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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2012 R ider ’ s Digest ...Strides ahead International venture See Driving news Pg 19 2012Committee See Showing news Pg 26 Night of the Horses See Vaulting news Pg 29
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2012Rider’s Digest
...Strides ahead
International ventureSee Driving newsPg 19
2012Committee See Showing newsPg 26
Night of the HorsesSee Vaulting newsPg 29
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CONTENTSFEBRUARY / MARCH 2012
4 GHS News
8 SANEF News
14 Dressage News
19 Driving News
21 Eventing News
26 Showing News
27 Showjumping News
29 Vaulting News
32 Calendar
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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2012RRider’s Digest
...Strides ahead
International ventureSee Driving newsPg 19
2012Committee See Showing newsPg 26
Night of the HorsesSee Vaulting newsPg 29
Cover: Jemima Jelly Tot and Wilson Mabotja (Photo: Harriet Barrett)GHS Riders Digest >> Address: PO Box 70460, Bryanston, 2021 >> Fax: 011 702 1680 >> E-mail: [email protected] >> Editor: Anne Andrews (GHS) >> Sales contacts: Simoné Kraft (083 959 6541), Tracy Farrell (071 606 7035) Concept and design: Panorama Publications >> Reproduction: United LithoRider’s Digest is published monthly; 11 issues per annum. All rights reserved. Published on behalf of GHS by Panorama Publications. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission of Panorama Publications (Pty) Ltd. Copyright © 1997-2012 Panorama Publications (Pty) Ltd. The views expressed in Rider’s Digest are not necessarily those of Panorama Publications and the acceptance and publication of editorial and advertising matter in Rider’s Digest does not imply any endorsement or warranty in respect of goods or services therein described, whether by Rider’s Digest or the publishers. Rider’s Digest will not be held responsible for the safe return of unsolicited editorial contributions. The Editor reserves the right to edit material submitted and in appropriate cases to translate into another language. Rider’s Digest reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial material, which may not suit the standard of the publication, without reason given.
GHSNEWS
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Editor: Anne Andrews •
Photography: Taryn Fritz Public Relations & Communications
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By Marjorie Galas
How do you prepare hundreds of horses for the epic period film War Horse? You call upon Bobby Lovgren, a man with over 30
years devoted to raising, training, racing and caring for horses of all breeds and tempera-ments. Regardless of the genre, Lovgren has the skills needed to ensure the safety of the cast and crew while also guiding the horses through the challenges of their roles. 411 Publishing recently spoke with Lovgren about his work on Steven Spielberg’s WWI drama War Horse. MG: When you are called to work on a movie like this, what do you do first? Do you read the script or speak with the director?BL: Reading the script is absolutely the very first thing. Then, as soon as you can, you speak with the director, and also very importantly the first assistant director. The first assistant director has a lot of the director’s vision put into working terms. By that you gauge how many horses you need and realistically you can say right off the bat, yes this is possible, or no, this is not possible. I know with a movie with the magnitude such as War Horse, there had to be a lot of different trainers. Is your next step scoping out how many trainers will be needed?Like anything, Marjorie, it is always such a huge team effort, and on War Horse we had a lot of different trainers from a lot of different countries. Coordinating it, making sure that all of the work is there, and that everyone is really on the same page, is really important. That is what made it work very well. Your title for the movie is horse master. What is the difference between a horse trainer and a horse master?In Europe, England, and even some of the other
This month we feature an interview with South Africa’s Bobby Lovgren, who trained the horses for the upcoming movie War horse. Bobby has worked on other movies such as Seabiscuit, Racing Stripes, The Legend of Zorro and The Mask of Zorro.
Albert (Jeremy Irvine, right) and his dad (Peter Mullan) are featured with Joey in this scene from Dream Works Pictures’ War Horse. Director Steven Spielberg’s epic adventure is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas or rural England and Europe during the First World War.
War Horse
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countries, you have a horse master. The horse master here in the US would be an animal coordinator, or head wrangler. Basically the horse master is the person who coordinates all of the work. I would be responsible for the animals’ welfare, making sure we have all of the correct animals, and that all of the trainers are doing their work. Realistically, the whole horse department would fall under that responsibility. I was also the head trainer on War Horse. I would have individual trainers training different behaviours on the horses, from giving riders lessons, working with the horses doing cavalry charges, the ploughing sequences and a whole lot of different things. I noticed some of the trainers were people you worked with on other projects. For the many positions that you had to fill, what were the qualifications that you were looking for when you were hiring people?First and foremost, I go and look at what a person’s background is. I really check people’s credits and then see how they deal with their animals, what kind of horsemen they are or what their animal skills are like. The most important thing to me, honestly, is that people can get along. You try not to have any conflicting personalities, because working on a movie for
long hours can be stressful. When things are going right is very easy, but you want to make sure that people can get along when it’s under difficult circumstances. A lot of stuff on this film is more about communication than anything else, so that is obviously very important. I imagine a lot of different types of horses were used in the war, in different parts of the country. What did you do to ensure that historical accuracy?Well, quite honestly, that was all done a lot before I was there. I came in just a little later than some of the other people. We used Warmbloods and Andalusians. They are both very old breeds. The Warmbloods are from Europe, the Andalusians are from Spain, and they were used in that capac-ity for many, many years so in that sense, they were really the only choice. What goes into the training and getting the ani-mals prepared for all of the aspects of war that will be used, along with the camera and the smoke and the confusion?You know, the first thing that we will always do is a bit of a contradiction. We always try to pick our older and more experienced horses. They are used to crowds, they are used to loud noises,
Joey (left) and his mother run across the hills of Devon
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whatever it might be. Cast and crew come out while we are doing our prep before the film. At this time, we learn where each horse’s comfort zone is; we always do that so we can know where to maintain safety with the animals on set. If we are forced to use a horse who is a little nervous around the bombs, we’ll be sure to use that horse a long way away, or ensure that he is in the company of another horse who he is comfortable with to give him that confidence. The contradictory part of picking horses: we had a lot of the young horses for roles that we had to have (younger horses for), so we have to go in and have to do a lot of training, exposing them to a lot of different aspects of the film. That falls on my experience as a horse person and knowing the film and how to teach them that stuff. How much time do you spend on training the horses?Typically on any film, it’s around three months. When you think about all of the work that goes in,
and what is involved, your three months go away very quickly. It can be really well accomplished when you have enough time. Not only from my department – it takes the whole film and everyone working well together and we did have an awesome crew and cast. The cast had to come out, they had riding lessons and other training, and they were very diligent. The production was very good about letting the actors come out and ride with us and I think it really shows in the film at how accomplished they were. I know when you are fearful around a horse, the horse tends to pick up on that emotion. What was some of the key advice given to the actors so they could feel comfortable?There were some who were uncomfortable, but coming and spending time with us, and also when we do stuff like that, the horses really focus in on the trainer and that allows the actor to focus in on his job so he can make sure it gets portrayed right. The trainer makes sure both the actor and the horse are comfortable at the same time. It just goes into our preparation and spending time with them.
