The Saddleworld 2015 Brisbane CDI
Story by Christopher Hector & Photos by Roslyn Neave
When the only major Australian competition in July is the Brisbane CDI, in the middle of a Melbourne winter, then a trip to Caboolture becomes exceedingly attractive. It didn’t really matter that Caboolture weather the weekend of the CDI was in fact bitter cold, with a wind that could freeze peas, the welcome was warm, the facility super and the competition, enthralling. Everyone was helpful, but thanks in particular to Carole Lok for taking us under her wing.
It was Carole who back-grounded us on the facility. For the last thirty years or so, there have been two enduring myths on the Queensland dressage scene. One is that X will next year come out with a Grand Prix horse and amaze the world, the other is that next year, Queensland will have the biggest and best indoor competition arena of them all.
One has come to pass.
The Sunshine Coast is the home of one of the original ‘BIGS’, the Big Pineapple, they have a taste for the grandiose up here. Sure enough, the Queensland State Equestrian Centre is huge, all those empty blue seats that show up in photos are an ongoing embarrassment to organizers; apparently the only time the place is actually full is when local lad made international singing star, Keith Urban puts on a show. And while there is a bit of grumbling about the depth of the surface, and the cover over the outdoor warmup arena is, like X’s Grand Prix mount, yet to materialize, it is very fine indeed.
The first class I get to see is the Tack Shed Advanced 5.2 and dear me, there are some very stylish young riders up here, lovely position, tactful aids, and the horses look very correct, loose and swinging through the back, but… It’s a topic I raise with local mover and shaker, Liz Owens, just why do they lack that final, vital element: forward?
Liz says she herself didn’t understand what forward really was until she rode with Dutch master trainer, Johan Hamminga. “We think we have to train our horses’ brains,” said Liz, “What I learnt with Johan is train their bodies, get them really fit and forward and that takes care of their brain because it is easy for the horse to do the work, they are never straining to do it.”
Which is not to say that the horses should be ridden frantically off their feet, backs locked and flicking their front feet, which sadly seems to be the style of some of the ‘professional’ riders up here. Keep the soft, just get it crisp.
Emma Flavelle and Cabaret C
The class is won by one of the most stylish of the riders, Emma Flavelle riding the imported seven-year-old Holsteiner mare, Cabaret C (Canto / Contender), and it is an example of good judging. Emma had a couple of little mistakes in her test, and I was scared that the judges would punish the errors and ignore the quality. One did, two didn’t, and Emma ended on 67.238 and in first place.
When I catch up with Emma, I want to learn more about her mare…
“I’ve been riding her for about three years now. She was imported as a four-year-old from Germany. I went over with Kim Cullen, who is the owner, in search of a horse for her daughter, Caitlin. Caitlin is currently at university so I am training the horse. She is beautiful to ride. In this environment she can be a little bit hot, but other than that, beautiful trainability and just a lovely horse to ride.”
Not classically bred for dressage? On her pedigree you would think she was a jumper…
“That’s right, and she can jump but I think the quality as a dressage horse is a bit too good, we are definitely keeping her for the dressage arena.”
Do you have some coming on?
“I have several very nice horses from Madonna and Lars Hedberg from Arnage Warmbloods. I had the four-year-old mare here today in the Young Horse class, she did very well, and I am also riding their stallion, Fiderfürst who is a very exciting prospect for the future. He missed out today because he had a foot abscess but he is an amazing horse.”
You sit so elegantly…
“I think it was drummed into me so much by Linda Schmerglatt, that I’ve always got it drummed into my head, I can still always hear her voice. She did a fabulous job, and I can never thank her enough.”
Emma’s sponsors are Saddleworld, Arnage Warmbloods and Hinterland Equine Veterinary… Nice for you to go well at a show sponsored by Saddleworld:
“Very nice. I ride in a Saddleworld saddle, the Prestige. I love the close contact of the Helen, it sits you in a really super position. If it’s good enough for Helen Langehanenberg it is good enough for me.
The CSG FEI Young Rider Team Test CDI-Y, again saw some very elegant riding. In a closely fought contest, local school girl, Elloise Devlin took the prize riding the home bred Brimstone Anakiwa (Anamour/RJ Windsong) on a score of 67.447 (nice to see that Olympic judge, Gotthilf Riexinger was happy to award a 70 for the test). Still it was a tough one to win, with two exceptional school masters taking second and third: Elisabeth Hulin and Moscow (Medallion / Stirling Lilac) and Annie Simmons and the imported mare, Florett (Florestan / Fransisca).
