Eight Top Judges to Officiate at 2015 CDI Sydney

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2015 CDI Sydney

Eight international judges are currently preparing to travel down under to officiate at the 2015 CDI Sydney on 7 - 9 May 2015. More than 200 competitors from across the nation and overseas will compete for more than AU$44,000 in prize money at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, the home of equestrian sport at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Judges from Germany, USA, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Belgium, South Africa and France will officiate alongside their Australian counterparts during the competition.

It will be the third visit to Australia for Munich-based 5* judge Katrina Wüst, who judged at Werribee in 2011 and Sydney in 2013. She will cast a highly experienced eye over Sydney CDI competitors, having previously judged at Young Horse World Championships, Pony World Championships and four World Cup finals.

Later this year she will step into the role of Ground Jury President at the 2015 European Championships in Aachen, as well as the inaugural European Children Championships taking place in Vidauban, France, in July.

While the visit to Sydney will be “hop-in, hop-out” for Ms Wuest ahead of a 5* show in Munich, she considers her trip very important as it gives local riders valuable feedback to compare their performance on a world scale.

“The international top judges know what the worldwide standard is and clearly express through their percentages where each rider stands in relation to competitors from other countries,” she said. “In Australia as well as in New Zealand, you can always feel that people - riders, trainers and judges colleagues - have a long tradition as horse people. On the other hand, due to the geographic situation, riders don’t have the same chance to compare with other competitors and “grow” through this competition as riders in Europe have, unless the Australian riders make the effort and move to Europe for some time. This means making many sacrifices, not only from the financial point of view.”

5* judge Katrina Wüst It is a sentiment echoed by Senior United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and FEI five star judge,Lilo Fore, who will be officiating in Australia for the fifth time.

“Since I was in Australia the first time there has been a tremendous improvement,” she said from her California base. “Horse and rider quality is 100 per cent better. The only way one can improve is to look, watch, learn and try to be surrounded by the best trainers and riders. The more information one has, the more options to improve one has. One can never know enough.”

While the situation means that Australia does not have as many competitors as the leading dressage countries, it does not mean the nation isn’t competitive, according to Wüst.

“Dressage in Australia is continuously getting better and better,” she said. Fore, who has judged most international events and Championships bar the Olympics, says the role of the judges is multi-‐faceted. “Our role is to make sure that the best rider comes out at the top. Our job is to encourage correct riding, good riding,” she said. “Our job is to for the welfare of the horse and the encouragement to the riders in front of us and to help them to achieve their goal with good judging.”

Wust added she felt respect for her role as a judge. "The fairness towards the riders and the responsibility to find out the right ones is the biggest issue for me,” she said.

An International workshop will be presented by Wüst and Fore on the art of dressage freestyle to music on Sunday, May 10 from 9.30am to 3.30pm, to which all are welcome to attend.