the judging team.

Once again Mark Dowling has offered his wonderful property as a venue for a BDC function.  All the facilities were fantastic and on behalf of BDC I would like to thank Mark for his wonderful hospitality and generosity in making it available to the Club.  To our demonstration riders, a big "thank you" to you all. Most came from the ranks of our young riders, which is especially pleasing.  The fact that they could demonstrate so effectively in front of quite a big crowd showed their training is well in place and they had the confidence to show what they could do.

On a sadder note, BDC would like to extend our condolences to Nick Wasiliev (aged 16 ) whose horse "Gatsby" died of an undiagnosed tumour on June 29 after being in excellent health on the day of the seminar.  Always appreciate our equine friends, as these unexpected events do happen.

Thank you BDC from Sally.....

Hello to BDC Committee, members and friends. I would like to thank everyone for your support through what has been a difficult time for myself and my family.

Your generous gift is much appreciated and I am looking forward to returning this support through many more years as an active competitor and coach within our Club.

I would like to "post an update" that my recovery is progressing well. Unfortunately I may require further procedures later in the year to return all things to 100%.

Thanks again. It's great to be a part of the community which is BDC and I can't wait to be back in the saddle.

Kind regards, Sally Quigley

And we understand Sally has been back in the saddle (albeit carefully) since she wrote this.

February competition report

Kind weather makes for a great day ...

The February 22 competition and official opening of the grounds was a great day. While the weather was overcast leading up to the day, the ground itself was in excellent shape. Everything ran smoothly and the results can viewed on this page under the Results link in the left hand column. On this page and on the Competition Results page under the Latest News heading is a pictorial record of the day including the opening by State MP Pru Goward.

Pru Goward                                              President Mim

2008 leader winners Sophie Seper  ........ and Tess Harwood

Janice Usherwood                               Riding demo

More pictures can be found under Latest News .... Competition Results

From the President

March 2009 report

It sure has been a busy year to date ...

Bowral Dressage Club started the year on a busy note.  Early in February we held a training day down on the grounds.  These have been very successful with participants able to ride tests in a non competitive atmosphere and then given some helpful directions on how their performance might be improved. 

The response to the training days has been so great that we have to put a limit on numbers so I suggest anyone wishing to come to the next day put your application in as soon as possible.  Program and application forms are posted on the web page. 

Thank you  to Mark Dowling and Jan Chesterfield Evans who assisted me in making this day such a success.  It was also very gratifying to be given such positive feedback from the participants who ranged across the whole spectrum from inexperienced to very experienced. 

Indeed Brett Parbery,  one of Australia’s leading riders, said it was one of the best days he had attended and a great learning platform for his horses.  We always finish off the day with a get together over lunch, a good way for any new member to meet like minded people.

Our first competition for the year also included the official opening of the new grounds.  A great response from all those who had helped with the development of the grounds meant there was a good crowd to celebrate and watch as Pru Goward performed the opening ceremony. 

This day also presented a good opportunity to present the leaderboard winners for 2008 with their trophies. Congratulations and thank you to all those who made sure they were available to be presented with their awards. See the photos below.

The ceremony was completed by two freestyles ; we wanted to show what dressage was about and how the arenas were used for competition.  Some members may not be aware that their were several large donations made to the ground development by people who knew nothing about dressage but thought the vision was something they wished to support.  Most of them were able to accept our invitation to lunch and then see the freestyle demonstration.

Thank you to the Ladies Riding group who performed a group ride  and to Janice Usherwood  who with Northern Atlas showed a Grand Prix Freestyle.

This all took place over an extended lunch break so after this it was back to the competition.  Logistically this was quite difficult but the response to our competition days is very positive and entries increasing.

Entries for our next competition on March 29 have now closed.  This competition is only going to Advanced as our scorer Karen Lever is not available and we thought this might make things a little easier to manage without the FEI tests.  The response has been stronger than ever and there will be even more tests ridden. 

I would like thank Terry and Sandra Hams who have taken on the task of trying to familiarize themselves with the new scoring system available from the EFA and that with them we may be able to get the scoring done in a reasonably professional time frame.  If things are a little slow on the day you have been warned. 

At this moment I would also like members to think about offering themselves up for committee.  The club will only stay strong if there is input from members.

