News ~~~~~ |
Welcome to Nicole's news section, don't forget to check this page regularly for Nicole's news updates. |
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Summer Holiday Boot Camp 6
Boot Camp 6 was... a dramatic one! Returning boot camper Rosanna
Relton and new boot camper Tara Cumming were a godsend to me through a
difficult week.
First we battled inclement weather to get in 2 lessons each before packing up heading west with Dante and Flavio to Toowoomba for my lessons with renowned German International coach, Leonie Bramall, where both girls prepared the horses and watched my lessons. Board games in the truck during our overnight stay was great fun! 4th day of camp saw the neighbours German Shepherd charge across our property to attack Georgie, our pet "Moodle". Leaving Tara with the horses, Rosanna and I managed to get Georgie to the vet, where her prognosis was critical. With 3 fractured ribs, a punctured lung, torn stomach and too many stitches to count, she spent the night in intensive care. Despite this, Rosanna and Tara continued to get the chores done, mucking out flooded boxes, and learning the ropes of life in a dressage training facility. They both made great progress with their horses, Rosanna really consolidating her concept of throughness and self-carriage, and Tara learning how to be a young horses "teacher" giving her young horse clear boundaries of what's ok and what's not. We were joined on the 4th day, by returning bootcamper Molly Cronin, while she was trialing a new horse, and Tara and Ro were very happy to divide the chores 3 ways! Georgie is now home and recovering well. I want to thank Tara, Ro and Molly very much for being great boot campers! All 3 have booked to be together again in Easter - Lord help me as none of them "do mornings!"
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Summer Holiday Boot Camp 5
We finally got unlucky with the weather with an amazing heat wave descend for the duration of the camp. This meant even earlier starts and later finishes to avoid working the horses through the hottest parts of the day. On this camp were 3 return boot campers, Katie Lund (and her horse Wilbur), Natalia Didovich (and her horse Sporty), and Eloise Devlin (and her horse Lenny), so they had the routines down pat, and knew what they were in for! We all hooked in and there were no grumbles about the early starts. All three young ladies worked exceptionally in the saddle, consolidating the work they started last boot camp. Katie mastered forward energy in the collection, Natalia mastered straightness and self-carriage and Eloise is mastering her steep learning curve on her new advanced schoolmaster. Games were played, movies watched, lots of gear got cleaned and Sebastion the python (as Rosanna re-named him on a previous camp) kept us all on our toes with his comings and goings! The 5th lot of boot campers returned home quite sleepy, but with lots of motivation and homework to continue. Thankyou Natalia, Katie and Eloise for a great week.
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Summer Holiday Boot Camp 4
Lucky with the weather again, Rachel Tom, 13, from Moggill and Ashleigh Urban, also 13, from Carbrook had a great time. What a surprise, both girls were up every morning BEFORE their alarms! Both took to the discipline of a dressage training barn like ducks to water. Their tack stations were immaculate and both were thoroughly organised young ladies. Rachel had endless questions about training and competition and Ashleigh busied herself with photography when she wasn't busy with chores! Their progress in the saddle included Ashleigh's progress to mastering the elements of training scale in her novice movements on her beautiful black thoroughbred gelding, Breeze, and Rachel working towards developing a better contact and a more together canter on her warmblood gelding Carby. With dedication to constantly monitoring their postures and keeping those "outside guarding aids", both girls should achieve the goals we discussed for 2012. A games night with my extended family, and Rachels egg on her head (not done on her horse!) had us all in stitches. Both girls re-booked for next January, so I must not have been to tough a task master! Thanks Ashleigh and Rachel for a great week!
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Summer Holiday Boot Camp 3
Boot Camp 3 has been and gone and we got lucky with the weather again! Not too hot, and the rain held off for 14 year olds, Rosanna Relton and her horse 'Bomba' from Brookefield and Molly Cronin and her horse 'Dooley' from Laidley. What can I say - these "giggly girties" are night owls who don't 'do' mornings... so the 5:30am starts were a mix of grunts and groans, but they did it for 4 mornings in a row! Between "shotties the front seat" to "shotties not bandaging Flavio's front legs" it was a fun filled and educational week. They sang, or groaned (depending on the lateness of their night...) their way through the boxes, and mastered the art of bandaging (but groaned about re-rolling them after every ride!) and became Finnegan's number 1 fans! Not to mention the progress they made with their horses, which was transformational. Just a few reminders about tidy work stations and finishing every chore before starting the next one, were needed - but we had a lot of fun along the way. Both girls have re-booked in January, so I look forward to seeing them both again in the new year. Thank you Ro and Molly and MERRY XMAS!
