World challenge for equestrians

Bermuda’s equestrians will be participating in the 2011 FEI World Dressage Challenge this Saturday. 

A total of 58 countries are participating in 2011.

Last year Bermuda had the distinction of winning both the Group 10 team competition and the individual competition. 

Dawn Fox achieved the highest score in Group 10, and last year’s winning team was Ashley Gibbs on Landtango, Dawn Fox on Lancelot, Suzette Sailsman on Wiriana and Ann Lindroth on After Dark. 

Fox and her wonderful dancing horse Lancelot will once again be competing this year at a higher level; team riders will be decided at a later date. 

Bermuda will compete against Group 10 countries Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cayman and Haiti.

For the uninitiated, dressage can be likened to ballet.  Such movements as moving sideways with the horse’s legs crossing (half pass), skipping (tempi changes) and pirouettes at the canter are the result of years of training and can be seen at this year’s event at The National Equestrian Centre.

Internationally experienced FEI Judges travel to the individual geographical regions of the world to judge this competition, and on the day after the competition conduct clinics with the riders, teaching the art of dressage. 

Each group of countries is judged by the same Ground Jury. 

Judges Ricardo Rojas from Costa Rica and Janine Rohr from Argentina are currently travelling to the Group 10 competing islands and will make their second last stop in Bermuda. 

The major objectives of this worldwide dressage competition are:

• To give the less experienced dressage riders in the more remote countries of the world, who under normal circumstances cannot take part in international dressage competitions, the opportunity to compete internationally without having to leave their own country.
• To promote the younger generations.  Last year, 259 children from 50 National Federations competed in the Challenge.

This year will see the introduction of several major changes with the new FEI Codex for FEI judges and the widely anticipated half mark scoring.

Bermuda will compete in all five classes of this competition, with Paula George riding at the highest level on her very elegant black mare Wiriana. 

The competition will take place at the National Equestrian Centre, Vesey Street, Devonshire, and begins at 11am with the vet check.

Dressage tests will get underway at 1pm. n