This equestrian discipline has been a part of the Olympic Games for well over a century, and even in this, there are different classes, with the highest being Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle to Music.

Fans of the discipline will be in for a real treat on the weekend as the newly-crowned South African Grand Prix National Individual Champion and the Freestyle to Music Dressage Champion, Nichola Mohr from the Western Cape, will be competing.

The five judges who judged her included a Swedish Olympic judge Pia Fälth who gave her an Olympic standard score of 77%. This is well within the range that Olympic judges usually score.

Her horse, Winston, was bred by the premium stud, Callaho Warmblood Stud.
In addition to Mohr competing in the Free State Dressage Championships, will be Adriaan van Wyk, who is a Protea and has previously competed at international level in Europe. He also hails from the Western Cape.

Approximately 50 other riders will be competing in the championship and a total of 64 horses have been entered.

The highlight of this weekend is definitely the Freestyle to Music Championship on Saturday, starting at 10:00, with the highest class ending at 19:00. No entry fee will be charged and anyone is welcome to attend to witness top-class equestrian action. Food and drink facilities will be available. 

Morgan Piek OFM Sport