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Summer Holiday Boot Camp 2
Boot Camp 2 started a day later than scheduled due to the wonderful unpredictable QLD summer weather. My bootcampers were regular students, Natalia Didovich, 16, and her horse "Sporty" and and Katie Lund, 17, and her horse "Wilbur". Natalia and Katie settled in quickly to the routine of early mornings, mucking boxes and tacking up. They seemed to thrive on the discipline involved in horse and tack management, duty of care and workplace tidiness and were an absolute pleasure to have. Both girls made excellent progress towards achieving their summer training goals and can end 2011 on a high note with great plans for the new year. Thank you Natalia and Katie!
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2011 Dressage QLD Awards
Nicole says "Thankyou to my weekly coach, Traci Manca, for all her faith, wisdom and guidance; to my sponsors, Mitavite and Horseland - Gold Coast; and to my hubby, Col, for his endless support and encouragement. And of course, a monumental thankyou to Linda and Beau Dowsett for their continued faith in me. Every day I pinch myself knowing how lucky I am to have such amazing friends and family."
I am a very proud coach.
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Summer Holiday Boot Camp 1 The first summer holiday Boot Camp has been and gone and I want to thank my 2 youngest boot campers, Eloise and Sam, for all their attention and hard work. I only heard a few grumbles about early mornings and sore muscles! They cleaned gear, mucked boxes, and improved their dressage training and horse management skills out of sight! The last day was a wash out, but we managed to fit in 4 lessons each and a trail ride. It was a pleasure to have them at the Dressage Barn.  Early mornings are the norm! |
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Isobel Wessels
coming to Queensland for the 2012 Dressage Forum NOAS DRESSAGE JUDGES
When: SATURDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2012 – 8.45am to 4.30pm (Must be Pre Paid)
Open to NOAS Dressage Judges only
Where: Caboolture RSL – Banksia Room
OPEN PRATICAL WITH HORSES (CLINIC)
When: SUNDAY 5th FEBRUARY 2012 – 8.15am to 4.30pm (Can pay on the day – see fee structure in flyer)
Open to everyone Judges, Coaches, Riders, Owners, etc.
Where: QSEC Indoor Arena, Tuckeroo Drive (off Beerburrum Road), Caboolture www.qsec.com.au
PRACTICAL WITH HORSES How Much:
One Day - Saturday EA Members/Judges only $80pp (Pre-paid only by 22/1)
Two Days - EA Members/Judges only $120pp (Pre-paid only by 22/1)
One Day - Sunday EA Members $80pp (Pre-Paid by 22/1) Non EA Members $90pp (Pre-Paid by 22/1)
Pay on the day $100pp (Pay on the day)
Lunch: Saturday: will be provided including M/Tea
Sunday: will be available for purchase or bring your own
Click here to download the flyer and form. |
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Nicole's Hot Weather Clinic/Lesson Policy As trainers we cannot afford to give our horses 3 months off for summer. If we did, it would take us 3 months to get their fitness, strength and suppleness back to where it was before summer; and we would never progress to the next level! This being said, training horses through summer in tropical climates, requires an increased duty of care. This is due to the higher levels of humidity and heat. Horses normally lose increased body temperature through their sweat glands; however humidity and heat together can cause the cooling system of the horse to break down. When this happens, the horse loses the ability to sweat (this condition is called Anhydrosis) which proves very debilitating to the horse. To prevent Anhydrosis, we (the riders) need to take a few precautionary measures to keep the horses sweating, especially during clinics where early and late ride times are limited. Below are 2 recommended tips for before and after your lesson: Before Your Lesson
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Success for the DD Dressage team at 2011 National Dressage Championships
Congratulations to Nicole, Jayden, Danielle, Linda and Beau at the recent Australian Dressage Championships. Nicole and Flavio WIN the Australian Medium Championship title and a National Performance Gold Medal!
Nicole and Furst Tyme WIN the 2C and the Rod Barkham Award for the highest score of the whole competition!
Danielle and Waitano WIN the 4B!
Jayden and San Andreas WIN the Australian Reserve Novice Championship title!
Nicole and Dante place 8th in the Prix St George and 4th in the Australian Prix St George Challenge Final.
