Australia’s strict quarantine requirements and the high cost of equine air transport from other continents make it very difficult for International riders to compete on their own horses in Australia.
At the Sydney CDI, International dressage event nations are invited to compete on borrowed horses (except New Zealand who bring their own horses) in the small tour (Prix St Georges and Intermediate I), and to compete in the Prix St Georges Derby Competition.
In the Prix St Georges Derby, two riders from each nation take part. A group of horses are selected as mounts for the riders. No body knows which horse will be ridden by which rider. The riders then draw a horse out of a hat, and have 30 minutes to familiarize themselves with the horse before completing a Prix St Georges dressage test.
The Prix St Georges Derby is the most important event for the riders as they all start on equal terms. The horse and rider combination with the highest score wins the competition, and there are team awards for the top three nations.
This year we welcome riders from Canada, Great Britain, Japan, and New Zealand. The Australian representatives for the Prix St Georges Derby are Rachel Sanna and Ros Ryan, the reserve rider for Australia is Di Jenkyn.
The NSW Sport & Recreation Prix St Georges Derby and the Horseland Teams Competition will be held on the afternoon of Saturday 5 May & results will be posted on the website.
Related Links
The first International riders have arrived for the CDI Sydney
Australian Young Rider World Cup Qualifier to be held at CDI Sydney