When I caught up with Elloise she was on a high and so happy with Brimstone Anakwa (alias Sam).
My notes say, what a happy calm test, at the finish you drop the reins and he walks out with his ears pricked…
“Yeah, he tends to do that, in this arena specially.”
Elloise has been riding since she could ‘ever sit on a horse’:
“My Mum’s been doing dressage for quite a while. She started riding when she was about fourteen. She’s been riding her whole life, and I’ve just followed in her footsteps. I went through lots of ponies, Pony Club, Inter School, and worked my way up into EA, then Mum did the brave thing of giving me her horse, Sam. I guess it is paying off, we are doing pretty well.”
“My Mum has always helped me, she’s been really great, my whole experience of growing as a rider is down to her. I have lessons from Jenny Gerhke, she has really helped a lot. I’ve got a really good team behind me and I’m really lucky with that.”
Elloise Devlin and Brimstone Anaika
Have you played with the Grand Prix movements?
“Yeah, but it’s hard juggling the two. You’ve got to go, oh I better stop that or he might do it in the test. At the moment I am playing with the ones, and piaffe / passage. It’s really fun. Because he is so trainable and he’s got such a calm mind, he doesn’t get overwhelmed or lose his head. If he ever gets uptight, I just stop, it’s okay, nothing is going to happen and then pick it up again. Just trying really calm, correct methods of training.”
And you have to juggle this with school?
“Year Eleven. I turned 17 not so long ago. My books have been to this competition, hopefully I’ll get to look at them. I usually ride one or two after school, and I have to be quick, because we don’t have daylight saving. My school is good, we’ve got an equestrian team, and they give me support if I go to competitions.”
How ambitious are you?
“The ultimate goal for most riders, especially young riders, is, you want to go to the Olympics, to represent Australia. At the moment, on Sam it’s to successfully compete at Grand Prix within the next few years, a year would be nice. I’ve got a young horse, Sam’s half brother, and he is really lovely, he’s coming through Elementary now. At State Young Riders, he won the Elementary and Novice State Champs with the highest percentage – 77 – so I have two really lovely trainable horses.”
You ride very quietly and elegantly is that something you think about?
“Sometimes I feel like I am moving all around but then I watch myself, and go, huh, I’m just sitting there. I try to keep it as harmonious as possible, always giving my rein, and I try to be really calm the way I ride.”
Watch lots of Charlotte videos…
“Yes! That’s the ultimate goal to be like her. Keep it calm, but if I ask, he has to respond, there is that balance.”
You get support from Prydes?
“Yes, I am sponsored by Prydes. They have just sponsored my Mum and I. Great feeds and they are really supportive. Sam was quite a pointy horse, pointy bum and his neck was quite thin. Once we started feeding Prydes he just built up, and with the work he was doing, he really needed nutrients and a lot more bulk feed. Prydes was just perfect for him…”
Sue Hearn and Remmington
But the name of the game was the Grand Prix, the Arnage Warmbloods Grand Prix CDI, yet another opportunity for Australian riders to press for a spot on the team to Rio. Bingo – all five judges had the same winner, Sue Hearn and Remmington (River Dance / Miss Tense TB). It was a lovely, relaxed, correct test, just three little whoopsies – a miss in the ones, a less than wonderful first canter pirouette and coming out of the first piaffe, there was no clear transition, it was more like advancing piaffe for a while. Still Australian five-star judge, Mary Seefried was happy to give Sue a 70 (her second 70 at two GPs in a row!) and the really exciting thing is that the second pirouette was super as was the second piaffe / passage transition and the piaffe itself is the best we have in Australia… there is a 75 sitting out there with Lloyd’s name all over it.
After that the judges were in a muddle. Heath Ryan ended up taking second place on Utopian Cardinal (Regardez Moi / Lanthan), second with two judges, fifth with another and third and fourth with the other two. The gelding is going more like his sire every outing, which I guess means you either love it or hate it. Score 66.16.
Tori Welch and Glogau
I agreed with Mary Seefried who had Tori Welch’s grey mare, Glogau (Gymnastic Star / Graf Landau) in her second place. The test was everything that Utopian Cardinal’s wasn’t: correct, loose, and genuinely athletic. I’ve always loved Glogau, and she is getting better every time I see her. They ended on 65.24, and it might be noted that Gotthilf also saw the quality, third on his card, with Tori’s other ride, the imported Hanoverian gelding, Brentanus (Brentano / Weltmeyer) his second.
