Transitions Young Rider Trophy

ALYSSA HATTINGH and HE'S GOT SWAG

My gorgeous boy, Tommy (He’s Got Swag) and myself are so honoured and grateful to be the recipient of the 2024 Transitions Young Rider Highpoint Perpetual trophy. We are so fortunate to have the support of a club like transitions dressage, that give so much encouragement and nurturing to riders of all levels. This award was the best kept secret thanks to Mum who bought me a ticket to “come along” to the DWA awards night to support my sister! I guess I should have known something was up when she asked me if I was sure I would be able to walk in my dress.

Tommy’s and my journey started when I was 11 years old and he was a green 5 year old paddock puff. Being a Clydesdale x TB, my feet didn’t go past the saddle blanket and I felt so honoured to be allowed to ride this beautiful big horse, never could I have foreseen the journey we would end up on together.

All I wanted to do was event, which I was doing on my own Welsh Cob, all Tommy wanted to do was show jump (which was what he was purchased for as a foal) and was very good at. Dressage was never on his radar!

Suddenly, in the lead up to Inter-schools, I tragically lost my Cob after colic surgery, not only was I devastated by this, I had no horse qualified with only three weeks left. So, with 5 days leeway and no preparation, poor fat Tommy was pulled out the paddock, plaited up for the first time and carted off to his dressage debut. To add to the chaos, Mum accidentally entered us into one prelim and a novice test instead of two prelims. He was doing really well…until he decided to jump right out the arena. But he then went and did a novice test totally unprepared, and scored 70%. And so Tommy made a name for himself as a very competitive and reliable Inter-school horse, qualifying us for the National Team year after year and Secondary Reserve Champions in 2023 (year 12). This was very special, as we had worked so hard, whilst doing ATAR, to be able to travel him over East for my last year. His spot was booked on the truck and his condition was perfect. Then everything changed. Tommy, who was diagnosed with Recurring Equine Uveitis got a flare up and a glaucoma. Surgery did not have the outcome we hoped for, with no treatment or cure, we had to urgently remove his eye. That was the end of our dream to compete over east together, but it was the best decision for Tommy. And just like that, we changed direction, with dressage our main focus.

Whilst Tommy is not your typical dressage horse, his trust in me and his willingness, work ethics and dashing good looks more than make up for it.

He is a quirky Boy and knows how to hold a grudge, he is annoying to the max and always in your face, there is not a paddock that can keep him in if he chooses to leave (either jumps out or climbs through), he hates water with a passion and will drag us everywhere to avoid even the smallest puddle, everything is on his terms and I am so, so lucky that he has chosen me to be his person.

Unfortunately, Tommy now also has REU in his remaining eye, so I am doing as much as I can with him, making whatever time we have count.

My goal this year is to work towards medium as well as really building on our elementary scores, with the ultimate aim of taking him over East to compete.

I will be forever grateful to Naomi Hymers, who realised that Tommy and I had a special connection at an early age, and entrusted him to me. My coaches Marj Radford and Liz Tolarzo, who are like family to us, sharing in all the highs and lows, we would be lost without them.

Thank you

My name is Leilani Witt, I am 13 years old, and I live in Geraldton. In 2022 I rode Eliza Hebiton’s (my coach’s) horse, Ana Diva (stable name Greta). In our first competition together, we scored 73.088 % in our Novice and 77.321% in our Preliminary test, which was our highest score for the season.

Our other achievements were Prelim Gold Performance Medal and DWA Junior Award for the highest percentage at the WA State Dressage Championships for a junior rider. I was also nominated for the EWA Junior Rider of the Year. 2022 was my (and Greta’s) first time at the States, and when we went into the C-Quest for our first test on the first day at 7:30 in the morning we were about to start when the arena blew over. About 20min later after the volunteers put the arena back up I continued my test.

Greta is kept at Bonsai Jacks Riding School and now Eliza wants to breed with her. I still get to ride her, but just for fun. Sometimes I do jumping with her and other times I ride her out on the cross-country course. Greta’s favourite treats are apples, and she LOVES her ears being scratched. I now have my own horse called Rohan Mr. Bond, he is 4 years old, and I hope to train him to Grand Prix.

I am extremely proud to have won the Transitions trophy in 2022 and I’d just like to thank my coach Eliza Hebiton and my sponsor Tao Jordan Holistic Healing for supporting me. Thank you transitions dressage club, your award is very special and beautiful.

Leilani Witt and Ana Diva, Geraldton April 2023

2020 was a great year being Hughsie’s (Calcarra Majestic Flair) first year of competition. We started the year out with a few local events, having great success and very positive comments and marks. Being a 5 year old who was very new to the competition atmosphere Liz (Hughsie’s Owner) and I were so pleased with how Hughsie took everything in his stride. Prior to the 2020 competition season I had been working with Hughsie for less than a year. In that time we had made great progress in our training and thought 2020 was the perfect year to bring him out, setting the goal of competing at his first State Championships. Unfortunately part way through the year COVID 19 hit and it was very unclear wether we would have anymore competitions. Although competitions were put on hold, our training certainly wasn’t. I looked at it as the perfect opportunity to train hard. By the time the state dressage championships came around Liz and I were very happy with how Hughsie was performing in his training and thought it was time to enter him. The competitions for me are all about getting feedback and ensuring my training is on track. Hughsie certainly didn’t disappoint us at the States, coming home with Preliminary Champion and Reserve Novice Champion. It was such a privilege to be awarded the Transitions Trophy. For Hughsie’s first competition year and our first year as a partnership it was so special to achieve so much in such a small space of time. He showed us how much potential he has and made our little team very excited for the future. Following the States we continued on with our training, working towards the elementary work ready for the 2021 season.

