Here at Crest, we love to support and encourage our staff members in their endeavours outside of the office. We also love hearing about local community events and helping out as much as possible.

We are therefore proud to announce that we will be sponsoring the Hunter Valley Dressage Association’s biggest competition of the year, the annual club championships.

Hunter Valley Dressage Association (HVDA) is a non-profit equestrian organisation which was founded over 40 years ago. It is run by volunteers who provide the service of running dressage competitions for the club’s members and non-members who wish to attend.

Our team member Suzanne Laidler is the events secretary at the HVDA, and has trained her much loved horse Destiny from the preliminary levels to the highest level of dressage known as the Grand Prix.

Suzanne has been a dedicated committee member at the HDVA for 17 years, and continues to enjoy supporting and competing with the club.

Dressage involves the progressive training of the horse and rider to achieve an overall high level of fitness and discipline. This enables the rider to ask their horse to perform various movements within a 20m x 60m arena.  The movements increase in the degree of difficulty as horse and rider progress through the levels.  Dressage is a sport which can be undertaken at a casual level but also provides opportunities for riders to compete at the World Equestrian Games and the Olympics.

HVDA run events for children and adults and encourage all their members with end of year point scores and awards.  They are also very proud of the Olympic and Paralympic representatives who compete at their club events.

In addition to able-bodied competitors, HVDA also includes competition days for the Raymond Terrace Riding for the Disabled.  These children and young adults are eager for the opportunity to compete and improve their skills and like many, dream of representing their country at the Paralympics.

HVDA utilises the facilities at the Bruce McKenzie Sports Grounds in Salt Ash.

On competition days, HVDA invite the local Williamtown Rotary Club to provide catering for their competitors which proves to be mutually beneficial for everyone concerned.

The club championships event will be held on the 10th of September this year and will attract competitors from as far afield as Greater Sydney, the Upper Hunter and Manning Valley areas.

10 championship levels will be offered, from grass roots level all the way up to the highest level of FEI Big Tour incorporating the Intermediate II and Grand Prix classes.

If you are holding an event which offers sponsorship, contact Crest Financial Services in Newcastle on (02) 4929 2552 for further details.

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