Australia's biggest Young Jumping Horse Championship

Thursday, 17 March 2011 21:14

More than 120 horses from four states of Australia will be competing in the jumping classes at this year’s PSI Dressage & Jumping with the Stars, being held at the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre from March 24-26.   The 4 year old and 5 year old classes are the most popular of the four age groups for the Young Jumping Horse Championships and the overall number of entrants makes this event the biggest young jumping horse competition in Australia !

The experienced horses and riders are also catered for with the ACE Group Grand Prix which has attracted over 30 competitors and it looks like being an exciting competition on Friday afternoon.  There’s a depth of talent and experience in this class with riders including Olympic representatives Laurie Lever, Jamie Coman and Russell Johnstone, along with Jamie Kermond who rode at the 2006 WEG. Jamie is riding the Dutch warmblood stallion Valhalla 3 who was the Young Jumping Horse Champion of Champions here in 2009.  

The Young Jumping Horse classes cater for horses ranging from 4 years up to 7 years of age and are judged along similar lines to the Young Jumping Horse classes in Europe.  There are two rounds of competition over Thursday and Friday and then the top 20 horses in each age group proceed to the Final on Saturday morning. The judging panel comprises Colleen Brook, Paul Williams and the jumping guest star Greg Best, a silver medallist for America at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

The four age group winners will be ridden by Colleen Brooke - who rode for Australia at the 1990 WEG - to determine the Jumping Champion of Champions which is always popular viewing with the spectators. Almost without exception, all previous winners of the Champion of Champions title have progressed to World Cup level.  The most famous and best performed is the 2005 winner Ashleigh Drossel Dan who was ridden by Laurie Lever at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before being sold and competing for Brazil at the 2010 WEG.

Victorian rider, Melissa Froesch, has the impressive, and enviable, record of having achieved three “Champion of Champions’ titles since the Jumping classes were introduced in 2002.  What makes this achievement even more unique is that her first Champion of Champion, Warlord II (2002), is the sire of her other two Champions !  Melissa is competing three horses in the young horse classes this year and has Glenara Bollinger, her 2008 Champion of Champions in the ACE Group Grand Prix.

Over the three days there will be plenty of jumping action, plus the Saddleworld Jumping Masterclass presented by international guest star Greg Best on Saturday afternoon.  It’s an event not to be missed !

2011 PSI Dressage & Jumping with the Stars runs from March 24-26, at the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre. Tickets are available for advance purchase until March 22 from GPAC, phone 03 52251200.

More event information, including ticketing details, available from:  www.equestrianvictoriaevents.com.au/DJWTS

Enquiries:  Event Director - Caroline Coleby 0432 505 774     This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it