Canter Banter by Horsezone

A bit of a half-time update on the first few days at the NZ Horse of the Year Show…

Largely touted as the best show in the Southern Hemisphere, it provides the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends. It was great to see Catriona Williams, super Kiwi eventer and showjumper who is now a tetraplegic and founder of Catwalk, a charity committed to finding a cure for spinal injuries. Their latest projects include Hoofin It – capitalising on the scrap metal from horse shoes and the Fools and Horses Dinner and Debate in Sydney on Easter Sunday. With big names like Peter Moody, James Bester, Henry Plumtree and Kiwi supermodel Kylie Bax participating in the debate, it’s sure to be a super night, in support of a fantastic cause that should be dear to all riders’ hearts.

While the rest of the trade stands shut shop the Horsezone team and guests enjoy the sunshine and manage to get a sneak peak of what must have been a bit of practice for the coming night’s entertainment thanks to the amazing Wilson sisters from Showtyme Sport Horses.

Last night’s entertainment included the Stallion Parade with plenty of quality on display including the Smith sister’s stunning GT Jake and the lovely grey Irish Sport Horse Northwood Jet Stream.

The Horse of the Year Show is a melting pot of all things equestrian with the likes of quality racing folk including Cambridge trainer Tony Pike whose runner Carrick finished third in the recent NZ Derby at Ellerslie. Wife Kirsten and daughter Molly are both competing in the show section.

Struggling to come up with anything for the ‘Not Hot’ category so far and we’re seriously looking forward to the next few days of fun and excitement at the NZ Horse of the Year Show!

What we’re looking forward to today:

• The Friday Night Extravaganza
• Mitavite Australia vs NZ Test Match
• Dunstan Young Rider of the Year & Pony Six Bar

 

Romance in the Snowy Mountains, NSW

The Lake Eucumbene foreshore was an exquisite backdrop for the recent wedding of Reynella Ride’s tour leader, the accomplished horseman Brendon Warren, and his beautiful partner Natalie Greentree.

Thankfully the weather gods were kind, after a very wet and stormy week in the run up to the big day.

Transport was by horse and cart with the wedding party enjoying a trip down the main street of Adaminaby to the reception at the Snowy Mountains Motel.

 

Brendon and Nat met on Valentine’s Day three years ago at the Cooma Rodeo. Brendon proposed to Nat in the midst of a storm whilst out on a 4 night Reynella Ride. In true Man From Snowy River style, he took her hand, pulled his driza-bone to one side, knelt down on one knee and opened a box to reveal a beautiful diamond. Who says romance is dead?!

Brendon and Nat's horses - Charlie & Regi enjoyed the ceremony as well.

 

Photos - Michelle Armour http://www.maphoto.110mb.com/

 

Check out the Reynella Rides website -

http://www.reynellarides.com.au/index.php

 

Fun for Everyone at Burpengary Pony Club Jumping

Read a report and view results plus more photos in Horsezone News

There were plenty of high flying horses and bouncing ponies at the Burpengary Pony Club yesterday, during their annual Showjumping Event, of which Horsezone was one of the proud sponsors. With three rings, riders, horses and fences of all sizes, heaps of fun and happy smiles were the order of the day. Stay tuned next week for more photos, a report and full results.

I even found time to teach some keen young pony clubbers how to braid their pony's tail! They were very impressed with the 'Horsezone' braid, but I don't think any serious show competitors will be calling me up anytime soon...

View the full photo gallery HERE

By: Jo Johnson

Brett Parbery Riding Lord of Loxley in Poland

Check out this video of Brett Parbery riding Lord of Loxley in the Kur in Poland!

25th Anniversary 2012 East Coast Arabian Championships in Full Swing

The 25th Anniversary 2012 East Coast Arabian Championships kicked off today and will be running Friday and Saturday as well, at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre - a fitting venue for such a prestigious show. And how wonderful that it has such a huge indoor arena as the unpredictable Sydney summer weather continues!!

