AUSTRALIAN dressage champion Brett Parbury and his horse, Victory Salute, will represent Australia at the World Cup Final in the Netherlands.

However, nine-time World Cup dressage champion Anky van Grunsven, of The Netherlands, has missed out on qualifying for this year's final,  which is on March 25-27 and will be held in the Dutch region of 'S-Hertogenbosch.

At the final European qualifier in Goteborg, Sweden, on February 27, fellow countryman Edward Gal had already secured his place on the current sensation, Moorlands Totillas, and it was up to Anky and compatriots Imke Schell kens and Adelinde Cornelissen to fight for the remaining two places available to the Dutch.

Adelinde produced an immaculate performance riding Jerich Parzival, and Imke Schell kens took the third place riding her Olympic mount Sunrise, which meant that Anky, on Painted Black, placed only fourth and for the first time in years will miss the final.

Imke said she was sad to knock Anky out of the team but was thrilled to be able to ride in the World Cup final.

The final field includes: Isabell Werth, Matthias Alexander Rath and Carola Koppelman, of Germany; Patrik Kittel, of Sweden; Michal Rapcewicz, of Poland; Tavares de Almeida, of Brazil;, Jeroen Devroe, of Belguim; Acs Robert, of Hungary; Nathalie Zu Sayn Wittgenstein, of Denmark; and Brett Parbury.

The FEI World Cup Dressage is the only worldwide series in this discipline, and is in its 25th season.

At each World Cup, the dressage qualifier consists of a Grand Prix test, which in turn is a qualification for the freestyle to music competition, where league points are accumulated towards places in the final.

It is judged on both technical and artistic merit, and combines art, sport and partnership between horse and rider.