We thank Linda and Beau for their amazing support throughout the year and for allowing us to ride their magnificent horses!
Photos courtesy of Tammy Stephens - www.tammystephens.com.au |
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Christmas School Holiday Boot Camps (ALL BOOKED OUT!)
During the school holidays, Nicole offers the chance for 2 people at a time to live in for a week, bringing their own horse and having a lesson every day. Work involves horse management, mucking boxes, tacking up and down, cleaning gear and property maintenance! A pure working holiday for the dressage enthusiast! December/January Boot Camp Dates:
Cost: $75 per day, includes a lesson every day. |
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Nathan Horse Floats QLD State Dressage Championships An unbelievable storm hit Caboolture at 8:30 Saturday morning of the event. As a fellow event organiser, this is listed as an all time WORST nightmare and the State Championship organisers had to live through it... holding their heads high, they were forced to make some tough decisions. Cancelling the outdoor events on the Saturday in the interests of health and safety was one of their tough decisions. The Saturday indoor tests continued, and the higher test at every level was contested on the Sunday with the winners of these tests declared State Champion. Furst Tyme continued his lucky streak winning the Novice and Elementary Championship making this his 21st win from 21 starts this season. Flavio won the Medium Championship and Dante gave me lovely rides in the PSG and Intermediate 1 for a 5th and a 3rd in tough fields. Students Shannan Goodwin won the State Reserve Elementary Championship title and Kristen McAuslan also placed 7th and 5th in the PSG and Intermediate 1 classes. Kristen also placed 6th in the Novice 2D behind me, Jayden Brown and Emma Flavelle on her young horse Siriano. Jayden Brown, who rides Beau and Linda's young 4 year old, San Andreas, won the State 4 year old and the State Preliminary Championships and was reserve Novice State Champion. My huge thanks to a wonderful team of grooms – Bec, Molly and Janey Cronin! We were all running ragged trying to keep up with the draw! Thankyou so much girls! And QSEC - what can I say? FINALLY we have a State Centre! and it is awesome! There are a few glitches like limited hot water in the showers, but the stables are wonderful! The indoor surface needs huge amounts of rolling and packing as it is too fluffy and hard work for the horses. Other glitches were the VIP dinner, which was stone cold and the only food outlet being a carnival van... but I'm sure, with time and feedback, it will be as good as SIEC!!
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Congratulations! My congratulations to my young student, Katie Lund who won the 2D at the National Inter-High School Championships at Werribee and to Natalia Didovich who competed in the medium tests. It is certainly a priviledge to be selected to represent QLD and I am proud of both of you. It's now back to the homework!
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Boot Camp During the September school holidays, I had two new students come for "boot camp". Natalia Didovich (the worker!) and Rosanna Relton (the princess!) brought their own horses down and were awake at 6am every morning (not always for Rosanna!!) to feed up, muck boxes, tack up and down and clean gear and of course, ride, ride ride! My thanks to both girls, who always had smiles on their faces, and were a great help to me during this time. I certainly was delighted with the progress in their dressage training and hope I sent them home with good training philosophy's. This was the first time I had "boot camp" and we all got something out of it, so I'll continue to offer it every school holidays! |
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Aitkens Saddlery Sunshine Coast Dressage Championships Tammy Stephens was thrilled to win the Novice Futurity on her lovely mare, Dicavalli Royal Dancer. Danielle Dowsett took out the Medium Championship on the fantastic Waitano. Furst Tyme gave me 3 honest rides in the 2C, 3C and 3D, winning the tests for the Elementary Championship title; Flavio tried really hard in his first 5C for a 2nd place and a 70% in the 5B for a win, making him the Advanced Champion; Dante was lovely to ride in the PSG and Intermediate 1 for the Reserve Small Tour Championship. My huge thanks to Natalia Didovich for grooming for me this weekend! She was a godsend and as crippled as I am, she managed to always have the horses washed and ready! Thankyou Natalia! |
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Many Thanks A nasty fall on August 11th, left me with 2 prolapsed discs and multiple nerve root compression, which prevented me from riding for some 4 weeks. Many procedures later, and thanks to Jayden Brown who kept Flavio and Dante in work for me, I am back - albeit tentatively - in the saddle. At the moment I ride with minimal feeling in my left leg below the knee and less in my left foot, with loss of control over my left ankle, but I'm able to ride, so very relieved and happy. My thanks to Leesa Dean, Shannan Goodwin, Amy Zeller, Jayden Brown, and of course the Dowsett family and my hubby and son for all their help and support during my inactivity. Also thanks to my sponsors, Horseland - Gold Coast and Mitavite for their support and well wishes. Whilst I wait for Disc Replacement Surgery, I'll soldier on with help from my specialist, nautropath and medication! |
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| Hubertus Hufendiek Masterclass German International Grand Prix Coach, Rider and Trainer - Hubertus Hufendiek Is coming to QLD for an interactive MASTERCLASS! Introduction: Hubertus started his dressage training at the age of 14 with legendary German team rider Hubertus Schmidt, and one year later he won his first S class. At the age of 18 he had trained two horses up to S level and achieved the "Goldenes Reitabzeichen". In 2004 he finished his A-levels and started to ride for the stable of Max-Theurer (Elisabeth Theurer won the Olympic dressage in Moscow, and Victoria, her daughter rode at Athens 2004).
