Dressage & Jumping With The Stars (Australian Young Horse & Young Pony Championships) is held annually in March at the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre, Victoria.

 

In 2009, the first ever Young Pony class was included with a 4 yo Material class. The first round consisted of a ridden test and a conformation judgement.  The top 3 ponies progressed to the second round where they were ridden by a guest rider.  The winner of the very first National 4 yo Young Pony class in Australia was Glenian Park Kaluda Gold, a buckskin stallion with arabian and welsh breeding.

 

In 2010 a 5 yo class was introduced and was followed in 2011 by a 6 yo class, however there were no finalists in the 6 yo class until 2013 when the 6 yo Warmblood/Morgan cross stallion, Double S Dark Sun won the Champion of Champions. The Champion of Champions is judged at the end of the finals in collaboration with the judges and a guest rider, from the winners of each age group.

 

In 2014 the 4 yo Material class was changed to the 4 yo Young Pony format, dropping the conformation section.

 

Qualifiers are held around the country from the 1 August until early February. Ponies must obtain a score of 6.5 or better to qualify. Any pony (maximum height 148 cms without shoes) is eligible to compete in Young Pony classes and must be registered with Equestrian Australia.  The pony does not have to be registered with any breed stud book and may have known or unknown pedigree.

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The first time a pony with GRP breeding appeared at D&JWTS was in 2012 with the imported chestnut mare Rosewater Driving Miss Daisy owned by Andrea Taylor of Tamlyn Farm Stud in Victoria. She was bred by the Rosewater Stud in the UK. Miss Daisy is by the prolific Bundeschampionate and FEI European Pony sire FS Don’t Worry. She is out of a GRP bred mare Broomford Bellisima who is by Dancer and out of the Hanoverian bred mare Wetten Dass (x Wittinger). Rosewater Driving Miss Daisy became the 4 yo Young Pony Champion as well as Champion of Champions.

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Also appearing in 2012 was the 5 yo Wyuna Morocco who is the son of the first German Riding Pony stallion imported to Australia in FS Golden Storm. Morocco is out of an Australian Riding Pony mare who is by Owendale Salute who himself goes back to the same bloodlines used in the GRP.

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With the German Riding Pony breed still very new to Australia, 2013 saw one GRP in the 4 yo class in the imported GRP stallion AEA Hilkens Crown Prince who is by another prolific Bundeschampionate sire, FS Champion de Luxe.

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In 2014 there was one GRP at D&JWTS, becoming the 5 yo winner and Champion of Champions, the imported palomino stallion Noble Dancer who was ridden and owned by Amanda Shoobridge of Revelwood Stud in NSW. Noble Dancer is by Heidbergs Nancho Nova and out of the mare Immenmoor Crisby (x Immenmoor Golden Future). He was bred by Silvia Grotheer in Germany.

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Noble Dancer went on to be the first GRP to compete in the 6 yo championship in 2015 where he was again Champion of Champions. 2015 also saw one GRP cross mare in the 4 yo class in Delhi (x Hilkens Black Delight).

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2016 saw GRP numbers on the increase with Envyious Philino, a son of the first fully licensed imported GRP stallion to Australia, Don Philino WE named 4 yo Young Pony Champion. Don Philino was by Dressman 1, a stallion whose bloodlines figure prominently in Bundeschampionate medallists over many years. Placing second in the 4 yo class in 2016 was the GRP cross gelding Aspen Way Power Pony who is by Power Boy.

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The 2016 5 yo Championship and Champion of Champions was the imported GRP mare FS Carry Gold. By FS Coco Jambo (x FS Champion de Luxe), the palomino mare owned by Jocely King of Kingsfield Park in NSW is out of a mare by FS Dacapo Doro. The GRP cross mare Delhi (x Hilkens Black Delight) placing 3rd.

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In the 4 yo Championship in 2017, the German Riding Pony was represented by 6 entries with the Hilkens Black Delight gelding Delon Park Hilkens Shadow achieving third place.

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The 5 yo Championship saw a strong representation with 5 out of the 9 entries being GRP’s or GRP crosses. The winner of the 5 yo Championship was the imported from New Zealand GRP cross mare Buckton Thellini (x HIlkens Denali) owned by Georgie Ray of Brockhurst Stud, SA. Second place was the imported State Premium mare SPB Diva Toscana (x Dimension AT) and out of a mare by Top Nonstop (x Nantano) owned by Select Pony Breeding.

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The 6 yo Young Pony Championship was won by FS Carry Gold who subsequently was named Champion of Champions, giving her back to back titles.

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In 2018 two GRP crosses were entered in the 4 yo Championship with the winner and Champion of Champions being the GRP cross Dynamik Great Expectations owned by Sancha Butler and bred by Kristy Renae Jarvis of Dynamik Stallions in Perth. The palomino gelding is by the imported GRP stallion Golden Rock out of Leedale Leilani who is by the GRP stallion Don Philino WE. Second place was the Australian bred GRP stallion Roseglen Pop Art by Power Boy (x Downland Folklore) and out of the imported State Premium mare Sweet Belladonna (x Champus K).

