The Sterling Warmbloods Small Stars Top Ten League 

This series is inspired from a United States Small horse competition and has immediately struck a very positive chord with a huge number of our members. This is what the sponsors have to say:

 “Dermot and I at Sterling Warmbloods Ltd are delighted that we have an opportunity to sponsor the new Small Stars League. As a devoted rider of a small Grand Prix horse and a breeder who finds it difficult to sell talented small horses, we thought we should get involved in an initiative that will help to promote small dressage horses.  All breeders inevitably will breed a small one occasionally and this league will provide a national competition for them to shine like the wee stars they are, competing against their peers. There has been considerable interest already in this league and we are very excited and grateful to help make it happen in conjunction with Dressage NZ”

How often do we hear “oh he’s a small to be a proper dressage horse?” Well Cindy Kent’s Playskool was just around 15.1hh and he represented NZL at the World Games. So it’s not quite back to the future, but Dressage NZ recognises the many benefits of this new series; encouraging correct training and giving riders the belief that big is not necessarily better; wider participation, encouraging the smooth transition from ponies to horses and encouraging riders to ride a horse they love and feel comfortable on in addition to the benefits for our breeding industry. We’re taking nothing away from the star quality of the bigger horses; they will continue to shine in their own right.  

The Small Stars League in brief:

For horses over 148cm and not exceeding 163cm (verified by RAS height certificate by 1 Dec 2018)

Riders must turn at least 12yrs in the calendar year of the beginning of the competition.

Points accrue from 1 August 2018 until 30 April 2019, in three divisions. Bronze (Levels 1 & 2) Silver (Levels 3 & 4) Gold (Level 5 & above)  

Entries open on Equestrian Entries on Wednesday 29 August

Sterling Warmbloods Small Stars Top 10 League Conditions 2018

As well as the Small Stars League, Sterling Warmbloods are sponsoring Small Stars Champions & Reserves in every open level at the Bates National Championships 2019