Then he moved back to Hubertus Schmidt who offered him a job as his "Bereiter" and was the Head Rider at Schmidt's stable for 5 years. He has been placed on 10 different Grand Prix horses in German National competitions. Hubertus went on to his achieve his "Pferdewirtschafts Meister". In recent years he has successfully competed in National and International Grand Prix competitions and is now running his own barn with 25 horses. Date: Sunday 2nd Oct 2011 Time: 8-30am to 3-00pm Where: QLD State Equestrian Centre, Caboolture, Queensland Tickets: $35 Adults and $20 Children (5 to 12 yrs old) - includes morning tea IMPORTANT NOTICE - Pre-Sold Tickets ONLY Refreshments: Additional catering will be available General Enquiries: Nicole Tough Phone: 0405 916 212 Email: nicolejtough@hotmail.com Click here for more information and ticket order form |
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CONGRATULATIONS!
Nicole would like to congratulate students Katie Lund and her lovely horse, Wilbur, for winning the QLD State Young Rider Preliminary Championship title and Danielle Dowsett on her handsome boy, Waitano, for winning the QLD State Young Rider Medium Championship title. Well done from a very proud coach!
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2011 Brenda Wittman Classic
The Weather Gods shone on Gatton for their annual Brenda Wittman Classic, very professionally run by Erin Goetz and the Lockyer Valley club team. A massive thanks to their sponsors for supporting the popular event. As always, the grounds and stables were great!
As always, I was very proud of my students who either learnt from their warm up and tests, or acheived their goals for the weekend. Danielle Dowsett managed some great scores on her relatively new horse, Waitano, achieving a 66.8% and a 67.75% in her medium tests. Shannan Goodwin placed in both her elementary tests on Aristede, but had to ride HC due to the new grading points system. Kristen McAuslan and BD Bellissimo placed in both their FEI tests.
I was very happy with Linda and Beau's horses, Dante, Flavio and Furst Tyme - achieving my goals for all 3 horses. Dante gave me his attention and focus in the indoor arena. The few little things I wasn't happy with in the Intermediate 1 on Friday, he allowed me to correct them in the Prix St George on Saturday.
For the first time, Flavio felt ready for medium level and I was so very proud of his progress. His 2nd advanced test scored 67% and he feels stronger and more able to get round the test with ease and self-carriage.
Furst Tyme had his first ride in an indoor, and took it all in with rather HUGE eyes! Always a bit tense in the warm up, due to being quite horse shy, he literally breathes a sigh of relief once we circle the competition arena!
The new grading point system has forced me to make some decisions and sadly this year, we will not be heading to the NSW State Dressage Championships at Tamworth. Que sera... The upside of this is I can stay home and consolidate some training.
Always a huge thanks to Linda and Beau for entrusting the care and training of the horses to me, and to my sponsors, Horseland - Gold Coast, Mitavite and Equessentials for their ongoing support.
