Dressage Musical Spectacular at 2013 New Zealand North Island Dressage Championships

Shows

2013 New Zealand North Island Dressage Championships

The 2013 North Island Dressage Championships in New Zealand are coming soon at Manfeild Park on 1-3 March 2013 with the Grand Prix Freestyle featuring the country's best horses going head to head on Saturday night as part of the Dressage Musical Spectacular.

These Championships will be a big welcome back to Vanessa Way and KH Arvan, who are having their first international start since returning from training at Carl Hester's yard in the UK. They will be up against 8 other fabulous combinations including 2013 New Zealand Grand Prix championships Lynley Stockdale and Komplete Kaos, NZ record holders for top GP score Bill Noble & Linda Moughan's Airthey Highlander, Kieryn Walton and Saraceni, Hannah Appleton on Zactac Graceful, Karen Trotter on Flamceno G, Jayne Craike with Showfields Papanui Crusader, and Christine Weal on the Geor family's Spielzeit.

The FEI status of the Grand Prix classes at this event is a CDI 2* and not CDI 3*. This decision has not been taken lightly by Dressage NZ and is the result of the FEI decision to withdraw the dispensation previously granted (by application only) for nations to appoint two foreign judges only on a panel of 5 at a CDI 3*. The financial impact of this FEI decision has therefore resulted in this event status change. The event will still offer riders the expertise of 5* judge Mary Seefried from Australia and Lilo Fore (4*) from California, in addition to NZL FEI judges.

Pianist Shaun Preston will be performing at Dressage Musical Spectacular on Saturday evening 2 March 2013. This singer/songwriter and pianist extraordinaire is described by the thousands who have seen him as one of the most outstanding entertainers to come on to the music scene for many years.

Event Manager for the North Island Dressage Championships Celine Filbee is thrilled to secure Shaun as the artist for the Dressage Musical Spectacular. Shaun's career has taken him on an amazing journey, performing all over New Zealand, Australia and the UK, averaging a solid 125 shows per year, selling endless amounts of CD's and writing great songs for compilation albums as well as his own. Shaun handles every performance like a seasoned veteran, always delivers a great show and leaves audiences amazed.

Celine has seen Shaun several times and will work with him and equestrian entertainment to put together an electric performance for the show at Manfeild Park Stadium

The event will be centred around both the Young Rider CDI-Y and the Grand Prix Freestyle competitions.