See you  at the March comp       

Cheers  Mim. .

Congratulations Robbie

February 2009

The club congratulates Robbie Soster and her fellow Australian competitors Victoria Welsh and Gabriella Robson for their efforts in the dressage competition at the World Youth Olympics in mid-January. Robbie was part of the team that won the silver in the dressage teams competition, missing out on the gold - won by the British team - by the narrowest of margins. The Aussie Team finished on 62.556% just behind Great Britain’s 62.778%. In third place was New Zealand on 61.278% followed by Japan 57.111% and finally Singapore in fifth place on a total of 55.889%.

All riders in the competition run by the Australian Olympic Committee and held over three days at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park competed on a loan horse. One of those horses, ridden by a Japanese competitor, was Ellie Rocca's Robali Royal Salute.

Robbie's other results were seventh places in both the FEI Junior Preliminary with a score of 60% and the FEI Junior Freestyle with 62.50%. Victoria Welsh won both these events and the individual competition.

Vale Erna Mairinger ...

April-May 2009 

As members will be aware our Club patron for many years, Mrs Erna Mairinger, died in April, bringing to an end this aspect of the Mairinger era. As most members will be aware, the Club has been closely associated with the Mairinger name with one of our sand arenas named in honour of the late Franz Mairinger, the well known trainer of many Australian Olympic riders.

Three Olympians who were members of teams coached by Franz were present at her funeral. In the eulogy delivered by Wyatt (Bunty) Thompson he paid tribute to Mrs Mairinger’s part in the development of the early Olympic teams. 

He described the long periods Erna was left with the children when Franz was away with the teams. Bearing in mind the lack of communication systems at the time, she certainly must have been lonely. However, her devotion to her husband always meant that he had her support in all his coaching ventures. 

After Franz’s death it was at her instigation that a book of his teachings and philosophies were collated from his notes. A loving wife, devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother, she will be greatly missed.

While Franz was a master horseman in his own right, and much respected throughout the equestrian elite, Erna was his extremely supportive partner through bad and good times.

They married in Austria in August 1940 when Franz was working at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. World War II saw them lose most of their possessions and decide to emigrate to Australia, which they did in the early 1950s. They went first to Adelaide and then to NSW when in 1954 Franz was appointed Equestrian Federation of Australia coach. He prepared the first Australian team to compete in the 1956 Olympic Games at Stockholm. The team finished fourth. In 1957 he became permanent EFA instructor, working from Retford Park in Bowral owned then by the prominent retailer, Samuel Hordern.

Franz coached the Australian equestrian team at six Olympics and was training a seventh team at the time of his death in 1978.

Under his coaching, the Australian team dominated the Badminton Horse Trials in England in 1960. The team provided his greatest triumph at the Olympic Games in Rome that year when in the three-day event they won not only the team gold medal, but also the individual gold and silver medals. The team gained bronze medals in Mexico City in 1968 and at Montreal, Canada, in 1976.

Franz's very popular book, Horses are Made to be Horses, a 1983 posthumous compilation of his lectures and demonstration notes, was edited by Erna with the assistance of Kay Irving.

May happenings

May 2009 

The month of May certainly showed us just how variable the Southern Highlands weather can be. All equestrian gatherings are highly weather-dependent, and our two events last month were not blessed with favourable conditions. Nevertheless, the May 16 training day (a fund-raiser for Sally Quigley) and the May 31 competition went ahead as planned.

Mark Dowling and Jan Chesterfield-Evans, the instructors for the training day, must be commended for their fortitude in working under such trying circumstances, as must all riders who braved the appalling conditions. Gale force winds and sand blew in the faces of instructors, horses and riders alike. Although there were quite a few withdrawals, the day was very successful and raised over $800 to help Sally. For those who rode and survived (ie, everyone), the fraternity was very evident over the sausage sizzle in the shed.

Wet and grey weather has been dogging the Highlands but we still managed to run a very successful competition on May 31. We had a full program from Prep to Grand Prix. All classes were well supported and over 250 tests ridden, making it the biggest day the Club has yet held at Bong Bong. It was great to see the higher levels so hotly contested, with many competitors travelling from well outside the Highlands, and this can only be positive for the standard of dressage at BDC and further afield.