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2011 Festival of Dressage - Over for Another Year! As the 2010 Equestrian QLD Event of the Year, the organising committee came into this event with BIG expectations to live up to. Eveything seemed bigger this year - Trade Village, the Silent Auction, the Raffle prizes, the Fashion Parade, the Stallion Display and the crowds! I sincerely hope everyone had a good day, purchased some bargains, were inspired to greater heights, and maybe learnt something along the way. My sincere thanks to the incredible band of volunteers who make up the organising committee: Director - Leasa Stephen Marketing Manager - Keran Ainslie Administration Managers - Jenny and Amanda Rykoff Ticketing co-ordinator - Jackie Hill Financial Director - Carole Lok Art Director - Gary Lung Webmaster - Kristen McAuslan Hire Facilities co-ordinator - Brooke Cummings Catering Manager - Rosie Webb Seminar Centre co-ordinator - Tony Caetano Silent Auction/Raffle co-ordinator - Toni Laracuente Stallion co-ordinator - Anita Barton Trade Village co-ordinator - Nicole Magoffin Fashion Parade co-ordinators - Gitte and Steffi Neergaard These people dedicate months of their "spare" (and not so spare) time putting this show together! Thankyou to our wonderful sponsors - Mitavite, Horseland Underwood, Motorline BMW and Equestrian Land Developments and also to our supporters Pryde's EasiFeed, Equitana Australia and Equitec Performance Products. Thankyou to our special guest presenters - Dr Lisa Kidd, Dr Andrew McLean, Jonah Oliver, Lisa Champion, Julie De Visser, Mariette van den Berg, Elizabeth Owens, and QLD State Coach - Carlos de Cleermaecker. Thankyou to our Official Photographers - Tammy and Matt Stephens, for their pictorial coverage of the event. Thankyou to the participating members of the 2011 QLD State Dressage Squad for giving up their time and imparting their knowledge. Thankyou to Jordan Duffy and the AVP Production team for their technical coverage of the event. ...and an absolutely HUGE thankyou to our enormous voluntary crew, who were there on set up day, on the day AND pack up day: Rodney Hill, Matt Stephens, Amy Zeller, Shannan and Kyle Goodwin, Linda, Beau and Danielle Dowsett, Paul Rykoff, Alyssa Webb, Colin Burger, Tara Cummings, and Jordan Burridge. ...added to this, on set up and on the day - Sheryl Herring, Karen Spencer, Ken and Jeannette McAuslan, Jassy Moore, Kirsten Costello, Sal Laraceunte and Jemma Bradley. ...and finally more volunteers on the day - Mai and Lillian Lung, Kristy-Lee Brilliant, Mandy Finnimore, Deb Ashby, Sharon Burns, Nancy Clarke, Ave Plummer, Sam Duffy, my gorgeous niece - Tahlia Pleva and my wonderful mum Lorraine, and Alan Parker. They say - "Nothing is stronger than the heart of a volunteer"' how true this is! There is no doubt that on 2nd July, 2011 - Dressage Was The Winner! Thankyou to all who came, and hope to see you next year.
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Toowoomba Championships 2011... Had one of those "ups and downs" competition at Toowoomba for their Regional Championships. Once again, an excellently run competition with gorgeous (if cold) weather! The highlights were Dante's 65% in his first Intermediate 1 test, and Flavio's 65% in his first Advanced test and Furst Tyme's elementary tests, both going over 72%. I won't go into the low's but they all draw back to more homework... I was also VERY proud of my students! Danielle Dowsett came 3rd in both Medium tests, and was Reserve Champion on her new horse, Waitano at their first big show together. Shannan Goodwin was 4th and 3rd in her novice tests for Reserve Champion, and placed 3rd and 5th in her elementary tests on her 5 year old warmblood, Aristede. Kristen Mc Auslan came 4th in her first Intermediate 1 on Bellissimo, and also placed well in her novice and elementary tests on her young horse, Siriano. Tammy Stephens placed 3rd and 4th in her preliminary tests on her 4 year old, Royal Dancer, and Katie Lund placed 7th and 8th in her tests on Nekarbo Wilbur. We all put our training to the test, were happy with the results and go home to more homework. I must also add that Jayden Brown won his first tests on Linda and Beau Dowsett's lovely young 4 year old import, San Andreas, winning Preliminary Champion. Jayden had San Andreas for only 3 weeks prior to the compettion. Well done all!
