Please remember to "refresh" or "reload" your browser to see the current content.

10/1/12  Club Championship

We are holding a "members only" Club Championship on Sunday 22nd April.  All members (official and associate) are eligible to compete if they were members of the club during the 2011-2012 financial year (1/4/11 - 31/3/12).  There will be no division between official and unofficial - it's all in !

We have great prizes on offer for the champions - Embroidered rugs donated by Walkers Saddlery, McLaren Vale, Dressage saddle blankets donated by Greystone, Trophies, Sashes and Ribbons.

We are also offering Freestyle (novice to medium level) and Pas de Deux so get creative and enter for one of these classes - should be a lot of fun and it's not often we get the chance to show off our artistic side !  A guide to the compulsory movements for the freestyle and pas de deux can be found on the "Dressage Tests" tab on the left the page.

Please see the "Entry Forms" page for all the details on prizes and classes.

Any enquiries should be directed to Cathy Higgins or Val Dominy.

 

10/1/12  We need you !  Nominate for a position on the 2012-2013 Committee

I know it seems a long way off right now but before we know it, our Annual General Meeting in March will be upon us and we will be looking for "new blood" on the club committee to fill the positions left by several retiring members.

We invite all members, including family and friends to get involved and make your contribution by being an active part of our club!

If you are a rider or even the parent of a rider, you or your riding son or daughter will be entitled to

*Free Membership

*Free subscription to Moving Forward

*No test entry fees

*Free yard

*First option to participate in clinics

*End of year dinner

*No out of pocket expenses

In return you are asked to attend committee meetings once a month if possible (this is where all the serious business is discussed but we have a lot of laughs as well).  They are held at the grounds on a Thursday evening (not compulsory to attend them all).  Committee members are also needed to help convene several dressage competitions during the year.  Convenors can also ride if they choose to - yards are reserved near the clubrooms for committee horses.

Don't feel like you have any skills or knowledge ?  It doesn't matter.  All you need is an interest in the sport of dressage and a desire to see the club progress in to the future. 

Jobs are spread as equitably as possible and you will not be required to spend hours and hours of your valuable time to perform tasks if you do not want to.  There will be plenty of help provided by other committee members to ensure you are equipped with the knowledge to successfully perform the tasks required of any particular role you might like to take on.

It is a very rewarding experience - our committee works together toward a common goal, diverse individuals find common ground, lasting friendships and a sense of purpose and accomplishment and are a very valued and important part of Southern Vales Dressage Club.

If you would like further information, please feel free to contact any one of the existing committee members listed on our contacts page.

There is also a nomination form available (click here to download).

 

10/1/12  Half Marks

A reminder that as of 1/1/12, Judges will have the option to use half marks for both movements and collectives when judging.

The FEI Objective to the introduction of half marks is as follows:
- To give more accurate and consistent results
- More flexibility for the judges; feedback to the riders in their score sheets and to be more accurate.

The rule book will be amended from 1/1/12 as follows:

3.13 – Scale of Marks - Add as a dot point under the table the following:
All half marks from 0.5 to 9.5 may also be used both for movements and collective marks, at the discretion of the judge

10.6 – Allocation of Marks and Scoring - Add the following as the 2nd dot point:
All half marks from 0.5 to 9.5 may also be used both for movements And collective marks, at the discretion of the judge

The National Office will arrange for the National Scoring System to be enhanced and a new version distributed and available on the web.

 

3/12/11  Non Member Provision - Day Membership

Day membership will no longer be offered from 1 January 2012. However, Equestrian Australia is in the process of developing a new membership framework that will be released during 2012 and will include a category that will support members that limited their activities to the club environment.

This means that as from 1 January 2012, you must be either a member of a club OR a member of Equestrian Australia to compete in dressage (including unofficial).

Join SVDC

As from 1st December 2011, you can join SVDC for 1/2 price.  Please go to our membership page to download the forms.

Join Equestrian Australia

For information on the level of EA membership that best suits you, please visit Equestrian Australia SA branch site.

2/12/11  Gear Check now compulsory

This rule is now in place in SA. 

As from our January Official/Assoc competition,  SVDC will have gear checking in place. 

Gear checking is compulsory – it is the responsibility of the rider at ALL Official  competitions to undergo a gear check either before or straight after each test.  A list of riders will be supplied to the nominated steward and names ticked off systematically.

Gear check will be visual only with the whip measured for correct length.  Bits and spurs checked for legality (visual only).

 Any rider failing to undergo a gear check will have their Official test relegated to Unofficial.

Clear details are set out in the rule book. 

Click here to view/print a copy.

Click here to view the list of equipment allowed/disallowed for dressage

28/11/11  1/2 Price Membership now available

As from 1/12/11, you are able to join the club for 1/2 the normal price.  Please visit the "membership" page to download the form.

28/11/11  Link to Dressage Tests

For your convenience, we have added a link on the left side of our website to all EA dressage tests.  From here you can view, download and print the tests.

21/11/11  New Club Rules added

At our last Committee meeting it was decided to add/clarify a couple of rules whilst competing at the grounds.  These have been added to our "Rules" page but for everyone's information, they are listed below:-

Horses are not to be warmed up outside of designated areas; (the designated warm-up areas at the grounds are the large fenced warm-up arena, the lunging yard and vacant grassed area at the rear of the grounds (behind floats) and the *sanded area on the eastern side of the arenas *provided that this area is not being utilised as a fourth arena).

Coaching must be conducted outside of the fenced warm-up arena (this means that coaches must not stand inside of the fenced sand warm-up area or the sanded area on the eastern side of the arenas for safety reasons).

Please click here to view a map of the designated warm-up areas on the ground.

Two tests per horse only (effective from March 2012)

21/11/11  Open Days

Our open day is the Saturday one week before our competition from 10am until 1pm.  Please always check with Gail Eyles before going to the grounds if the weather forecast is for very hot or wet weather.  Gail's contact details can be found under "Committee Contacts".