The quality of horses in the classes that I watched this morning was so impressive - magnificent Led Arabian Warmbloods - with the trifecta of beauty, elegance and HUGE ground covering paces, as well as just gorgeous Anglo Arabian fillies and mares.

Deveron Di Angelo - Seaham-Grange Arabian Warmblood Stud

Aloha Singing in the Rain - Aloha Arabians

 

 

I chatted to Zoe Doutreband who was looking forward to competing in the Arabian Bridle Path Hack ne 15hh with her grey gelding Arabesque Accolade (Laddie)

as well as Jaymee Ferguson who was working her pretty palomino Arabian Pony Kim-Dande Analieze (Paris).

Good luck to all competitors and congratulations to Donna Leak and the NSW Arabian Horse Association for putting on such a brilliant event.  

Jenny Goodwin

 

An Evening With Steve Brady

I was privileged to spend An Evening with Steve Brady, one of Australia's most highly regarded horsemen, at Horseworld in Maraylya recently.

Steve has spent over 25 years educating horses and has started at least 3,500 - so he's got a fair bit of experience! These days, most of his year is spent travelling around Australia as well as overseas running clinics - educating people in how to communicate kindly, simply and effectively with their horses.

The whole evening was captivating - highlights for me were watching Steve teach piaffe and preparing for and teaching flying changes. I loved that he rode so softly in his stock saddle with a double bridle - Aussie dressage style! He moved his horse around so calmly from one lateral movement to another. Dressage is meant to look this easy.

My friend Carla and I were also engrossed by the clear, systemmatic groundwork lessons and the logical progression to float loading - as Steve taught the horses to "discover the right reaction to a cue." 

The liberty work was beautiful - it was moving to watch Steve, his son and his daughter working so harmoniously with their horses.

Respect!!

Steve has DVD's available on his website - well worth checking out

http://www.stevebradyhorsemanship.com/home1.html

by Jenny Goodwin

 

Edwina and her Horsezone Hat!

Further to our previous post about Edwina Tops-Alexander's Aussie visit in December - here's a pic, courtesy of EA, of Horsezone's Jenny Goodwin chatting to the Aussie showjumping superstar, who was more then happy to talk horses and wear her new Horsezone hat!

Ark Time Again for Queenslanders

The last few days have been a little bit like deja vu for many Queenslanders, with heavy rainfall causing flooding and general havoc. The difference is that this year the rain is further to the south east than last year, which means areas ravaged by floods in 2011 have missed the worst of it, however, our neighbours in Brisbane and on the coast are really copping it!

Of course, heavy rain generally means mud and mess for horse people and many folks in the Gold Coast area are feeling the wet in a big way, with paddocks and stables flooding.

Alyssa Ford, from Mudgeeraba, has a couple of companion sheep in with her horses and all the animals have had to move to the highest part of the paddock to escape flooding. Luckily there's a shelter for them to hide from the worst of it, however, the sheep have apparently taken over the shelter and the horses are standing outside. who said sheep are dumb?

Del Baumann, owner of top reining stallion Dr House, lives at Guanaba, which is situated not far from Movie World, has shared some photos of the flooding that has inundated their property.

Dr House is currently home with Del having a rest after the breeding season, before he heads off to further his horizons and try his hand in the cutting pen with top trainer Mick Connelly. Unfortunately the rain flooded his paddock and water was knee deep in his stable. Even though the other horses were successfully moved to higher ground, there wasn't a really safe paddock for Dr House, due to mares being in season.

So Del didn't hesitate, she knew that of course the beautiful natured stallion had to move into the garage! She led him up through the floods, over knee deep in places, bedded him down with sawdust and plenty of lucerne, put up some hot tape and rolled down the garage door. Dr House took it all in his stride, didn't even blink at the roller door coming down and was more than happy to spend the night in his temporary home. Del's husband, Dan, had just had major surgery on his hand and been picked up from hospital only a few hours before, which explains the surgery socks he still had on, but didn't stop him from towelling off Dr House so he would be extra toasty.

This morning Del led Dr House out of the garage but it was still raining and he really wasn't interested in the wet soggy world outside, so he happily returned to his garage!