Again, it was a very fine test, I just find Brentanus’s somewhat ‘passagey’ trot disturbing, but there is no doubt that Victoria Welch is one of the brightest lights on the Australian dressage horizon. Brentanus finished in 3rd with a 65.8, just in front of Anjanette Harten and UQG Alladin, on 65.740, with Glogau fifth on 65.24.
I suggest to Tori, that producing two Grand Prix horses by the time you are 26 is pretty amazing, and she corrects me:
“I actually have produced three, I had Casablanca first. It has been a great journey, and I’ve loved it.”
You found Brentanus in Germany…
“We found him as a four-year-old in the Hanoverian Elite Auction in Verden. I actually saw him on the website before we left, and I said to Mum, that is the horse I am going to buy. She said, no, we should buy a mare. We went there, and I just fell in love with him. It was just meant to be. It was his birthday the day of the auction, it was just a sign and I loved him. He has always been a very positive, easy to train horse. He always wants to please you, he’s very willing and he has a beautiful personality. He loves us. He’s got his little fan club at home.”
The grey mare…
“We saw her about two years ago, she was roughly medium level, training a little bit of the more advanced work, baby piaffe, baby passage. Again, Mum, Dad and myself, we all went to look at a group of horses, and we all fell in love with her. Between the three of us, we own her, it’s a nice journey for our family.”
“They are both really willing horses, they like to be in the arena. They like to show off in their own special way. They are different types but they are very similar in their mannerisms, they are just lovely.”
Tori and Brentanus
Who has helped you along the way?
“My Mum, Libby, helps me every day. Then I train with Rozzie Ryan and Leonie Brammall, she has been an absolute godsend. She is amazing. She is very good at explaining, she just breaks everything down and explains it really well. I’ve trained with Leonie with Brentanus since he was a four-year-old. Mum has been really good… mostly Mum and I.”
“I’ve done a few trips to Europe. I won the Hanoverian Young Rider challenge, and got to train over there for about a month. Previous to that, I went over for a couple of weeks after we bought Brentanus. I try to get over once or twice every year or every second year for a bit of training.”
Is the aim to take the horses over and compete in Europe?
“I would love to, if that is where we end up, but I really would like to do it from home. I really love being here, I think it would be nice to do it from Australia. I know you have to go over to Europe for the final selection, but I think is it nice to be here. I love the country and being here.”
What do you love about dressage, it is often a very frustrating, disappointing sport?
“I don’t find it so disappointing. They are horses and they can have bad days. I love watching how the horses change, how they improve, how they learn new things. When you bring them out, it is a test of how your training is working, and if the horse is confident in you.”
You are full time with horses?
“We have our stud, so I work full time with the horses, and I do some coaching. It’s great, I love it.”
Another of the bright lights on the Aussie scene is Lisa Martin and her imported mare, First Famous (Fidertanz/Reverie). The rider threw away the Intermediate I, when the mare stalled going into the canter pirouette, and Lisa was so annoyed that she went back for a second go, the result was a very fine pirouette, but the Belgian C judge, Jacques van Daele was quick to sound his bell, he had given Lisa a 3 for the failed first pirouette, now she was docked another 2 for the error of course! They still finished in 1st on Jacques’ card, but in a class where the judges were all over the place, ended up in second place behind Nicole Tough and another import, the Dutch gelding, Borsato (UB40/Flemmingh).
Lisa Martin and First Famous
The truth was that Lisa probably lost it out in the warm up arena, where she rode the mare way too long, and left the freshness of this beautiful creature outside. Next day for the Pryde’s Easi-Feed Inter I Freestyle, she brought the mare in ready-to-rock, and put together a super test to win the class – although my award for the most inventive music goes to Nicole ‘Mother of Dragons’ Tough, who used the theme from Game of Thrones for her opening moves. Sadly, it went right over the collective head of the Ground Jury. How many extra points if she’d brought along a dragon, I asked, and they looked at me blankly. Ah, they don’t know what they are missing.
Daenerys Targaryen – we mean Nicole Tough – with Borsato
(Would it make any difference to the choice of music if the riders could hear the judges complaining loudly about the raucous noise that accompanies most of the freestyles? Think about it, a panel of middle-aged judges, they are really going to love your crashing rock’n’roll. Not.)