What kind of cues do you give the key horse so that there was that strong sense of bonding with the lead actor? I know that sometimes there are multiple horses used as well.I don’t think there was one main horse, because they all played such a large part in it. There was so much work between teaching our main actor, Jeremy Irvine, and working with our horses, because he had to work with different sizes of horses to represent different ages. He was very good about coming and working with us, and we treated him as one of our department, quite honestly, and not as an actor. He understood what our cues were, he understood his limitations and we understood his, from the ‘horse’ point of view. We really worked at getting that emotional bond, because Steven (Spielberg, the director) really wanted to portray the personality of the horses in the scenes. So, there was just a lot of work that went into it, time consuming stuff and again, you know, I think it really paid off.
Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse Joey
Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse Joey
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SANEFNEWS
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Editor: Marika Kruger: [email protected] •
Photography: T & B images
2011 SA Junior Championships, Durban Shongweni Club9 to 17 December 2011
The Keith Young 2011 Junior Team Dressage Championship of South Africa1st KwaZulu Natal2nd Gauteng3rd Free State and Northern Cape4th Western Province5th Eastern Cape
Team KZN Winners
Megan Berning
The 2011 Junior Individual and Freestyle Dressage Championship of South AfricaMegan Berning and Livius – KZN
The 2011 Junior Individual Lower Dressage ChampionshipArone Van Der Merwe and Buitehof Klaradyn – FSNC
The 2011 Junior Team Novice Dressage Championship1st Gauteng
2nd Western Province3rd Mpumalanga4th KwaZulu Natal5th Free State and Northern Cape
Arone Van Der Merwe
2011 SA Junior Team Equitation Championship1st Gauteng2nd Eastern Cape3rd KwaZulu Natal4th Western Province
GHS Team
The 2011 SA Junior Individual Equitation ChampionshipCinzia Pasteris – GHS
Cinzia Pasteris
The 2011 SA Junior Intermediate Team Championship1st KwaZulu Natal2nd Western Province3rd Gauteng4th Free State5th Mpumalanga
The 2011 SA Junior Novice Team Championship1st KwaZulu Natal2nd Mpumalanga3rd Western Province
2011 Land Rover Experience Junior Team Eventing 100 Championship1st Gauteng2nd Western Province3rd KwaZulu Natal
For more up-to-date news, please visit the SANEF website, www.horsesport.org.za
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2011 Land Rover Experience Junior Individual Eventing 100 ChampionshipKimberly Lotis and Voigtskirch Octavian
GHS
Kimberly Lotis
2011 Brake Safe Junior Eventing 90 Team Championship1st KwaZulu Natal2nd Western Province
The 2011 Junior Jumping Team Championship of South Africa1st KwaZulu Natal2nd Eastern Cape3rd Gauteng4th Western Province
The Epol 2011 Junior Jumping Championship of South Africa 1.30mCinzia Pasteris and Cleopatra
Cinzia Pasteris
The Spec-Con KwaZulu Natal Junior Jumping Grand Prix 1.30mAJ Rademacher and Ebb and Flow Alzu Ovation
The SA Junior 1.20m Team Championship of South Africa1st KwaZulu Natal2nd Western Province3rd Eastern Cape4th Gauteng
KZN
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2011 Showing Team Championship of South Africa1st Gauteng2nd Eastern Cape3rd Western Province4th KwaZulu Natal5th Mpumalanga
2011 Individual Showing Champion of South AfricaAlexandra Lynch and Sir Kennedy
GHS
Alexandra Lynch
2011 Individual Working Champion of South AfricaKelsey-Jo Baumann and Waterside Cabochon
2011 Showing Challenge Team Event1st KwaZulu Natal2nd Eastern Cape3rd Free State and Northern Cape4th Gauteng KZN
2012 London Olympic Qualifier for Jumping in Qatar 27 to 30 December 2011 Article by: Bob Neill
South Africa had two riders at the qualifier in Qatar, namely Oliver Lazarus and Neriske Prinsloo. It was unfortunate that the third
rider, Lexi Carter, pulled out at the last minute. The team manager was Bob Neill. There would have been six teams including South Africa, but because we only had two riders, there were only five teams namely:
• SaudiArabia
•UAE•Qatar•Jordan•Egypt
South Africa was allowed to compete for the individual classification.
We are very grateful to Oliver for competing at Qatar, despite the horse that he was going to compete on being taken away a week before
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the trip. As Oliver had made a commitment, he competed on a young horse who was new to the level.
Neriske Prinsloo on her horse Bill Clinton had a wonderful show, being placed 10th in the warm-up class to the World Cup Qualifier, and 7th in the World Cup Qualifier. She ended up 10th in the Olympic Qualifier.
Unfortunately we did not qualify a rider for the London Olympics, however, good contacts were made within Group F for future international events within the group. Finally, it was an honour to be included in such a prestigious event among the best horses in the world, such as Presley Boy.
FEI Press ReleaseSaudi Arabia and Jordan qualify for London 2012 Olympic jumping31 Dec 2011The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has secured the final qualifying slot for the jumping competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Saudi Arabia earned its qualification on the basis of the team’s
combined classification among the FEI Olympic Group F teams – Africa and the Middle East – at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 and the 2011 FEI Group F Special Olympic qualifying competition, which took place on 30 December 2011 in Doha (QAT).
Jordan qualified one individual for London 2012, when Ibrahim Hani Bisharat obtained the best classification among the Group F individual riders.
