Hunter Valley Dressage Association Inc.

COLLECTIONS NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2017

INSIDE THIS ISSUE President’s Report………….....1

Member Profiles……………..2,3

Committee/Info………………...4

Sponsors…………………….....5

UPCOMING COMPETITIONS

22 July 2018

23 September 2018

4 November 2018

President’s Report Not such good news this month, with the vagaries of the weather causing cancellation of our May competition. Horizontal winds through Thursday, Friday, still reportedly “howling” and scattering dressage arenas on Saturday morning, and more forecast on Sunday. Knowing how fickle and fleeting the weather is recently, we leave it as long as possible to ‘make a call’, but it needs to be made on the Saturday morning…at the latest… before judges set off on their drives to the venue, up to 5 hours away (this time)! Many thanks to Joyce and Susie Laidler for the weeks spent putting together one of our biggest draws to date (8 arenas) and then organising refunds! Thanks to Karen Graham for organising judges, and then advising cancellation and hopefully, forward bookings for our July competition. Thanks to Di Stanley for hours of chasing pencillers, and for the goodwill of all pencillers organised and then advised not required! Thanks to Mandy Jones and her helpers for setting up all those arenas and then collecting scattered poles and putting them away! Apologies to our Rotary friends for making a late call after they had stocked up their supplies on Friday to feed and water us; many thanks for their gracious frustration(!) Cancelling is by no means an easy decision, after all the preparation which leads up to a competition, but safety of horses and riders is the paramount concern. Looking forward to our July competition, we have one arena set aside for Pony Club riders - an initiative promoted by young riders on the committee Krystal Taylor, Emily Callinan and Jade Adzievski. There will be a separate entry form on the HVDA website for the Pony Club entrants (NOT through Nominate). All entrants should ensure they ‘tick the appropriate boxes’ on the entry form. Any questions, please refer to Krystal. We are sorry to say goodbye to committee member Belinda Wall as she heads to Sydney for at least the next year. Hope to see you back again, Belinda! In her absence we need a new Safety Officer. Thank you to Annie Nightingale who will step into the role from July. Please advise Annie if you spot any dangerous breakages of yard rails, or the like, on the day. Hope to see you all at our next competition on Sunday July 22nd. Regards,

Margaret Warwick PRESIDENT Hunter Valley Dressage Association

Hunter Valley Dressage Association Inc.

COLLECTIONS NEWSLETTER MAY 2018

Member contributions to the HVDA Newsletter welcome! Send info to Tammy Hodges at Tammyleigh@live.com

member PROFILE

Name: Marie Smart Age: 37 Family: Matthew (husband) and Charlie and Ava (twin daughters aged 4 years old) Occupation: Stay at home mother and occasional horse breeder Favourite Discipline: Dressage Horses: Bjorn (Byalee Balenciaga), Rocky (18 months old), Havana (5 months old), Hallie (Mum of Rocky and Havana) and Bella Coconuts How long have you been riding:I started having lessons when I was 8 and stopped when I was 21, I restarted again by accident when I was 28 by buying a completely unsuitable horse on a whim! What made you start riding: When I was four years old my mother put me on a lead line pony ride at a fair, and horses have occupied my mind ever since. How often do you ride? 5-6 days a week What does your usual riding routine involve? Training in the arena about 3-4 times a week (lots and lots of transitions at the moment), hacking out about the property once a week and I go to my coach (Emma Mason) once a week.

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Kayla Russell and A Stitch in Time. Photo Credit: Wytchstyck Photos

Best Horse (ever) and why: Oh tough question! I have been SO lucky that all my horses have been special but if pushed to choose only one, it would have to be Bjorn, as he is just so much fun in every way. Greatest Achievement/Proudest Moment: I usually consider every time I come home from a competition a great achievement and my proudest moments in relation to my riding would be every time I get a compliment from my coach haha Horse related goals for 2018, and into the future: I would like to improve my scores to the high 60’s and (dare I dream) higher, and to keep consolidating all our work to make it stronger, bigger and lighter! Do you work on your own fitness and do you keep fit any other way? I bought a Swiss ball about two weeks ago and so far it’s a really good foot rest! Other Hobbies/Interests: Good wine and online shopping ha Favourite Food/Restaurant: Mexican Favourite Movie: Are you even an equestrian if you don’t love The Silver Brumby? And all the Jason Bourne and Avenger movies! Favourite Saying/Quote: Be positive, patient and persistent Most admired person/people: Isabel Werth is my hero, my coach is a great role model but who I admire the most are the people who get out and give it their best at every competition at any level. Something most people don’t know about you: I was a personal trainer for over ten years and a kickboxer before I was pregnant with the twins!