Lisa is one rider who has traveled the dressage journey, with all its ups and downs, now success is within her grasp.
Your freestyle looked so harmonious…
“I kept it pretty simple for the mare, and it seems to work for her at this stage.”
The canter was way better in the Freestyle?
“It’s funny, it’s a mental thing I’m sure, I relax a lot more, I enjoy the Freestyle and when I warmed myself up, I took on board what a few people had told me – slow down. I always listen to what everyone says, someone has always got something that will help.”
How did you find this extraordinary creature?
“It’s a funny funny story. Three of us went to Germany, a mathematician, a minister, great friends, and myself, it was the quirkiest group of people you will ever meet, and it was great. I said you are allowed to come with me but there is one thing, if I like the horse, I don’t want you to change my mind on it. I’ve got to go completely on my gut feeling.”
“I put together a list of the dealers, and we spent six weeks checking them out. We started in Germany and went to all the famous barns, then the normal barns, and then we went off to Holland, and all over Holland. Then Copenhagen, driving all the way, six weeks, and over 200 horses. I think I rode about 60 of them, there was one that I actually came off – that was quite frightening. I had a very specific order in my mind. It had to be a mare because I wanted something for embryo transfer if something went wrong, it had to be five to work in with Olympics and Worlds, and things, I didn’t want it too old, too young. And it had to be completely rideable, that was the main thing, not just a good trot or whatever, it had to be rideable and it had to be sound. All the x-rays we took, came back to Australia for checking.”
“It was crazy how we found her, actually my daughter found her on YouTube. She saw the mare at SL Sporthorses, Mr Ludwig’s, I was in Copenhagen and she rang me from Australia, Mum, I think you should look at this horse. No, I’m coming home, I’m so tired, I’ve looked at every orangutan you can imagine, I’m over it. She said, no, you’ve got to look at it. So I flew back to Germany and I saw this mare come in, I like this horse, it was a gut feeling. I stayed there for four days. I hacked her out in the forest, and spent all the time I could with her, to make sure that she was the one.”
“It was her attitude, when I hacked her out, she wanted to work. That was a really good feeling. The other thing was I could work with my gears, I could gallop her out, bring her back and drop the reins, not a problem. That’s really important when you get to Grand Prix, you want to be able to peak, have that edge for piaffe and passage work, and then be able to drop your reins for the extended walk… She can do that.”
“She was owned by a young fellow who worked for Mr Ludwig, a showjumper who was selling her because he wanted to buy a jumper for his son, and he needed the money. Mr Ludwig was great, he even sent a groom over with her in the plane to make sure she was okay. He still sends me hampers at Christmas time, I’m looking forward to seeing him next year when I take her over.”
That’s the plan – training in Germany?
“Yes, I’ve spoken with Jonny Hilberath and we’ve just got to work out the details. My heart is so torn, I’ve got family, I’m not young any more and I’ve got a 13 year old daughter and a husband who I care for very much. I’ve done this before, I went to Hubertus Schmidt for twelve months in 2007, and it’s hard. It’s not as glamorous as everyone makes out. It is hard, hard work, especially when you don’t speak German and you are in a foreign country on your own, and sometimes the training sessions don’t always go to plan. There is no one to go home to, it is hard, but you can’t go for six months. By the time you get over there, you’ve got to be there for at least 12 months to give it a go. I will leave it up to Jonny to say, this is the competition you should go to – put my life in his hands. He’s done it before, and I am sure with some little Australian like me, he will manage.”
Lisa Martin’s daughter Jessica riding First Famous at the NSW Inter-Schools Champs – Peter Orr
“When Jessica’s horse was sick for the NSW Inter-Schools Championships, I said ‘take Firegirl’. She did a lead class and came third, then a riding class, and then came 8th in a hack class on her. There were 90 in her group, and the mare just did her thing, she has such a great temperament.”
The Saturday night was fun, with lots of extras, like Tor van den Berg’s harness display, the arena full of excited competitors in the Saddleworld Novice Club Teams Challenge, and a rather odd creature called a Medium Tour Freestyle.
The focus was on the Pryde’s EasiFeed Grand Prix freestyle, and once again Sue Hearn and Remmington were clearly the winners, and now have Rio in their sights. They also picked up 800 bucks towards their petrol bill from Keystar Autoworld in Morayfield as winners of the Big Tour Championship.