Doha hosted the final qualifying event for the team jumping at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The 15 teams that will compete in London are Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA and Ukraine.
A total of 15 individual riders will qualify for London. Argentina, Colombia and Japan have each qualified the maximum two riders, while Bermuda, Egypt, Jordan and Syria have qualified one rider each. The remaining five individual slots will be attributed to riders from FEI Olympic Groups A and B (North and South Western Europe), and C (Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia), selected through the FEI Olympic Athletes Ranking – jumping on 1 March 2012.
2011 SA VAULTING CHAMPIONSHIPSA Grade Individual Championship (Female under 14)1st Alexa StaisB Grade Individual Championship (Female Open)1st Paige Van RensburgC Grade Individual Championship (Female Open)1st Erin SealsC Grade Individual Championship (Combined under 14)1st Melanie Harcourt CookeD Grade Individual Championships (Combined under 14)1st Thandi BoboE Grade Individual Championship1st Rachael FryerE Grade Team Championship1st KwaZulu Natal
2011 FEI CHILDREN’S INTERNATIONAL CLASSICS FINAL10 to 14 January 2012Huge congratulations to Cameron and Taryn for their great achievements at the 2011 FEI Children’s International Classics Final, which took place from 10 to 14 January 2012 in Hong Kong! Cameron placed 1st in the first two competitions and 3rd in the final class. Taryn placed 4th and 2nd in the first two competitions and 7th in the final class. Cameron and Taryn also took part in a team competition. Cameron’s team came 2nd and Taryn’s team came 3rd.
Well done to both of you! SA is proud of you!
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Mikhaila Lauth, Natalie Erman and Robyn Kopsch recently represented South Africa in an inter-country team challenge at the
Young Rider State Championships in Werribee, Australia, from 16 to 18 December 2011. During the challenge, teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa competed on borrowed horses and swopped horses after each event to ensure a fair field. Our riders were privileged to be supported by Gavin Chester, an Olympic rider and local coach at the event, as well as an honorary team member, Nicole Bruggman, a South Australian rider, as their fourth rider.
The first round of the competition was held indoors and was closely contested, with Australia narrowly taking the lead. The second day was won by South Africa, to the delight of the spectators and also Brian Lavery, South African-born course builder, who made a special trip from his home in Australia to support our team.
The final scores were so close: Australia first with 20 points, South Africa in second place with 21 and New Zealand with 26 points. The girls worked hard as a team and did SA proud.
Australia’s showjumping is clearly benefitting from an excellent team programme, with regional
Young Rider State Championships in Werribee, Australia16 to 18 December 2011
The girls with Annie White and Brian Lavery
Article by: Jenny Hoggarth
squads being developed by top Olympic riders and coaches. Regular team competitions are held and help to lift the quality and experience of all the squad riders. The other teams said that they look forward to competing against South Africa again, having found them worthy opponents!
Thanks to SANEF, Annie White from Victoria Equestrian, and all the Australians for their amazing hospitality and support. Thanks also to the team sponsors, Pam Golding, who generously donated kit for the trip.
DRESSAGENEWS
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Editor: Rebecca Haynes, Sibylle Gussmann • Photography: Barbara Nel
JUDGES’ NEWSSheba Zager moved up from Provincial A to National Candidate in January 2012. In December 2011, Gizelle Theron moved from Trainee Judges to the Learner Judges panel. Congratulations to them both!
DRESSAGE COMMITTEE 2012Your 2012 dressage committee remains virtually unchanged. The chairman is Sheba Zager, vice-chair is Sibylle Gussmann and members are Cheryl Kempin, Sarah Moore, Clare Bailes, Heather Partner and newly co-opted member, Jacqui De Greef. For contact details, please go to the GHS website, www.ghsinfo.co.za, and click on ‘GHS committees’. Alternatively, on the GHS website under ‘Disciplines’, click on ‘Dressage’ and then on ‘Dressage Committee’.
GET INVOLVED! GIVE INPUT!We would like to encourage all parents of pony and junior riders to contact us and give us feedback on the major championship shows your children participate in. We would love to hear what you have to say and report back, particularly on the away shows, for inclusion in the Arena newsletter – including photos of course!
Gauteng Juniors triumphant
Winner of both her Novice classes at the Junior Championships, and securing the overall individual title, is Amour Nel and her lovely Uquality
The Gauteng Novice Dressage Team had a resounding success at the SA Junior Championships in KwaZulu Natal in December 2011, coming first! The team that went to
KZN consisted of Kelsey-Jo Baumann and Waterside Cabochon, Victoria Conlan with Waterside Triple Crown and Touchdown Final Touch, Kira Lynn and Mortimer, Charné Raubenheimer and Alzu La Dina and Amour Nel with Uquality.
Reflecting on the show, Amour Nel’s proud mom Barbara said: “The team was super and GHS obtained a first, second and fourth in Novice 3 (pool 2) and a first, second and third in the Novice 6 team test (pool 2), winning the Novice dressage team event overall!”
In Novice 3, top honours went to Amour Nel on Uquality with
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71.88%. In second place was Victoria Conlan aboard Waterside Triple Crown with 70.88% and she was also fourth with her second horse, Touchdown Final Touch on 67.25%.
In the Novice 6, Amour was again in first place on Uquality with 68.46%. In second place were Victoria and Waterside Triple Crown with 65.10% and in third were Kelsey-Jo Baumann and Waterside Cabochon with 64.13%.
Earning the highest combined scores, Amour and Uquality easily won the overall individual title for both Novice pools. This is the first time Amour has been selected to ride for a team for SA Junior Champs, and Barbara says they had never travelled so far with Uquality – having had her only a few months – so their goal was to get there safely and for Amour to ride to the best of her ability.
“It was an unbelievable feeling for her to have won both classes and an unforgettable experience all round! Amour attributes her performance to her trainer, Candice Hobday, as she believes the training was pivotal to her success,” continues Barbara. “She is very excited about her future with Uquality, who is such a willing and beautiful mare and gives her everything each time Amour rides her.”