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A new find... Recently purchasing a set of Equessential Ice and Magnetic Boots, has proven to be my best purchase in months! Ice Boots: Ice therapy is the best treatment for trauma to a joint or leg. If you are like the old me, my horse would sustain an injury/trauma and then I'd be running around trying to find a way to ice the leg for that crucial, initial 20 minutes! Not anymore!! Now I am armed and ready for that unfortunate incident, and the boots are in the freezer ready to go if needed. Ice therapy is also encouraged by vets whenever a heavier than normal session is experienced to prevent joint damage and soft tissue injuries. Equessential Ice Boots are the very best I have ever come across. They have been designed for maximum coverage and contact AND they do not slip! The horse can walk around with them on and can even be floated. These are a "must have" for every horse owner. Magnetic Boots: Knowing that horses have no muscles from the knees and hocks down, we purchased the boots in the interest of ongoing soundness and preventing wear and tear on the joints and soft tissues. Just like human athletes, the dressage horse is prone to everyday wear and tear on muscles, ligaments and tendons. Magnetic Therapy helps prevent this wear and tear and prolong their working life. They assist strain by encouraging blood supply through the tissues, thus reducing recovery time. In the short time I have used them, I have already noticed reduced swelling in Dante's joints in overnight boxing, and the reduction of Flavio's windgalls and Finn's splints! Even without these visual improvements, I like the idea of assisting the horses to cope with their everyday work and am very interested in preserving ongoing soundness. For enquiries, contact Kate info@equessential.com or phone 0413 439 940. |
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Flavio wins 2010 Hanoverian of the Year and Furst Tyme is runner-up! Nicole would like to thank the best owners in the world, Linda and Beau Dowsett; and her supportive team including best hubby in the world, Col, most excellent weekly coach, Traci Manca, sponsors, Mitavite and Horseland Gold Coast as well as QLD State Coach, Carlos de Cleermaecker for her excellent results.
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2010 QLD State Championships... The re-scheduled 2010 QLD State Championships finally happened on the weekend! Run by the super efficient Erin Goetz and the Lockyer Equestrian Group at the beautiful Gatton Showgrounds, it was a fantastic event with incredible support from wonderful sponsors. I took Linda and Beau Dowsett's team - Furst Tyme, Flavio and Dante. It has been such an effort getting horses ready for this competition with all the rain and losing so many training days - but many people were in the same boat and we just do the best we can. All 3 horses gave me the tests I trained for - and I can never ask more than that. I was very proud of them. Flavio competed on the Friday in his last elementary classes, for a 1st and a 2nd and won the Championship on a countback to Jenny Gehrke. On Saturday, Furst Tyme gave me 2 lovely rides for 2 wins and the Novice Championship; and Flavio got a 1st and a 2nd again in the Medium classes for the Medium State title - again on a countback to Jenny! Dante behaved himself and despite my error of course and coming in with the whip - won the Prix St George to tough competitors in Jayden Brown and Tor van den Berge. Sunday saw the last of Furst Tyme's preliminary classes and he didn't put a foot wrong. Answering all my requests he scored amazingly and won both his classes for the Preliminary State title. To top it all off, Dante was a trooper and gave me the rides I get at home, winning the 5C and 2nd in the 5B for the Advanced State title! What a weekend... if life is a roller coaster, then dressage training/competition is a mega roller coaster. We've all been down, and at this very moment, I'll enjoy being at the top! I couldn't enjoy my training and competition without the tremendous suppport of so many people. My thanks to Linda and Beau Dowsett, the amazing owners of the horses, who never put any pressure on me and love to watch their beautiful horses. I love making them proud. Thanks to my amazing hubby, Col, who really is the wind beneath my wings. To my fantastic coach, Traci Manca for her eternal faith in me and her perfectionism! and many many thanks to my sponsors, Horseland - Gold Coast and Mitavite who both help me keeping the horses healthy, with the right balance of energy and looking so good. I was also a very proud coach on the weekend! Kristen McAuslan placed 4th in both her Advanced tests on Bellissimo and they look like a true FEI combination. Danielle Dowsett was back after a 6 month break from competition on Leningrad for a 64% and a 62% in the Medium classes and a 7th placing. And Shannan Goodwin was Reserve State Preliminary Champion on Aristede. Chelsea Wood had a few contact issues but is making great strides in her training and it won't be long before she is up there with us! All in all, a great competition, and now its back to the drawing board and riding round in circles.
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ARE YOU READY...
