New beginnings didn’t fall short at the 2014 Equestrian Fashion Boneo Park CDI*** in Boneo, Australia, on 23 - 26 January 2014. Horse and rider combinations had their first CDI starts, new tests were introduced, new classes were included and a new winner took home the crown, Mary Hanna and Sancette.
A combined crowd of riders, helpers, spectators, sponsors and trade village saw well over 1,500 people through the gates at Boneo Park over the weekend at their annual event. Combining the Australia Day weekend event with additional classes; Para Equestrian, HRCAV and PCAV the Boneo Park CDI brought many new faces to the event and all riders revelled in the bigger and better atmosphere. Traders had prime positions, located around the warm-up arena with spectators able to shop and watch at the same time! Members of the High Performance team from Equestrian Australia made their way from NSW to attend the event and see history in the making with this all-dressage affair.
As Heath Ryan said ‘Boneo Park is a beautiful competition, with international facilities and competition which is a part of being with Australia on the move for this country’s dressage’.
Thursday, competition started and despite it being one of the quieter days of competition, the crowds began to flock down to the Peninsula to see the first of the young horse rounds and the CDN Big Tour Entry Level Test. Tor Van Den Berge and Lauries AS set the standard with a spectacular and crowd pleasing test in the Big Tour Entry Level winning on a total score of 72.602%, followed by Brett Parbery on DP Weltmeiser coming in second on 71.057% and third place to Heath Ryan on Johnny Depp with 63.862%.
Day Two, the official start for the public was again, a crowd-pleasing day with the highlight of the event being the Peter Horobin Big Tour Grand Prix where competition was at an all time high and spectators had already cemented their seat in the indoor ahead of the afternoon’s class Who was to gain their automatic spot on the next round of selections in Europe ahead of the WEG? Rozzie Ryan and GV Bullwinkle on a winning score of 69.480%!
Day Three was another big day with the new test, Intermediate A saw Tor, Brett and Heath vie against each other with Brett winning the class on 70.143%. Another win for Rozzie with a winning Grand Prix Special test on 68.157, followed closely by Mary and Sancette 68.118%.
The final day of competition kicked off with the final stage of the small tour was the Intermediate I Freestyle. New Zealand rider John Thompson won both the freestyle and the championship on Astute, with Tori Stuckey on Mayfleid Be Brave finishing reserve championship.
The last event for the day, the Grand Prix Freestyle starting at 2.30pm where spectators were privileged to witness some of Australia’s most amazing horse and rider combinations! As each rider came in, those lucky enough to watch saw why our top riders are at the top! It was truly a stunning afternoon at Boneo Park. Four-time Olympian, Mary Hanna won on the beautiful Sancette on a score 71.625%, moving her to take over Rozzie’s position as the new winner of the Peter Horobin Big Tour Champion! Sancette heads home for a few days and then it’s straight into quarantine ahead of his start in the World Cup Final in Europe. For GV Bullwinkle, we’ll find out in the coming days whether he’ll be heading over to Europe after securing his spot.
On behalf of Boneo Park, Fiona McNaught would like ‘to send her sincerest gratitude to all involved in making the 2014 Equestrian Fashion Boneo Park CDI*** a success’. In 2015, Boneo Park has secured the rights to be the host for the Pacific League World Cup Qualifier and are already starting to get excited!
Related Links
Scores 2014 CDI Boneo
All Eyes on Australia's Dressage Stars Boneo Park CDI 3*