The Gauteng dressage open team also did very well, clinching a close second after KwaZulu Natal and ahead of the third-placed Free State team. Shelby Kleynhans and Mambo N, Catherine Laing (reserve rider) and Brandenburg Spirit of the Dance, Alexandra Lynch and Sir Kennedy, Caitlin Pitcher and Cloudy Bay and Natalya Michalakis with Holme Grove Goldcard were part of this chosen team. Barbie Gertenbach was the chef d’equipe for both teams.
Gauteng Juniors triumphant
The triumphant Gauteng Novice Team at the Junior Championships in KwaZulu-Natal
IT IS ONA thrilled Caroline Potts has confirmed that the much-anticipated two-star seminar is going ahead. Mariette Witthages from Belgium and Mary Seefried from Australia, both five-star judges, will be judging a Prix St George class on 4 March and an Inter I Freestyle class on 3 March 2012. This is a wonderful opportunity for all advanced riders to be judged by such illustrious judges. All advanced riders, please enter this show in droves! The GHS dressage committee has sponsored extra prize money for both the PSG and the Freestyle Inter I classes.
REACH FOR YOUR STARSThe dressage committee is implementing an award system based on the upgrading of horse and rider combinations, to encourage and reward riders for upgrading their horses. This recognition is in the form of pins or badges, ranked as follows: novice to elementary – bronze star; elementary to elementary-medium – silver star; EM to medium – gold star; and medium to advanced – a horse pin.
These pins will be distributed to the riders either at shows or via their respective region’s dressage selectors. For any queries regarding this new system, please contact Jacqui at [email protected].
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At a seminar in January this year, Sue Horne and Caroline Potts gave feedback on the World Dressage Forum (WDF). The forum
is open to all dressage enthusiasts and is held at Einthoven, a little town in the Netherlands. According to Jacquiline Garrs, who wrote this report for us, the forum is an “extraordinary and absolutely fascinating experience that leaves your mind buzzing!”
She says the whole forum is based on analysing, comparing and evaluating the rider, judge, trainer and the scientific research that holds it all together. The FEI Plan was discussed by Frank Kemperman, based in Holland. He brought up judging issues, half marks and protective headgear. The headgear rule is soon to be revised and a new rule put into place.
Blood sportThe very controversial topic of the blood rule was discussed and the Euro Dressage Committee has decided that once a horse is rung out due to signs of blood, it will then be inspected by the show veterinarian. The veterinarian will decide whether ringing the horse out is a viable decision or not. The reason for this is that in some countries certain flies can cause a blood drop once they bite, and for a horse who has trained for five years for a particular competition to then get disqualified, can be unfair.
Wayne Channon (UK) from the International Riders Club is quite a controversial person and is outspoken against making this decision at the discretion of the vet. He believes that judges have to look at the test and judge rhythm, balance, suppleness, collection – and then judge whether or not the horse should leave when there is blood – no matter how brilliant the work in the test.
The International Riders Club had asked that the judge be given the capacity to make a decision foremost and final. However, the FEI has ruled that it is the veterinarian’s decision. All this contention has resulted in numerous articles that have appeared, unnecessarily labelling dressage the ‘blood sport’.
WDF feedbackHorses in motionDr Hilary Clayton, who hails from the USA, is a professor who studies the movement and dynamics of a horse’s motion. She discussed how in canter the diagonal pair of legs, which is second to hit the ground, does not actually hit the ground at exactly the same time. She named this ‘disassociation’. Bad disassociation is when a young horse rocks and the visual picture looks bad. The right hind hits the ground, then the diagonal pair rocks, and then the leading leg. Acceptable front leg disassociation is when the front leg hits the ground first when the mechanics change during intense collection, such as in a canter pirouette. This is hard to see with the naked eye and if it is seen, it is a problem. The picture must be easy on the eye and never four-beat. A horse should never be marked down for this type of disassociation.
Hilary used high-speed cameras to analyse the canter, discovering that it is not just a pure three-beat motion. It was also noted when watching the trot with high-speed cameras, that there is some dissociation in the diagonal pairs as they hit the ground.
Nervous horsesAustralian Andrew Mclean is a zoologist and behaviourist with great empathy and understanding of the tense and worried horse. He discussed ‘overshadowing’ or desensitising. To demonstrate, he clips the lead rein to the bit; the horse must walk and stop, relax and submit to the gentle pressure on the rein. You should be able to walk away without him following you, until rein pressure is applied. By a slight walking forward and back, forward and back, the horse becomes submissive and light on the rein and more accepting in the body.
Big, bad, scary horses! If horses are frightened of objects, Andrew suggests presenting them with a large ball and letting them get to the point where they can nudge or kick it. As they nudge it they will realise the
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‘scary’ object rolls away, at which point you can bring the horse closer and get it to push it away again. This way horses gain confidence in believing they are ‘big, bad horses who can scare all objects away!’
This very same method was mentioned in the discussion by Finnish-born, United Kingdom-based Kyra Kyrklund, who said that if a horse can get an object to disappear, he gains confidence. Kyra then spoke of horses who are afraid of clapping, saying the solution is to get a group of people to clap softly. Take the horse one step towards the group and as soon as he steps forward, the clapping stops. Keep getting louder with the clapping – and the horse stepping forward stops the clapping each time. The horse now realises that he can mysteriously stop the loud noise and he thus gains confidence. This method has apparently helped many horses to never worry about clapping, which is of significant importance at international competition. Andrew then spoke again of stimulus, saying you have to assess each thing your horse is scared of. Is it the sound, look or feel? For example with an aerosol, generally the horse is worried about the sound, so put a water hose on your horse quite hard because he should not be worried about the hose or its sound. Use the aerosol and the hose together till eventually he doesn’t mind the sound of the aerosol and you can use the hose less and less. If a horse is scared of something let him touch it and figure it out. When clipping a horse who is very worried, go back to the rein pressure exercise: forward and back until he is light on the hand and soft in the body, approaching right behind the elbow. He cited the example of using this method on a horse who used to lie down due to fear while being clipped, who now stands happily.
Eye attentionSports psychologist, Dr Inga Wolframm from Holland, took five five-star judges and equipped them with special glasses that can monitor exactly what the eye is looking at. The same five judges watched the same set of clips to try and discover what judges look for in each movement by seeing exactly where their eyes looked. The results? Each
judge was completely different!Judges have to see and consider enormous
amounts of detail in each movement – with very little time to do so. This method could be used to train judges what to look at for each movement, instead of trying to look at too many elements in one movement. It teaches the judge’s eye to be very specific in an information-rich area and closer toward the key points that they really should look at.
