It's an exciting week for Australian rider Claire Seidl-Wickins as she prepares to fly out to Fielding in New Zealand as the official Guest Judge Rider for the 2011 Young Horse Finals at the NZ National Dressage Championships.
This will be the second time that Claire, a current Grand Prix competitor, will be a judge on a Young Horse panel, having performed the role in 2001 in Queensland, where she incidentally snapped up her favourite in the field, her current Grand Prix horse Rolex.
Claire says she is extremely honoured to have received this invitation, which she was keen to take on. It will be a great opportunity for Claire as an up and coming rider, trainer and boutique stud owner to meet new people and establish more contacts in Dressage, as well as to see how the NZ scene is progressing.
Claire says that "NZ have extreme energy and confidence which is producing many exciting combinations in Dressage, which is fantastic for such a small country."
Seidl’s role in the competition will be to ride the final 3 horses in each age group (4yo, 5yo & 6yo) for several minutes, giving a score for their rideability, as well as saying a few words to the rider and spectators highlighting the abilities of the horse. As someone with 6 young horses beginning their ridden careers at her yard Tennyson Stud, Claire is excited to get "across the ditch" and see the quality of youngsters in NZ.
Claire and her Grand Prix mount Rolex have been turning heads in the last few months as they lift their efforts in reaching the top of the sport in Australia. Keep an eye out for them at events in the near future, including Dressage with the Stars in March, and the Sydney CDI at the start of May.
Source: EFA
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