One of Australian’s best known dressage riders, Daniella Dierks’ achievements were not handed to her on a plate. She spoke to AMANDA MAC about the early days, her successes, her priorities, and life since COVID.  

Image: Danielle and protégé SPH Santarina competing during the 2018 Sydney CDI (Image by Amy-Sue Alston).

Loved Part 1 of ‘Building a Respectful Relationship With your Horse and Handling the Equine Athlete’?

Our Christine Armishaw chats with David Shoobridge about the article and asks some of our burning questions where David shares his thoughts on breeding, temperament and the point where he knows he is working with a ‘special’ horse.

Keeping a horse in good condition over winter can be challenging, particularly if they’re older or a fussy eater. DAVID NASH and Dr TOM SHURLOCK offer their expert advice on getting through winter in style.

Handling the equine athlete

An elite Australian dressage rider and highly sought after trainer, DAVID SHOOBRIDGE shares some top tips in this exclusive two-part series on building a respectful relationship with your horse.

LARISSA BILSTON, ANIMAL NUTRITIONIST

Larissa graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree with first class honours in the early 1990s. She has travelled throughout Australia and internationally as both a science communicator and animal nutritionist. Larissa has worked in the stock feed industry as an animal nutritionist providing support to the horse, beef, dairy and poultry industries. She is a founding partner of Farmalogic Pty Ltd, a Brisbane-based company producing supportive nutritional supplements for horses, backyard poultry and stud or show cattle.

 Larissa grew up in regional Victoria and has a lifetime love of horses, dogs, cats and dressage riding. She now lives in Brisbane with her husband and three lovely teenagers and still maintains a menagerie of pets! 

 Larissa is passionate about helping animal owners make good decisions regarding feeding and welfare. The Equine Vit&Min and Farmalogic range is the culmination of Larissa's belief that horse owners can and should understand more about feeding their horses because the basics are not complicated. She wishes to help them sort out the marketing myths from the scientific facts and provides practical animal feeding and management advice through lectures, clinics, social media and individual consultations.

SHOW NOTES
he range for adding leucine post-work is around 10 to 30g/day which can be from a l-leucine supplement or you’d need 100 to 200g of whey protein isolate or hemp powder. We include leucine in with Farmalogic Replenish Electrolytes because it’s logical to give leucine post heavy work when an electrolyte supplement is also required.

 www.farmalogicglobal.com

Colleen has been an international equestrian coach and competitor for many years.

I believe in having an open mind when training horses and riders so I have incorporated the techniques and ideas of many trainers into the methods I use. In 2009 I was invited to present a demonstration and participate in the trainer forum at the International Equitation Science Conference where delegates from 14 countries gathered to discuss ethical and sustainable approaches to horse training.

Colleen also contributes to equestrian magazines and training videos, you will find a recent series of articles in the Horse magazine 

A long term contributor to equestrian sport in Australia and overseas she is a comittee member of Sydney Showjumping and has been the Rider's representative on the National showjumping committee and high performance panel and has represented Australia in many international events including:

• World Equestrian Games Stockholm
• World Cup Final Del Mar California
• World Cup Final Dortmund Germany 
  
  
• Tokyo Grand Prix (1st place)
• Nation's Cup competitions
  • Hungary (1st)
  •  Poland (1st) 
  • New Zealand (1st)
• She has also competed in other invitational events in Kuwait, Korea and India.

In Australia her major results include:

• Australian Champion
  
  
• Victorian Champion
  
  
• NSW Champion
• Winner of the Alice Laidlaw (rider over fences, style) a record 10 times at Melbourne Royal.
• Colleen's horses have won Champion Jumper at Adelaide,Brisbane,Melbourne and Sydney Royals.

Colleen is an NCAS level 3 general coach and also holds NCAS level 3 showjumping and eventing specialist accreditation. She is also an NCAS Coach Educator/Assessor with Certificate lV Workplace Trainer and Assessor qualifications.

I work with riders and horses of all levels.  I also prepare candidate coaches for the National Coach Accreditation Scheme (NCAS). Lessons and clinics are available at our home base just outside Sydney or I'm available for clinics around Australia or worldwide.

Last edition of Ask Charlie for 2020!  We will have Charlie Brister back in the new year to help us resolve all matter equestrian.  have an amazing Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Charlie talks to Todd Hinde at SIEC.  Todd is the High Performance Jumping Manager / Jumping Chef D’Equipe.

Charlie also discusses the importance of electrolytes and how to keep your horse cool over Summer.

This is the last episode of The Right Rein Podcast and Ask Charlie for 2020.  We look forward to seeing you all back here in 2021 where we will be launching a very flash new website with so much to offer you,

Have a safe and happy Christmas and may 2021 be absolutely awesome for everyone.

Jill asks - "Why is it that training and executing flying changes seems to have an entirely different connotation in showjumping than in dressage?  My (limited) understanding is that flying changes in dressage are considered fairly high level, can be difficult to train and are only attempted on a horse that is well developed in all preceding movements; learning flys is like a dressage right of passage.  Yet  in (my very limited) observations of showjumping it seems that changes are introduced early in a horse's education and executed with very little fuss.  What's the distinction between the two disciplines? Or am I misreading the situation entirely? 

"What goes on in the brain, goes down the rein".