From these tests, she recorded the following levels of eye attention: 56% at the front of the horse, 29% at the hind of the horse and 15% at the rider.
Judging biasGerman judge and member of the FEI Dressage Task Force, Katrina Wüst, discussed bias, saying she believed it to be an unconscious thing. She describes the forms of bias judges have to tackle as: order of riding (the best group is left to compete last in the class); conformity bias; memory-influenced bias; reputation bias; and patriotism. It is apparently known that German judges give German riders better marks than other nationalities, with the same applying to the Dutch judges who tend to favour Dutch riders. She says bias is part of human nature and good judges must learn how to deal with it. She also believes that while judges must be open to a continual stream and exchange of ideas from all around in the equestrian world, they must retain three key points in mind: ranking of the horse; the welfare of the horse; and the performance of the horse. Ultimately, having five good judges sitting around an arena are like an orchestra. Each judge may have varying ideas but in the end they are all harmonious.
Bit-less ridingThere was video footage of a young Grand Prix rider who competes in a bit-less bridle. She sometimes trains in a plain snaffle bridle but enjoys the “challenge and fun” of riding bit-less. Certainly the trend towards bit-less riding is something that cannot be ignored. Training sessions with Carl Hester and the finals at Ermelo, as well as footage of Nicole Smith and Adriaan van Wyk were also shown.
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Hold on to hopeGiving hope to those of us with average horses, Princess Nathalie zu Sayn Wittgenstein of Denmark, who rides and breeds her own horses, is a very humble but ambitious rider. Although she has had very ‘normal’ horses, she persevered and has some great rides today. Kyra Kyrklund and Carl Hester agree with the principle of perseverance and say that if you know there’s something there, keep pushing! It might take you longer but what a fantastic challenge. Kyra said: “If I had listened to friends and trainers,
CONGRATULATIONS
I would not have had a single Grand Prix horse today. You must hold on to the glimmer of hope!”
Also there was Gillian Higgins from the United Kingdom, who showed the athletics of how the joints, muscles and bones work together. She painted the joints, bones and muscles on the horse so this was clearly visible. Keynotes taken from the evening were to always train with Grand Prix in mind, forward-back, forward-back – on the horse and on the ground, and how vital transitions are.
Farewell WiebkeA farewell was held in January to say thank you to Wiebke Holtz for her incredible input into our sport as a judge. She has truly been a contributor to the growth and development of dressage to where it is now, today.
Well done to the prize winners of the Mini-Novice Champs in November 2011. It has been a bit of a struggle with the GHS database down, and thus being unable to obtain results timeously for Arena, however, below are the winners. Congratulations to all of you for doing so well!
Preliminary (test 4) was won by Monica Nagley on Bodenhausen Big Ben on 69.42% with Victoria Twort a worthy runner-up on Blaze’s Perdita on 68.08%. Third was Cloud’s Oakhill Applause, owned by Clouds Estate
with Amy Billett aboard, with 65.77%. Fourth was Bianca-Lee Grossett’s B’s Sparkling Almond Delight teamed with Matthew Smith on 64.81% and fifth by a terribly narrow margin was Elzaan Pretorius and Royal Land, on 64.62%.
The Novice (test 5) was won by Kirsty Lynch on her lovely Detmold on 68.23%, with Amour Nel’s Uquality not far behind with 67.29%. Third was James White on Shiree Darley’s Abeltjes’ Eureka with 67.08%, and Kate Laird on Callaho’s Winny Roos was fourth on 65.94%.
AADS 2012 IS ONThe 2012 Capital Management Africa Adult Amateur Dressage Series (AADS) is to go ahead this year and promises as much excitement as last year’s series.
The Gauteng legs began on 11/12 February at Riverleigh, progressing through to 24/25 March at Stoneridge, 12/13 May at Riverleigh, 16/17 June at Sankt Georg, 11/12 August at
Chez Charlene, 15/16 September at Stoneridge, 27/28 October at Equestrian International, and the eighth leg on 17/18 November at Chez Charlene.
You are reminded that the series is open only to horse and rider combinations who have never won a title. For further information, please contact Trudy Marsland at [email protected].
Thanking Wiebke Holtz (left) for her contribution to South African dressage over so many years, is Sue Horne (right) & Clare Bailes (middle)
DRIVINGNEWS
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Editor: Natalie Hogg • Photography: supplied by editor
Wayne van Niekerk and Rodney Forster have embarked on a bold competitive venture. They acquired a pair of Friesian
geldings in Holland, moved them to the Midlands in England and are preparing to compete, initially on the UK circuit and later on the European circuit as well. They are fast learning that this is a daunting undertaking. There are many facets to be taken care of.
Conditions and the format of shows differ
Article by Rodney Forster
SA Carriage Drivers embark on an international venture
Clark and Kent – Friesian Pair
materially from the SA competitions. Most competitions are two-day events with dressage and marathon on Saturday and the cones on Sunday. One needs to be set up early on the Friday before the event and the marathon course must be inspected then too.
Stabling is seldom, if ever, provided at shows. Competitors need to provide temporary stabling for the horses and shelter for the carriage with a sheltered place to tack up. Invariably rain is to be
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Olympia 2011 Article by Shirley Sadlier
My sister Marion Clough, my daughter Emma and I attended the Olympia Horse Show just before Christmas and were
spectacularly looked after by course builder Bob Ellis. Olympia is an incredible show held in the middle of London and is a real spectacle with a Christmas theme. It has 200 shops in the indoor hall, which was great for Christmas shopping. The arena events consisted of showjumping, dressage, mountain and moorland showing and a host of entertainment – Shetland racing, Lorenzo the Flying Dutchman, quadrilles and, for the first time, extreme driving with four drivers driving four-in-hand horse teams. This was run as a showcase and test for the World Cup series and will become a permanent fixture in the FEI calendar next season.