Marie Smart and Bjorn

member PROFILE

Name: Kirsty Harrison Age: 30 Family: Partner Colin Kuhne, son Patrick (7mths old), 2 step kids Emily and Josh Occupation: Stay at home mum - formerly worked in accounts Favourite Discipline: Dressage Horses: Yarrumlee Rhanee (aka Rhanee) - Retired, Gracefield Kurteous (aka Kurt), Tallowwood Bundara (aka Bundy), Tallowood Pictures of Lily (aka Lily). Both Tallowood ponies are owned by the Mayo’s How long have you been riding? As long as I can remember! What made you start riding? Horses run in my family. I grew up in Sydney so having my own horse wasn’t an option for us. I rode my aunts horses when I

could and made horses at home out of chairs! I got my first horse when I was 15 and could help pay the agistment. In 2006 while studying horse husbandry at Tocal, I started working for the Blakes which is when Sarah Ingall introduced me to dressage. How often do you ride? Before I fell pregnant I rode 5-6 days a week. After 304 days (yes I counted!) of no riding while I was pregnant, I now ride 3 days a week and only the 2 ponies owned by the Mayo’s. What does your usual riding routine involve? I have to time my rides around Patrick’s feeds and sleeps. I am very lucky that Cathy Mayo walks Patrick around in his pram while I ride and he gets a good sleep! Each pony is warmed up long and low and then we build up to work on the various moves for the level they are at and also working towards. I also do a lot of stretching exercises to keep them supple. I often take them out on trail rides and work over poles, I try to keep their work interesting so they stay focused. Best horse and why? Yarrumlee Rhanee. She was my first dressage pony and I competed her to Advanced before retiring her. I bought her when she was 7 green broke. I trained her initially in stock work – lots of spinning and twisting – before starting her dressage career. When I started rugging her and she got a really short show coat we found masses of scars down her rump where it appears she has been whipped. I was never been able to carry a whip on her and worked through the levels without one. She always seemed to have a fear of men and not many people could catch/handle her. We seem to have an understanding of each other and a connection I am yet to find with another horse. It took a long time to gain her trust and I am still amazed when I look back and think of all the things I achieved with her, and often wonder what she would have been like if she wasn’t abused. Greatest achievement/proudest moment: Winning Reserve Champion Novice Pony on Rhanee at NSW State Young Riders. It was my first year competing there and my first big award. I was just excited to be there never expected to win my first rug! I will never forget the moment I realised what we had done! Proudest moment was watching Colin ride Rhanee in his first dressage event in 2017 after only riding for around 12 months. For a horse that hated men she sure surprised a lot of people! Though Colin was competing Preliminary – he did enough involuntary flying changes to complete a Grand Prix test! Horse related goals for 2018, and into the future: I would like to qualify and compete at the NSW State Championships at Advance with Bundy this year and to be preparing Lily for Novice. I’m also planning to bring Kurt back into work towards the end of 2018. As for future goals I would like to compete to Grand Prix one day. Do you work on your own fitness and do you keep fit in any other way? I don’t really have time running around after Patrick to do any other fitness training other than riding but I do have a massage once a fortnight to try and look after my muscles. Other hobbies/interests: I love gardening, though if you ask Colin I’m not very good at it! Favourite food/restaurant: Pumpkin Soup and taco’s (not together that would be weird!) Favourite Movie: Dirty Dancing Favourite saying/quote: No worries! Most admired person/people: I admire a lot of people for various reasons. I believe in taking what you want and leave what you don’t, I think that way you get the best of everyone and leave behind the parts you don’t like. Something most people don’t know about you: I am dyslexic, I cannot learn a dressage test by reading it. I need to look at a picture/map of the test. Calling my test is a disaster as I get my left and right mixed up – you should try driving with me it’s hilarious!

Kirsty Harrison and Tallowood Bundara

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ENTER NEXT COMP 22 July 2018 Online Entry Paper Form

ONLINE MEMBERSHIP

COMMITTEE 2018 HONORARY PATRON Lois Howe PRESIDENT Margaret Warwick VICE PRESIDENT Joyce Laidler TREASURER / PUBLIC OFFICER / GROUNDS COMMITTEE Chris Sullivan SECRETARY Ruth Byrne NEWSLETTER EDITOR Tammy Hodges EVENT SECRETARY Joyce Laidler & Suzanne Laidler PENCILLER COORDINATOR Di Stanley CHIEF STEWARD/GEAR STEWARD Tracy Dreelin HVDA PHOTOGRPAHER Jody M Photography JUDGES SECRETARY Karen Graham JUNIOR/YOUTH COORDINATORS Karen Graham, Jade Adzievski, Emily Callinan, Krystal Taylor MINUTES SECRETARY Suzanne Laidler MEMBERSHIP Joyce Laidler PRIZES & TROPHIES / PUBLICITY / POINTSCORE Kerry Sullivan SAFETY OFFICER Annie Nightingale ARENA MAINTENANCE Vicki Ireland SPONSORSHIP Kerry Sullivan, Tammy Hodges, Tracy Dreelin WEBSITE COORDINATORS Tammy Hodges, Joyce Laidler, Suzanne Laidler

GENERAL COMMITTEE Annie Nightingale, Tony Taylor, Megan Taylor, Krystal Taylor, Jade Adzievski, Emily Callinan, Jody Millward

Facebook Groups for all things Dressage… Dressage Clinics NSW and Hunter Valley

Dressage Social Hunter Valley Australian Dressage Horses & Gear for Sale

All Things Dressage – Buy & Sell (Gear and Horses) Dressage – Australian Horses & Ponies

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SPONSORS

Hunter Valley

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