As the winner of the 2010 Equestrian Queensland Event of the Year, the MITAVITE QLD Festival of Dressage has mighty expectations to live up to and it looks like 2011 will be even bigger and better! With the amazing support of our sponsors MITAVITE, Motorline BMW and Horseland, our special guests this year include, equine behaviouralist expert Andrew McLean, author Lisa Champion, sports psychologist Jonah Oliver, Dr Lewis Smith from the University of QLD, our State Coach and International Trainer Carlos de Cleermaecker plus many more! From a full line up of exciting stallions in this year's Parade and Silent Auction, an incredible array of ridden demonstrations and seminars and even more space for Trade Village, to the exciting announcement of more food and coffee vans, this year's MITAVITE QLD Festival of Dressage IS NOT TO BE MISSED! The Festival of Dressage is about sharing Dressage with everyone, learning more and fundraising along the way! From the profits from the Festival, Dressage QLD has been able to offer:
The MITAVITE QLD Festival of Dressage team invites you to join us for a very special day... remember to buy your tickets early to JUMP THE QUEUE and be eligible for all our pre-sold ticket prizes!
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| PRARG ** Results The first competition of the year is always rusty and the 2 star Preliminary - Elementary day at PRARG proved to be just that - but with some great results! Nicole was very proud of her students; Tammy Stephens won both her Preliminary tests for the Premlinary Chempionship, Kristen McAuslan placed well in both her Novice tests with great scores, Chelsea Wood accomplished some great work and is close to getting the best from her mare out at competitions, Shannan Goodwin placed in the 2B with 67% and achieved 64% in her 2nd ever elementary test. Furst Tyme got 72% in the Novice 2B, and won his first ever Elementary test with 73%. Such a clever boy! |
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| The Dowsett family welcomes newly imported young horse San Andreas (Sandro Hit / Walt Disney). Andre, as he is known, qualified under Robert Schmerglatt in Germany for Dressage With The Stars and was campaigned there under consumate professional, Matthew Dowsley. Congratulations to them both for placing 4th in the 4 year old, with the highest score for trot! Not bad for a youngster just 6 weeks out of quarantine!
Standing at 17.2 hands at 4 years of age, Jayden Brown is proud to be campaigning San Andreas for the Dowsett's this season.
Beau and Linda also welcomes Danielle's new horse, Waitano (Wolkentanz / Bolero), all the way from Munster in Germany. Apart from being 2 inches bigger than we expected, Teddy is a gentle giant and we look forward to getting to know him.
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| Leadburn Roulette (aka Roxi) is now all grown up at 3 years old and under saddle! Nicole will prepare her for sale as she is too busy with the Double D team to campaign her. | |||||||||||
| Fantastic results for Nicole to finish off 2010... Furst Tyme 2010 Dressage QLD Newcomer Horse of the Year 2010 Dressage QLD Novice Horse of the Year Flavio 2010 Dressage QLD Elementary Horse of the Year 2010 Dressage QLD Medium Horse of the Year Congratulations to Gabby Veitch on achieveing her Dressage QLD Masters Challenge Award and to Danielle Dowsett who earnt a Silver Medal and won the QLD Reserve Advanced Young Rider of the Year award for 2010. |
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| Nicole is very pleased to announce that she is now an accredited Level A judge! | |||||||||||
NEW products available from Horseland Gold Coast, highly recommended by Nicole...
Read more about these great products on Nicole's Sponsors page. |
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Nicole selected on the 2011 Dressage Queensland Elite Squad with Dante and Performance Squad with Flavio
Nicole would also like to congratulate students Kristen McAuslan with her horse BD Bellissimo, again being selected on the 2011 Dressage Queensland Performance Squad...
and Danielle Dowsett with her horse Leningrad, being selected on the 2011 Dressage Queensland Young Rider Squad.
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| Congratulations to Linda and Beau Dowsett, the owners of Flavio and Dante for their outstanding results at the 2010 Australian National Dressage Championships!