There were four competitors – Boyd Excell
(Australian and also world champion), Ijsbrand Chardon and Koos de Ronde (both from the Netherlands), and Pippa Basset (Britain). The course consisted of four cones with a good gallop between them, a hazard with five gates, then over the bridge, another hazard with five gates, then the four cones around the arena for the second time at the gallop. Each competitor went twice and their scores for the two rounds were added together. The final result was Ijsbrand Chardon in first place, Boyd Excell in second, Koos de Ronde in third, and Pippa Basset in fourth. It was the most exciting competition with an amazing atmosphere.
The World Cup driving series has been running for 11 years and is open only to the world’s top 10 drivers, who have qualified at designated outdoor competitions during the summer season.
expected, so there is no chance of having the horses sleep out at the event, as we may think of doing in South Africa. Most competitors use a lorry with sides that open out to make temporary shelters. A two-berth trailer won’t do the trick.
The most important requirement has been addressed, namely the stabling and care of the horses in England. They are at a professional carriage driving yard, where the basic training is being done. Progress has been excellent, even though the training started at the onset of the
English winter. Conditions are very cold and wet, which is the first thing that Wayne and Rodney have to get used to. Rodney, who has some international experience, will be travelling to England on a regular basis to prepare for the competitions, and will be joined by Wayne for the events.
The next task is to become familiar with the British Horse Driving Trials rules and the other formalities to be addressed. The rules are very similar to our SA rules as both are based on the FEI rules.
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EVENTINGNEWS
NOTE FROM THE EDITORWelcome eventing community to 2012, which promises to be a great year for eventing! This newsletter is for January 2012. The year got off to a cracking start with the New Year event at ICB, with everyone well rested and eager to EVENT!
Please contact Joanna Goeller on [email protected] for any input, ideas or comments.
Editor: Joanna Goeller • Photography: Harriet Barrett
It is always exciting to start the new year at a well-organised show, and Inanda Country Base’ New Year Event was just that.Tim built a challenging course with his usual
flair and sense of humour but, all said and done, the most important aspect was that horse and rider went round safely and returned inspired to do the next show. The course was inviting for a new year event. Many horses had had a good rest and were keen to explore the country. Well done to everyone.
The interesting part about being at a show and not competing is the opportunity to see how people manage their trusty steeds. While in the parking area, a thunderous noise came from a horsebox. To my absolute amazement and somewhat sadness, there was a horse in a horsebox, back closed, front window down in temperatures around 27°C outside. One can imagine the stress of a horse, confined in a box, experiencing excessive body heat, not to mentioned claustrophobia.
We tried to locate the owner and then contacted Tim who immediately sorted out the problem. A very generous person helped me off-load the profusely sweating horse, who by now was highly stressed and suffering from heat exhaustion. The box had actually been kicked so harshly that on the left side we could not open the locking arrangement and had to find a man to assist us. The poor horse, once off-loaded, then passed a wee that must have lasted five
Observations from the fieldminutes. The inside of the box was really a shocker. Dirty, horse entangled in two hay nets, a spare wheel – of a sort – and honestly the rest amazes me. Frankly, if you cannot manage two horses with some assistance, bring one to a show or get some temporary help. This truly was a sad state of affairs.
Another shocker was an individual who tried to cross the broken bridge with his horse! What was he thinking, for goodness sake!
On a more optimistic note, I am always amazed at how wonderfully supportive eventers are. One can share, help, assist, hold, encourage and there is always a gracious rider or groom willing to help.
Chatting to some really informed instructors, a point was made about the correct attire for both horse and rider. The interesting part we discussed was that perhaps even at retail level, riders are not being fitted correctly for the discipline. A point on boots was raised. Correct eventing boots are available; sports medicine boots are not appropriate for eventing simply by their design. Today we are really privileged to reap the benefits of experience in the field. If in doubt about the correct items for your horse and for yourself, go online. It is fantastic what you can learn.
Remember the horse comes first. He takes you around safely; afford him the dignity of taking care of him before, during and after riding.
Again the early-morning sun was generous with its warmth. All the sounds dear to a horseman were around me - the snort of the horses as they cleared their throats, the gentle swish of their tails, the tinkle of irons as we flung the saddles over their backs - little sounds of no importance, but they stay in the unconscious library of memory. ~ Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
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ICB New Year Event
[Pic 1] Courtney Davey and Roxstar, PR 0.90m winner; [Pic 2] Nathalie Lugard and Dublin Dancer, J 0.90 winner; [Pic 3] Paul Hart and The Paddocks Cantata, A 0.90m winner; [Pic 4] Patrick Brown and Kankowski, A 1.00m winner; [Pic 5] Patrick Brown and Wow’s War of Angels, 1*
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ICB hosted a great New Year event on 21 and 22 January 2012. Although there had been a lot of rain in December and early January, Tim Payne and his team put together suitable tracks which managed to avoid the wet and slippery areas. The week before the show there was no rain and the ground dried up nicely.
The results were as follows:
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Class 1: Junior Eventing 70 – Unaffiliated
Position Horse Rider
1st Shinny Ashleigh Handley
2nd B’s Kouros Nicole Jooste
3rd Copperline Chanel Vd Merwe
Class 2 Pool 1: Adult Eventing 70 – Unaffiliated
1st Phantom Al Claudia Cloete
2nd Proteus Software Power Surge Jean De Klerk
3rd Country Fair Chatan Hendrik
4th Rathmor Nadal Francois Viljoen
Class 2 Pool 2: Adult Eventing 70 – Unaffiliated
1st Sacred Banner Brennan Glansbeek
2nd Accord Henry Van Dyk
3rd Grandwest Ebony Rose Mandy Thomas
4th Manje Manje Jayne Lawless
Class 3: Pony Rider Eventing 70 – Unaffiliated
1st B’s Fleur Cheyanne Sashe
2nd Drummore’s Sparkling Manhattan Loli Brown
3rd Olympus Burro Paige Wilson
4th Pocahontas Annabel Morphet
Class 4: Junior Eventing 80
1st National Port Greg Cousins
Class 5 Pool 1: Adult Eventing 80
1st Seek The Peace Chelsea Oliver
2nd Wow’s Cockney Cowboy Peter Evans
3rd Saratoga Adonis Joanna Goeller
4th Luca Ernette Muller
5th Wow’s Blockbuster Peter Evans
Class 5 Pool 2: Adult Eventing 80
1st Voigtskirsh Esplendor Roxanne Massaro
2nd Wow’s Lincoln Park Jane Brown
3rd My Shadowfax Kim Koetsier
4th Prussian Pride Paige Shiller
5th Zuleike Shane Rourke
Class 6: Pony Rider Eventing 80
1st Midas Touch Alexandra Davies
2nd Castelmore D’Artagnan Paula Duggan
Class 7: Junior Eventing 90
1st Saratoga Dublin Dancer Nathalie Lugard
Class 8: Adult Eventing 90
1st The Paddocks’ Cantata Paul Hart
2nd Air Holidays’ Piccadilly D Chatan Hendriks
3rd Assegai Sizzle Coreen Barker
4th Air Holidays’ Ned Chatan Hendriks
5th Voigtskirsch Estella Fiona Evans
6th Exocet Charles Du Sautoy
7th Secret Escort Colin Hallaby
Class 9: Pony Rider Eventing 90
1st Roxstar Courtney Davey
Class 11: Adult Eventing 100
1st Wow’s Kankowski Patrick Brown
2nd Scalpelinni Angie Terwin
3rd Mailon Wencke Payne
CLASS 12: CNC*
1st Wow’s War Of Angels Patrick Brown
2nd Nunthewiser Francois Viljoen
3rd Circle The Moon Francois Viljoen
4th Everwood Katrina Gill
Many thanks to Harriet Barrett for kindly providing the photos of the event.
