DRESSAGE competitions are popping up like mushrooms all over Victoria.
With Dressage With The Stars now only weeks away, riders are fine-tuning their performances and getting their youngsters qualified for the four, five and six-years-old events.
Riddells Creek is possibly better known for its cross-country courses and horse trials, but there are great arenas for dressage and good use was made of them last weekend.
Popular NSW rider, coach and commentator Roger Fitzhardinge made his trip down well worthwhile, winning the Small tour championship with excellent scores in the Prix St Georges and Intermediate I tests, riding Weltsohn, and on the Sunday winning the Preliminary 1D test and Second in the five-year-old test with Amerigo.
Kate Frost's Rimini Park Heartbeat became the advanced champion in the Saturday classes, and Denise Rogan's Virtual I 's two notable wins in the elementary section made him unbeatable for the championship in that group.
Virtual I continued its good performances, winning again on the Sunday.
Jodie Young's Thorwood Lemongrove was pony elementary champion and Olivia Finmore-Green's Jual Park Poppy was champion in the pony preliminary classes.
In the preliminary classes for big horses, Rhiannon Pettigrew's Liberty Grand Illusion scored exceptionally well to take out the championship and he also won the four-year-old horse class. He also won his classes on Sunday.
In the young horses sections, Kerry Mack's Mayfield Lyric won the five-year-old class, and in the four-year-old pony classes, Ben Terry's R/W Driving Miss Daisy won on both days, with top scores.
Although the pony numbers are still low, their scores are comparable with the big horses and with more and better ponies being bred, and several imports contributing, their future looks bright.
