TOPIC: RELEASE

PUBLISHED: 2022-11-15

Melba Equestrian Club announced on Tuesday 15th November, that an Equestrian Australia Dressage Competition is to be held at Wesburn Park on the 18th and 19th of February 2023.

“We’re delighted to be able to present this event,” said a club spokesperson. “Our hope is to provide a top level Dressage Event for riders in between the major competitions at Boneo in January and Willinga the week after, and at the same time, provide a laid back introduction to the hundreds of weekend and grass roots riders in the valley.”

The event will feature competitions from Preliminary to Novice, and then additionally all FEI Dressage Competitions from Children to Grand Prix. The event will also feature “Introduction to Dressage” tests aimed at nervous or inexperienced riders who are not ready to dip their toe into official competition yet.

The competitions will be held at Wesburn Park in the picturesque Upper Yarra Valley against the dramatic backdrop of mountains. The Council owned park features a newly resurfaced large sand arena as well as grass arenas and plenty of vehicle parking.

“We’ve put a lot of planning into making this a memorable event; we are having freestyles and a commentator… we aim to make this event a special one on the Victorian Calendar.” Melba Equestrian Club concludes.

Entries will open soon after Christmas.

TOPIC: BACKGROUND

PUBLISHED: 2022-11-15

Originally starting in the cavalry as a test of training, Dressage has evolved to feature athletes riding their horses in a series of elegant, light and precise movements. It is one of the few Olympic disciplines where men and women compete on equal footing.

At grass roots level, dressage tests assess the ability of the horse and rider to perform walk, trot and canter in a way which is confident and harmonious and showing a clear path to continue development.

At higher levels, more physical demand is placed upon the horse to be able to carry the rider whilst continuing to give an impression of lightness, while performing precise movements under the subtle direction of the rider. For experts, the horse appears to perform the movements on its own with little to no input from the rider.

The top priority throughout dressage is the wellbeing of the horse, with harmony being rewarded, and agitation or tension penalised.

Each test is around 5 minutes long, and is marked in a series of 12-35 movements out of 10 and then converted to percentage for the final score. Scores usually range from 55% to 80% with 60% usually been seen as the benchmark, and anything over 70% being regarded as a good score.

TOPIC: BACKGROUND

PUBLISHED: 2022-11-15

Melba Equestrian Club is a new club based in the Yarra Valley.

The aims of the club are to promote equestrian sport by providing a home for all riders, both at grass roots level as well as experienced international riders.

The club is interested in working at all levels with social events for members, education and competition opportunities and a welcoming environment for all.