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UPCOMING SHOWSDATE VENUE *** ** * 100 90 80 70 60
10-11 March Springs CNC 1* 100 90 80 70
24-25 March ICB 90cm/Novice Champs 90
13-15 April Three Springs Treverton CCI1*
21-22 April Northern Farms 100 90 80 70 60
5-6 May ICB Eventing Classics 1.1 100 90 80 70
12-13 May Shumba Valley Training Day
19-20 May Le Godimo Eventing Classics 1.1 100 90 80 70
Many thanks to all the officials and committee members who dedicate their weekend time and
more to help maintain and grow the sport of eventing. To all the volunteers who assist at an event in marshalling, time-keeping, scribing, as well as the courier James, and Linda Philo for the enormous contribution she makes. Also to Sarah and John for commentating/spotting in the cross country phase, to Kate Gill for maintaining the eventing database and for emailing all relevant news, and to Joanna Goeller for the monthly newsletter. All of you work all year round for the benefit of eventing.
The picture attached includes: The ‘workers’, Katrina for e-mailing, Joanna Goeller for the newsletter, Sarah and John for commentating/spotting, James the courier and Linda Philo (in her bakkie) for the enormous contribution she makes.
A recognition to the ‘workers’Article Sue Goodman
FOURWAYS RIDING TRAINING DAYFourways Riding hosted a training cross country day on 15 January. Attendance was great, with about 80 horses and riders coming out to have a huge amount of fun in the country.
Editor: Nadia Cetinich • Photography: T&B Images
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Junior Showing Championships 2011
Congratulations to our Gauteng Open Showing Team on their team competition win in Shongweni, KZN.
Gauteng horses and riders also shone in the individual championship classes, with Sir Kennedy and Alexandra Lynch taking the Individual SA Junior Show Horse Championship, with Cloudy Bay and Caitlin Pitcher as Reserve. The SA Junior Working Championship was taken by Waterside Cabochon and Kelsey-Jo Baumann.
GENERALThe showing seminar and lessons that took place in November were a great success. We are hoping to run a similar showing clinic later this year.
We are also planning another fundraiser, so please watch out for details.
Dates for showing judges’ exams will be announced shortly. Any potential candidates should please contact Brian Noach for further details.
Watch out for details on the ‘Chairman’s Cup’ classes for juniors and adults to be introduced on future showing show schedules.
GAUTENG SHOWING COMMITTEE 2012Chairlady: Susan CookVice-Chair: Nadia CetinichAdmin/Finance: Robbyn WilkinsonMarketing: Yolande ConlanOfficials: Nadia CetinichDevelopment: Helen GilfillanPerformance and Team Selection: Lynda KirchmannTechnical: Brian NoachDiscipline Specific: Brian Noach
We bid a sad farewell to Kirsty Loots and thank her for her input over the past years. We also wish Yolande a warm welcome to the committee.
Kelsey-Jo Baumann and Waterside CabochonGHS Team with Brian Noach (left), Lynda Kirchmann and Sandy Cox (right)
SHOWINGNEWS
SHOWJUMPINGNEWS
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Editor: Michelle Dawson and Val Beuster • Photography: supplied by editor
Hong Kong ‘Amazing Trip of a Lifetime’
Cameron and Taryn with their trophies and rosettes
by Cameron Dawson
Winning the SA leg of FEI was amazing; finding out my friend and arch competitor was joining me in Hong
Kong....Priceless!! Taryn Rault qualified 3rd in the table and as such was also invited to compete.
We (Mom, Dad and Trav) arrived a few days early to take in a few sights and see what’s what in Hong Kong before the competition. Taryn arrived two days later with Mom (Catherine and Coach Nicola) and the hotel was never the same again! By the night before the competition, all the riders had arrived and we got together for a welcome dinner. Initially it was a bit strained as there where only three people who spoke English at the dinner table. Between Taryn (Chicken) and Lilliput (NZ) we got the place livened up and by the end of the night we at least knew each other’s first names! (woohoo)
Day 1: Warm ups done, now for the real thing!First day of the competition began with a 10 o’clock start. I woke up early, suddenly very aware that everything we had worked for over the last four months was about to begin. Luckily I sat with Chicken and crazy Lilly in the bus – with those two you cannot help but laugh and relax! I arrived with my green SA numnah, SA
time and took the lead after my round; the boy from Syria and Sarah from Brazil also posted quick times followed by Taryn, but I managed to stay the fastest around the track. It was amazing! The prize giving was done with all the officials, a red carpet, on a podium with the SA flag being raised as they played our national anthem. We all received huge rosettes and a trophy! I cannot remember anything cooler than that!
Lunch followed another outing into Hong Kong filled with lovely people and even stranger food – pig, chicken and fish all with their heads still on! (Didn’t eat much...at all!)
Day 2A late sleep-in as the competition only started at 3 o’clock, late breakfast and then early lunch at the centre. By now we had really grown to know each of the competitors and typically Chicken got the waiters to put all the tables together so all of us could have lunch together.