Flavio - 2010 Australian Reserve Elementary and Medium Champion |
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| Sunshine Coast Championships Congratulations to Kristen McAuslan and her horse BD Bellissimo for their 67% in the 5B and taking out the Reserve Advanced Championship at the Sunshine Coast Championships, also congratualtions to Tammy Stephens who won the 4 year old Young Horse class on Royal Dancer and Shannan Puckeridge (now Goodwin!) for some great results in the prelim and novice classes. Furst Tyme won both his novice tests with a 68% and 70%, and Flavio won both his elementary tests with 73% and 70%, and won the 4B with 71.5% AND was 2nd in the 4C with 68.37%! They were all well behaved and tried so hard despite having a few days off due to bad weather leading into the event. |
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| NSW State Championships success... Furst Time - Preliminary Reserve Champion (with 80+% in one test!), Flavio - 1st in Elementary, and Dante - 2nd in Advanced. | |||||||||||
| A big congrats to student Shannan Puckeridge who married her childhood sweetheart, Kyle Goodwin on September 18th 2010. | |||||||||||
| Nicole would like to congratulate student, Gabby Veitch, for winning the major prize of the AMMO Allwormer 5 star Camelot experience, including 2 return economy seat airfares to China, 6 nights accommodation at the 5 star Camelot resort, all transfers, all meals, facilities and horse riding within the resort. Well done Gabby! | |||||||||||
2010  |
ARE YOU FEEDING THE RIGHT FEED FOR YOUR HORSE? I have been feeding Mitavite for the past 4 years and the horses are looking great and have the best balance of energy for their workload. Mitavite feeds give my competition horses and agisted horses all their daily nutritional and energy needs so they can perform at their best everyday. The Mitavite company is a very proud and professional organisation, with advice from experts in the field of Equine Nutrition available at all times. For young horses to 5 years, you can’t go past Breeda as a complete and balanced feed. For those “hotter” nervy types, Cool Performer provides a safe form of cool energy, rich in rice bran oil and virtually starch free with a low GI for longer lasting energy and sustained performance. For those more laid back types of equine athlete, Pro-Sport meets the need of the high performance sport horse, with some of the ingredients being steam extruded barley and maize. For horses in lighter work, Xtra-Cool is perfect for those that can’t tolerate high energy feeds. A recent visit and consult with Mitavite’s QLD Sales Rep, Julie DeVisser, saw me introduce a new feed to Dante and Flavio. The 2 horses are now entering more intensive FEI work, and I was looking for a feed to help assist with replenishment of energy stores and an aid for recovery and muscle repair after work. I did not want a feed high in starch. Called Athlete Plus, this muesli style formation is exactly what I was looking for. Formulated specifically for high performance equine athletes, with its balance of nutrients, trace minerals, electrolytes and amino acids. Best of all – its ingredients are void of cereal grains, so it won’t heat them up.
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2010 |
Equitec Performance Products is again the proud sponsor of the Queensland State Dressage Squad... Equitec Perfromance Products contain NO prohibited substances. Their Products are all natural horse supplements designed to establish a satisfactory level of well being in the horse. Dante, Flavio and Furst Tyme all get Pro-Flex, a supplement that helps maintain healthy cartliage, ligaments and tendons.
Dante and Furst Tyme also get Placid Rein, a nutraceutical support for nervous horses. This product really helps with their ability to cope with the pressures of competition. Completely non-swabbable.
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2010 |
STOLEN TACK FROM BRENDA WITMANN CLASSIC at Gatton on July 10th! Stolen:
Owners - Nicole Tough and Linda Dowsett. |
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2010 |
Nicole has had a HUGE start to the year with Furst Tyme's debut on the competition circuit, Flavio's first elementary and medium starts and Dante's first Prix St George starts! Autumn Classic - Gatton
Toowoomba Dressage Championships Furst Tyme -
Dante -
Park Ridge Medium-Grand Prix ** Dante -
Great South Eastern Championships - Caboolture Furst Tyme -
Flavio -
Brenda Wittman Classic Furst Tyme -
Flavio -
Dante -
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2010 |
Vale Glencoe Manhattan (aka Milo)
It is with great sadness that we say good bye to Milo, who died from colic on Monday 1st March 2010. Such a huge heart, such a beautiful soul. Thankyou to all the people who loved him. He meant a great deal to me and to Sally. Thankyou to my coach, Traci Manca, who truly understood him and helped me to ride him so much better. I was often frustrated in my ability to do the best job with such amazing talent, but in the end I realised that Milo didn’t mind, and so I just got on with the task of trying to get better. I thought the decision to part with Milo just a year ago was one of the hardest I’ll ever make, but I thought the horse had been pushed enough, and it was time for him to be the teacher – and teach he did. I was so very proud of him. Thankyou to Milo’s owner and rider Sally Devlin. Although she only owned Milo for 12 months, she loved him a lifetime’s worth. She had grand goals of learning so much from Milo and one day maybe doing a Prix St George, but sadly this wasn’t to be. Thankyou to Sally’s coach, Linda Schmerglatt, who so gently undertook to the task of helping a new partnership take their wings. I wish you all had more time together. To Milo - Thankyou for allowing me the lead, to take you on my journey. And so now, we will 'not cry because its over, but smile because it happened'. Goodbye my brave friend, we will remember you, and see you again one day. - Nicole
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K J McAuslan© WEBMASTER |