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The 4 yo Young Pony Championship for 2019 saw four ponies representing the German Riding Pony. Winning the 4 yo Championship was the palomino stallion Glamour Rock BHI who is by the imported GRP stallion Golden Rock (x Hesselteich’s Golden Dream) and out of a mare by Fidertanz. Bred by Georgie Ray of Brockhurst Stud in SA, the Westfalen licensed stallion is owned by Evans Performance Horses. Third place was Roseglen Stolen Dance (x Driedimensional AT) and out of a mare by Nemax (x Neveau).

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The 6yo Championship was won by the imported GRP stallion Charlie Sheen 5 who is owned by Jenny Stock of NSW. He is by Cold Play who is by Calvin Klein, a son of FS Champion de Luxe and out of a mare by Jimmy who is by the Holstein stallion Joost and was also awarded Champion of Champions.

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Although the 2020 Dressage & Jumping With The Stars event had to be cancelled there were 17 acceptances for the 4 yo Young Ponies with 4 GRP/crosses. The 5 yo competition had seven acceptances with one GRP entered. The 6 yo Championship had five acceptances with two GRP/crosses.

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In 2021, six of the 14 ponies entered in the 4 yo Young Pony Championship were GRP/GRP breeding.  The winner was the Westfalen registered mare Tamlyn Farm Calamity Jane (x Cheval de Luxe (Imp)) who was bred by one of the earliest importers of GRP's to Australia, Andrea Taylor.  Tamlyn Farm Calamity Jane is out of Andrea's imported mare Hesselteich's Gwendolin (x Gandalf 71) and went on to win the Champion of Champions. Andrea was the owner of the 2012 Champion, Rosewater Driving Miss Daisy.

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The 5 yo Young Pony saw four out of the eight entries as GRP or GRP breeding.  The Championship went to the imported GRP mare Freemans Lodge Divine Essence (x Classic Dancer I) who is owned and bred by Vicki Chidgey.  She is by Vicki's imported State Premium Mare Daisy's Davina WE (x Bodyguard P). 

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Second place in the 5 yo went to Brookside Shazam, whose dam sire is the imported GRP stallion, Top Der Da (x FS Don't Worry).

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In 2022 six of the nine starters in the 4 yo Young Pony Championship were GRP/GRP breeding.  The National Championship was won by the imported Weser Ems licensed stallion Mr. Right Now (x FS Mr. Right) who is owned and bred by Claire Grahams.

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Nine of the twelve starters in the 5 yo Young Pony Championship were GRP/GRP breeding with the Championship won by Brookside Grand Illusion who is out of a Top Der Da (x FS Don't Worry) mare.  

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Two of the five starters in the 6 yo Young Pony Championship were of GRP breeding with the National Championship and Champion of Champions awarded to the full sibling of the 5 yo winner - Brookside Grand Illusion and was ridden by her breeder, Leisha Salter.

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2023 saw seven of the nine starters in the 4 yo Young Pony final of GRP breeding with the National Championship won by the Australian bred and Westfalen licensed GRP stallion Glenhill Mr. Hollywood. The bay stallion is by the imported GRP Movie Star (x FS Mr. Right) and is out of the imported Dutch Welsh Riding Pony mare Nobis Juliette (x Aester El Nino) and was bred by Glenhill Sporthorses.

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In the 5 yo Young Pony final, five of the seven starters were of GRP breeding with the National Championship won by the imported GRP mare Verb.Pr.St. Wischhoffs Caramba who is by Golden Grey NRW and out of Reitland's Celebration (x High Flown's Oxford).  The palomino mare is owned by Kylie Chandler and was bred by Helmut Klindworth.

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Three of the ten 6 yo finalists were of GRP breeding with the highest placed GRP bred pony being the palomino mare Goldfarben in second place.  She is by the imported GRP stallion Golden Rock and out of a mare by the Riding Pony stallion Radway Right Royal (Imp).

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In 2024 there were 14 starters in the 4 yo Championship with 9 ponies of GRP breeding. Four of the 9 ponies were by Numerus Clausus (Imp).  The winner was the chestnut mare by Numerus Clausus, Glenhill Divine Classic out of Freemans Lodge Divine Essence (x Classic Dancer I). She also was awarded Champion of Champions.

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All 6 of the 5 yo Championship starters were of GRP breeding with winner being the licensed Westfalen stallion, Glenhill Mr Hollywood (x Movie Star (Imp)).

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Of the 8 starters in the 6 yo Championship, 4 were of GRP breeding.

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Since the first German Riding Pony to appear in 2012 at the Australian Young Pony Championships, GRP's or ponies of GRP breeding have won 19 out of 37 Championships and taken out 11 out of the 12 Champion of Champion awards which are judged from the winners of each of the three age groups.

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NB: 2020 event cancelled due to Covid