Course walk started at 3 o’clock; this time a competition with clear rounds going into a jump off! Much bigger today and certainly more technical in the related distances. To make the draw fair, the judge split the original draw in half and started the competition with the 10th rider in; this way Taryn went in 12th and I was drawn 17th. We both had a great warm-up and I could hear
cap and purple FEI jacket! I felt like a very proud Christmas tree! The horses were already being tacked up and taken down to the warm-up; the course was open for walking and the day had begun!
The course was a single round against time, about the same size as the warm-up round but certainly more technical and longer!
Taryn was drawn 19th and I was in at 14. My warm-up was super and before I knew it I was in the arena taking the salute! I actually can’t remember each fence other than that we got into such a smooth rhythm that I could take some very sharp turns. I posted a very quick
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her take the salute and then the announcement that she was clear! My turn…Goblet was awesome, we didn’t breathe on a pole for the entire course! So that made the two SA riders and six others, including Sarah from Brazil who had come third the day before! Sarah really pushed hard and set a quick time; Taryn went and blew the socks off everyone by two seconds! My bell went and Goblet supported me with an amazing turn back to the first and second fences that allowed me to just pip Taryn’s time and take first place again! Red carpet, paparazzi, trophies, national anthem…WOW, who wants to be a movie star when you can be a professional showjumper?! Taryn and I standing together on the podium, first and second for SA! I could not have been more proud than at that moment!
Day 3Our last day of competition, excited and sad as we would all be ending our journey and saying goodbye. We had made such awesome friends by now and the rivalry was only on the course!
Course walk, fences are max height and a very technical layout! Mom and I walked some of the lines three times just to confirm the distances. I had accumulated the most points so was drawn last, with Taryn right behind me in at 19th and Sarah in at 18th. What a course – 17 riders through and not one clear round. Sarah went and
completed 12 of the 13 fences before just rolling the last element of the triple combination. Taryn clipped number two for four penalties and then it was just me left with a clear round to win the Championship! I chose a bad line off the corner into a green oxer, got him deep and clipped the front rail. Four penalties.
For the first time ever I was in a jump-off with 10 others on four penalties! Adrianna, one of the Hong Kong riders, went round in a slow but calculated ride of 57 seconds. Sarah followed suit going clear in 48.6 seconds. Taryn was always going to leave nothing to chance and had an unbelievably quick round in 47.3 seconds but with two rails down. So for me, another chance to win! I chose a super inside line from the third to fourth fences but came in at an angle and clipped the front rail jumping across the oxer! Four penalties in 47.8 seconds. Sarah had won, I came in third and Taryn 7th.
I stood on the podium feeling elated and proud, yet sad that the journey was now over, and for me, one never to be repeated.
My thanks to my mom and coach (you are amazing) to FEI and SANEF for making it happen, Auntie Gail for taking the time to fine-tune me on her own horses and my family for making the sacrifices to get me there! Lastly to my good friend Taryn for being there for each other and making SA proud!
FROM THE JUDGES BOX A message to some top level riders: people do notice and report bad/rude behaviour experienced by other riders and the Marshall when you are wanting to get your ride in ahead of all others, abusing those around you as you go, especially when you thought there was something more exciting in another arena – causing this dreadful behaviour. It is
Riders, did you know that there is a special prize for the best turned-out horse at the Horse Inspection of the Adult FEI? All plaited up and shiny. Add to that, it should be the rider trotting out the horse and not the groom and, of course, the rider should be correctly turned out as well.
so unnecessary and definitely uncalled for. When a rider elects to scratch from a competition rather than be subjected to this sort of attitude, behaviour and rudeness, it is a sad day, indeed, for the sport. Respect the sport, respect others and keep your self-respect intact.
VAULTINGNEWS
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Editor: Janet Pitchford • Photography: supplied by editor
First Talent Identification Clinic of the year21 January 2012!
What an amazing way to start 2012 – Functional Mobility Assessments (FMA) including strength, conditioning, fitness, flexibility as well as any other tests were the order of the day! The selected athletes participating in this national programme are Eugenio Brentot, Chelsey Gertenbach, Dylan Jones, Khensani Maluleke,
Vaulters at TID camp with coaches Lars Hansen and Steffi Waidmann
Bongani Mvumvu, Zahne Pienaar, Julia Pitchford, Damien Pretorius, Alexa Stais, Anacy Tainton, Charles Tshenyane and Paige Janse van Rensburg, with coaches Lars Hansen and Steffi Waidmann, and administrator Paula Taylor.
The next training camp is scheduled for 3/4 March 2012.
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HEAD: UPCOMING SHOWS – PLEASE NOTE AND DIARISE31 March/1 April 2012 Easter FestivalAll grades, International Selection, SA Champs Selection show – venue KEP Indoor5/6 May 2012All grades, International Qualifier, International Selection, SA Champs
Selection show – venue KEP Indoor2/3 June 2012 All Grades, Final International Selection, SA Champs Selection show – venue KEP Indoor8/9 September 2012Higher and Lower Inter-regionals, SA Champs Selection show – venue KEP Indoor
Men are better when riding, more just and more understanding, and more alert and more at ease and more under-taking, and better knowing of all countries and all passages; in short and long all good customs and manners cometh thereof, and the health of man and of his soul. ~Attributed to Edward Plantagenet
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Hannover, Germany – The gala show ‘Night of the Horses’ on Friday
and Saturday late November 2011 was filled with thrills and excitement. This equestrian event attracted over 10,000 spectators as part of the celebrated ‘Roast’ programme, with many highlights and international stars. Acrobatics on horseback was one of the crowd-pullers, and included South Africa in an international vaulting team with Bongani Mvumvu and Alexa Stais adding African flair to the excitement! The lively and colourful mix was put together by German national, Lars Hansen, well known for his coaching and success with such events.
Night of the Horses – Kiel, Hannover Germany
Parade of international vaulters with our very own Bongani Mvumvu
Group of learner judges from the November 2011 clinic
LEARNER JUDGESCongratulations to all learner judges who recently passed their exams. In total we now have 14 learner judges in Gauteng!
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GHS CALENDAR – MARCH 2012
GHS CALENDAR – APRIL 2012
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