Competition

BE THE INFLUENCE EQUESTRIAN GRAND FINAL - DRESSAGE COMPETITION

CDI-W Grand Prix: Friday 8th November, Dome Pavilion
CDI-W Freestyle: Saturday 9th November, Dome Pavilion

Proudly presented by Equestrian Australian and EQUITANA Australia together with a naming right partner "Be The Influence" and supporting partners Gow Gates and IRT.

Fifteen of Australia’s best Grand Prix Dressage riders and horses will be invited to compete in the Be The Influence Equestrian Grand Final - Dressage Competition. The selection of these combinations will be via a series of five qualifying events to be conducted Australia-wide:

Qualifying Events:

21 - 23 March - PSI Dressage & Jumping with the Stars CDI-W (Werribee, VIC)

02 - 04 May - Sydney CDI3* (Horsley Park, NSW)        

26 -28 July - Brisbane CDI-W (Brisbane, QLD)             

6 - 8 September - NSW State Championships CDN (Horsley Park, NSW)

Dressage qualification criteria:

To receive an invitation to the Grand Final riders will need to score a minimum of 64% in the Grand Prix Freestyle at a qualifying event

If a rider from the top 12 does not wish to compete in the Be the Influence Grand Final the position will be given to the next rider on the leader board (providing the rider has achieved a score over 64%)

EA will also award three wild card nominations for the event. The wild card nominations will primarily be reserved for riders who have not been able to participate in the qualifying rounds and can provide a valid written reason, however EA reserves the right to award the wild cards at their discretion.

From the five qualifying events, the twelve combinations with the highest percentages (from the GPF) will automatically qualify for the Final. Combinations may compete at multiple qualifiers, with only their best result to count. Equestrian Australia reserves the right to award “wild card” entries for an additional 3 riders.

ABOUT DRESSAGE COMPETITION

A high class dressage competition will always bring a hush to a crowded grandstand.  To the uninitiated, Dressage is a equine ballet performed with apparent ease; to the initiated, a composite of challenging movements and the result of years of intense training.Dressage dates back to classical Greek horsemanship and the military who trained their horses to perform movements intended to evade or attack the enemy whilst in battle.

Dressage became a Olympic sport in 1912 in Stockholm, with only commisioned military officers eligable to compete.  It took until 1952 for the rules to change to include both civilian men and women in competition. The FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) World Cup for Dressage Riders is a series of competitions at the Grand Prix level comprising of a number of qualifying events and a final.  Each FEI World Cup 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.The dressage test is a series of movements which are scored between zero (not performed) and ten (excellent).

Judges look for rhythm, impulsion, calmness, obedience and submission in the horse.  Movements must be fluid and effortless, and the horse must be able to move forward and sideways without any distortion of it's natural rhythm and balance.  The rider must not impeed these movements and be relaxed and supple, he or she must become harmonious with the horse's motion.  Each horse and rider perform an identical Grand Prix test, but the Freestyle to Music (or the Kür) is where the rider can choreograph their own pattern from a list of compulsory movements to  music of their choice.

GRAND FINAL PARTNERS

RUG SUPPLIER: Easy on Rugs