The Central Ontario Region is sending a young rider from this area to compete at the national dressage championships being held August 13-15 in Kelowna, British Columbia. Ali Sprague of the Kawartha Pony Club will be Central Ontario's entry at the Training level. Ali, 19 years old, is attending her second year at Durham College (Environmental Technology). She is the Active Member Representative for Central Ontario on its Regional Committee, and has been a member of Pony Club for seven years.
The event comprises two technical tests, a mystery test, a written test and a turnout score. The competitors will ride two different horses for each of the technical tests and will use one of them for their mystery test. As shipping horses around the country is impractical at this level of competition, all entries will be riding borrowed horses, supplied by the host British Columbia Interior/Northern Region.
The technical tests can be Canadian Pony Club dressage tests (up to Pre-Training level), Cadora or Equine Canada tests for the other levels. These tests must be ridden from memory. The mystery test is a technical test from a related level for each competitor but from a different country. The tests are unknown to the competitors and they will have a short time to review the test before riding it at the competition. These tests will be called to them. Each competitor will ride a different mystery test. The written test is a test to judge the general knowledge of the rider (Pony Club and non-Pony Club related) as it pertains to dressage. The turnout is specifically related to the rider's turnout with a portion attributed to the overall appearance of the horse.
The competitors who qualify for this competition are determined individually by each region but typically are champion at a regional dressage competition or related competitions with a minimum percentage of 58% in their technical tests.
For more details e-mail Bob Inglis, Central Ontario Regional Communications Chair, or call him at 416-493-1223 (office) or 416-491-4230 (home).