As one Facebooker who saw the photo said 'Dr House is in da House'!

Hopefully the rain will clear off soon - it's already caused cancellation of many Australia Day events in the region, not to mention evacuations and property damage - but apparently it's supposed to continue.

At least Dr House is high and dry! Stay tuned to Horsezone for more information on this lovely horse who will soon have a Stallion at Stud listing. John Wicks claims Dr House is one of the quietest studs he's ever handled in all situations. Dr House has such a lovely temperament that he can be ridden bareback in a halter and is a total gentleman in the breeding pen, not to mention his brilliance in the reining arena!

Icelandic Fun on the Beaches of NZ

While in New Zealand visiting family this month, Horsezone reader Penny Rivers had the opportunity to go trekking on Icelandic ponies in Golden Bay, a beautifully scenic area at the top of the South Island.

Penny was keen to share her experience with us, saying, "The owner of the ponies took me out for a ride on the beach at low tide, and what a ride it was!"

"The ponies were brilliant - they were very sure-footed and comfortable to ride with their small gait. The owner gave me an impromptu lesson on the beach, showing me how to ride the special gait called Tolt that Icelandic ponies are famous for. He told me to soften the horse to the inside rein, half-halt, sit deep in the saddle and drive from the legs. The horse went into Tolt, which is a four-beat gait where the sequence of foot falls is the same as walk. It felt like a fast wobble, and was incredibly comfortable to ride. From Tolt the ponies went into gallop, and we cantered and galloped along the beach and through the channels. It was a really fun and worthwhile way to experience the scenic views of Golden Bay."

If this sounds like an adventure you'd love to try, check out www.goldenbayicelandichorses.com to find out more!

If you'd like an Icelandic Pony of your own, this cutie is currently for sale on Horsezone

Meanwhile, here's a video of an Icelandic Pony tolting!

The Grey Mare Who Caused a Wedding...

Sunday 15 January found a happy gaggle of family and friends gathered to celebrate a rather damp but joyous wedding, between two people who were meant to be - especially if one grey mare had anything to do with it!

Peter McLaughlin - a well respected mounted steward at Brisbane Royal, tent pegger and rider in the Australian Outback Spectacular show - had ridden Chloe the grey Quarter Horse mare tent pegging and as his steward horse at Ekka for several years. Her owners were always happy to lend her out to Peter for such a worthy cause. Chloe's circumstances changed in 2011 when Julie Ashmole purchased the mare, however, Julie agreed that it was still okay for Peter, who she had never met, to borrow the super sensible mare for her important role at the Brisbane Show. Little did anyone know, except maybe the perceptive Chloe, that Cupid's stardust was put into flight when this agreement was made!

August 2011 rolled around and with it Ekka took over Brisbane. Both Julie and Peter were in attendance at this iconic annual event - Julie promoting her favourite winery, O'Reilly's, in the Food and Wine Pavilion and Peter, together with Chloe, performing mounted stewarding duties. Ekka resembles living in a very busy, exciting and definitely horsey village for 10 days and it has a strange habit of drawing people together. Peter and Julie were to be no exception. Of course, Chloe subtly nudged the two closer together by encouraging engaged chats about her well being, as any smart horse would!

Soon two very important people in Chloe's life were set on a road that led to a sultry summer wedding at their Gold Coast home yesterday. Despite rain the beautiful ceremony went without a hitch, even if it was under cover rather than under the trees and there was barely a dry eye in the house when celebrant, Angus Lane - a well known show announcer - pronounced the ecstatic couple husband and wife.

Chloe gave her 'stamp' of approval in the guest book and even agreed to pose for a photo, seeing as she was the reason these two had found each other! Without nudging from the knowing grey mare, who definitely had a twinkle in her eye yesterday, these two humans - who happened to only live 2km apart but hadn't met previously - would never have found each other. Chloe, however, knew they were meant to be... who says horses aren't romantic?

Congratulations Peter and Julie!

 

(photo shows neighbour, Deb, sporting footwear of choice for the day!)