Earlier that day, I had a chat with Sue, asking her what the Grand Prix test felt like:
“He warmed up super. He loves outdoors, so I’ve really got to get him used to the indoors. He has been going amazing recently, his strength has just gone through the roof in the last few months. Just learning to trust him a little bit more… When we came in he went Oh Oh!, and I thought, oh oh, we are just going to ride this, I don’t care what you do, it’s okay, it’s fine. When he starts to blow at bit, I know he’s a bit worried about it, but having said that, he was really listening and wanting to do everything right. It felt amazing.”
Have you scored a 70 with a five-star judge before?
“He scored a 70 with Susie Hoevenaars at Melbourne, at Dressage with the Stars, that was a super test, but he was second to Mary Hanna. He didn’t make a single mistake in that test, and I thought, that’s the best I can do at the moment. He produced the same again, probably more active here at Brisbane, just dropping that one-time change, and the pirouette. I came round the corner, and when he is on-edge, you go, okay I’ve got what I’ve got in this pirouette, don’t touch him, because he then worries that he has done something that he shouldn’t have been doing. His piaffe and passage felt amazing, his piaffe in particular – but that’s how he trains at home, it’s getting that quality now in the test. He is hot, and he worries about everything. That piaffe passage tour, if I can get that really even without him getting tense, then we are doing well, and the rest is just improving all the time, the half passes are getting better.”
I see on that source of all information, Facebook, that you are working with Miguel Tavora again…
“Yes because he is now coming to Mark Dowling’s beautiful indoor, so it is easy to get there. It doesn’t mean a day’s traveling – and the surface is amazing. And of course, Miguel is amazing. It is so lovely, we work together really well. It’s great that he is only ten minutes away now. There are a lot of other riders benefitting from him, and he loves the horse.”
You have got to be starting to think seriously about Rio…
“In the back of my mind it is there, but I have been disappointed before, so I take it all with a grain of salt, you never know what is around the corner. I’ll be ready if they want me to go – I’ll go, absolutely. The horse is still improving all the time, there’s still more strength, more confidence, there. I think the judges enjoy his way of going. Riding him is enjoyable, it is light, it is easy, there’s no crashing or thumping around, and I think the judges are really appreciating that type of dressage now. If Rio is what they want me to do, I’ll go and do it. It is going to be an amazing expense, I went over in 2003, and it easily cost $100,000. Then you come back and your business is down the tube. But you only live once…”
REMI STUD YOUNG RIDER SCHOLARSHIP
This is an absolutely brilliant initiative brought about by Queensland breeder, Cheryl O’Brien. The winner gets: a weanling from Remi Stud, feed from Prydes until the horse is three years old, registration with Equestrian Australia, legal support from HorseForce, a saddle, bridle and saddlecloth from SaddleWorld, 10 weeks training from Team Van den Berge, when the horse turns three, and Veterinary care from Westvets. All up the prize is worth $30,000. The judges watching from the very pleasant VIP arena up the top of the stand were so excited about the initiative, that I was tempted to suggest that they might each toss in ten bonus marks into the pot, to be awarded the first time the horse came before them…
This year’s winner was NSW eventer, Jordyn Faint, and she didn’t know until Cheryl O’Brien made the announcement, that the weanling was hers:
“I found out just then, I had no idea. We were told there were three finalists, one in three chance. It’s very exciting.”
You are an eventer – it should be good with the weanling out of a Thoroughbred mare?
(Remi Fall Guy S, is by Fishermans Friend out of the Thoroughbred, Rouna Falls.)
“It’s great, just what I need.”
There is quite a story behind the horse you are eventing now, Jackpot…
“I got him when he was six, but I have known him since he was a yearling. He bucked really badly when I got him. I had to get on him with a collar rope and a leg strap, so he didn’t buck when I got on. After twelve months I could get on him without the breaking tool. He’s awesome though, I love him a lot. He is doing one-star now, hopefully two-star at the end of the year, that’s exciting.”
The pair are currently on the NSW Junior Eventing Squad, and topping the Eventing NSW Junior Leaderboard for 2015:
“I am still in Year 10, I’ve got two horses at home, three now. My Mum’s got an animal farm, so I’ve always had animals around.”
Jordyn lives in Richmond, NSW, so she has access to some pretty fancy coaches:
“My dressage coach is Denise Rogan, my showjumping coach is Dave Cameron, and my cross country coach, and mentor, is Christine Bates.”
The inaugural winner of the Scholarship, Isabella Wilkinson-McIntyre and her now rising three-year-old, Remi Livingstone S