All ages and level are welcome at Hawkesbury Dressage Festival. Image: Amy-Sue Alston.
The championship for everyone
By Equestrian Life
After a successful inaugural event last year, Hawkesbury Dressage Festival is back at Sydney International Equestrian Centre from 17-25 June and will offer riders of all levels the chance to gain invaluable experience across back-to-back weekends of competitions.
The nine-day festival is the brainchild of Hawkesbury Dressage Club (HDC) President Sally Barbera, who came up with the idea when talking about competitions with Olympian Rachael Downs. “We thought it’d be great if we had some sort of circuit like the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida, where they have events running for consecutive weekends. That sparked the idea, and we thought ‘we can do that, let’s give it a go!’
“I took it to the executive committee, and they thought it was a great idea. We pitched it to the rest of the committee, and although they were initially sceptical, they agreed to give it a go… they pulled up stumps, went hell for leather, and it was great. The inaugural event was lots of work from all involved, but it was a great success.”
Hawkesbury Dressage Festival is run by the hardworking HDC committee. Image: HDC.
The event saw 396 riders and 522 horses complete an astonishing 1,835 tests across the nine days.
“The intention is you go to the first weekend, and then the second weekend or perhaps the midweek classes, and therefore have the chance to improve by the time the festival is finished,” explains HDC Publicity Officer Lexi Stapleton, who adds that when she competed last year, she saw her scores improve by 6% across the event. “By the end of the week, it just takes all the nerves out of it!”
One of the key features of Hawkesbury Dressage Festival is the fact that it’s accessible to anyone. “Last year we had people from Victoria, we had people from Queensland, we had judges from Tasmania… and so you’re making something that’s like a big event people would normally have to qualify for, but you’re doing it for everybody,” explains Sally. “It means you can get the atmosphere like a state or national championships, even if your horse is just starting out. You’re getting your horse ready for big atmosphere shows while keeping a relaxed attitude.”
The festival runs classes from from Preparatory to Grand Prix, and even offers Freestyle classes from Preliminary level up – something rarely available to those below Advanced level. “The Freestyles were brought in by Lexi,” says Sally. “I was sceptical, but she proved me wrong, and they are very popular!”
HDC Vice President Justin Worthy competing at the inaugural Hawkesbury Dressage Festival, 2022. Image: Amy-Sue Alston.
Never ridden a Freestyle test before? Not a problem – HDC have pulled together some handy tips here!
Competition aide, the festival will also run a showcase Pas de Deux, an educational component (last year they held a coaching education day), and social events such a riders’ BBQ and party.
“Trying something new and different… I think that’s the key to getting people staying with the clubs,” says Sally. It seems that last year’s attendees were certainly in agreeance, with glowing feedback regarding the event’s organisation and many praising the unique opportunity it represents for grassroots riders to compete in the indoor and ride a Freestyle test.
Hawkesbury Dressage Festival is held at SIEC and runs for nine days, with six days of competition. Image: HDC.
This year’s event is once again the perfect opportunity to gain competition experience and offers a great lead up to the NSW State Dressage Championships in August.
Entries are now flowing in fast via Nominate and close Monday 15 May, with late entries accepted until 5 June.
You can find out more via hawkesburydressage.com.au or Hawkesbury Dressage Club’s Facebook page.
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