All in all we had a fabulous year. We were all very lucky to get a few events in during the COVID crisis. Hughsie and I couldn’t have achieved so much without all the effort his lovely owner Liz Dempster puts in for us. I admire the way she allows time for her horses to grow physically and mentally. She is in no rush, just wants a happy healthy horse!

Thank you to the whole dressage community and thank you transitions dressage club, your award is very special and much appreciated.

Tyla Schou

Olive had a successful 2018 season with some fantastic scores in novice and upgrading to elementary mid way through the season. Locally, Olive won the Greenough Equine Vet Centre Overall Champion at the Geraldton Dressage Championships in August where we received $1000 in prizemoney! This was definitely a highlight as well as being awarded Runner-up State Champion Novice Horse out of a 40 horse strong field.

Immediately after the State Dressage championships (Sunday night) I flew out to Germany to complete my Trainer C coaching course at the Westfälische Reit- und Fahrschule, my third time traveling to the school in Münster. I had a fantastic 4 weeks away riding everyday both dressage and jumping, plus learning a lot of theory in regards to teaching, management and horse/rider biomechanics. I passed my exams after a lot of study, 3 riding exams (cross-country, dressage and show jumping), 2 teaching and 3 theory tests with a panel of 4 German assessors.

Over the summer Olive has been working on her medium movements and will be competing medium and hopefully advanced by the end of the year! A huge thank you to my coaches Ron Paterson and Hazel Hikins for all their support, and my wonderful sponsor Geraldton Stockfeeds for supplying my horses with all their feed and care needs with quick easy service.

Eliza Hebiton and Revelwood Olivia
2018 TRANSITIONS YOUNG RIDER TROPHY

I am so delighted that one of my horses (and my rider) has been honoured in such a way by Transitions and am so grateful for the support from the club.

I am very proud of Bessie and all that she has achieved both with her own and on my horses. At only 19, she looks set to have a wonderful career with horses and is just a delight to work with every day. She is always to take advice and works so hard to improve both herself and the horses with a calm and sensitive attitude.

Heidi Emery

Up until I started working for Heidi Emery at Hermitage Dressage, I had a general background with horses and was probably more focused on showjumping and eventing. On horses that I had trained myself, I have been a member of BEATS, completed a charity ride to Kalgoorlie as well as competing successfully up to 1* eventing, including the Diamond Class at Eventing in the Park.

I had just returned from 4 months riding in the Hunter Valley at Hunters Lodge show jumping stables when my jumping coach, Nellandra Henry, recommended me to as a good option for a general stable hand to Heidi. I started at Hermitage Dressage in May 2015.

I was also bringing on my young warm blood, Padbury Park Griffindor. Heidi happened to be a competition where I was competing with Gryffindor not long after I started working working for her and was impressed with how I rode him and was developing him. As a result, she initially asked me to sit on her thoroughbred mare (Over the Moon) and then asked me to try with Stately, whom she had been slowly bringing back into full work after some time off due to a muscle injury.

Stately is a very athletic 17h plus 8 year old German Sporthorse by Rich Charly (Rubenstein/Florestan) out of Palluca (Donnerchlag/Pardon). According to his pedigree, he has all of the 'rideable' genetics”which he uses sometimes! Stately is a quirky horse and it took some time for me to form a partnership as I adjusted to riding a horse of his exuberance.

Our first outing together was a clinic with Stefan Wolfe in July 2015 and I then worked with Heidi towards our first competition start which we completed in November 2015 with a start at Novice level at the SEC for a plus 70% win. I was super pleased with Stately that day and we realised that, despite all his quirks, he LOVED being a competition horse.

I then met Martina Hannover riding Stately at a clinic in January 2016 and decided to take up her offer to head to her stables in Germany and learn as much as I could to develop my skills in my newly found focus on dressage!

I had booked to leave Australia in May 2016 and we got to work with Stately making the most of the short time I had before I left. We competed successfully at the 2016 WA State Championships with top 10 placings at Novice level and just prior to my departure competed at the Perth Dressage Club May competition at the SEC. My first ever ride at Elementary level went well and then in difficult conditions Stately reminded us that he is a serious competitor and gave me a fabulous ride for a plus 75% win in the Novice.

Stately is a smart, clever but a quirky individual. He makes every ride a challenge but is always rewarding. He has taught me a lot, the main lesson being patience. Although he can be a little difficult to take out, at times, he has stepped up each time and made me very proud.

Bessie Traylen

Fraser Bower riding Don J'amee with 73.426%

Amberville Rosenstein is an Arabian Warmblood by Elouera Quixote out of Maralinga Summer Edition. 2012 was his first season of Official Dressage Competition which began at the Jill Stanton Serpentine Dressage in February. We have had a fantastic first season both locally in Geraldton and also very competitive in Perth which would not have been possible without my local coach Elizabeth Boyle and visiting coach Judy Weber.

One of “JD’s” greatest attributes is his temperament. He is chilled out, willing to work and will always put in 100% both at competition and work/play at home. One of our major achievements throughout the 2012 season was gaining the Highest Percentage by a local rider at the Leon Baker Dressage Championships, winning a saddle kindly donated by Europa Saddlery Geraldton.

It was great to begin the season at the Jill Stanton Dressage Series, as well as finish it. Our final Official dressage competition was the final part to the series where we were awarded the Preliminary Champion, also the Saddles Plus Novice Champion. Unexpectedly we were also awarded the Ramsay’s Transport Preliminary Leaderboard Dressage Horse of the Year for 2012 at the Guinot Spring Dressage Festival.

Throughout the year we have had a play in the show jumping ring, competing up to 80cm’s and some cross country jumping. I am very excited to begin the 2013 season, get to as many competitions as probable and have fun which wouldn’t be possible with my family and friends support, especially my Mum!