PUBLISHER’S LETTER
being able to travel again looking a bit
From the Horse’s Mouth
brighter than they have in quite some time, Sonia Caeiro Alvarez takes us on an armchair journey to a spot not too far from her own home town in Portugal. In Life After Racing, Jo McKinnon catches up with Shory Park Director and Head Trainer Nikki Cook, who
With Fiona Todd
I
runs a stellar OTT rehoming program. Three hundred Thoroughbreds through Shory Park’s gates last year
t’s a new year, and for many folk around the globe a welcome opportunity for a new beginning.
alone is nothing to be sneezed at! Then that talented duo Skye Liikanen
Like most people, I don’t like to wish
and Joshua Knight hop up On My
my life away, but I was very happy to
Tackbox and talk about preparing baby
see the back of 2020 – and I suspect
for their first ride, closely followed by
I wasn’t on my own! To help us all get
the inspirational Jose Mendez with his
2021 off on the right leg, Amanda and
take on the lost art of patience and
Sonia give us the lowdown on setting
some excellent tips on training in-hand.
goals, suggesting a path forward
Amanda Mac chats to Candida Baker
designed to help no matter how big
about her latest offering, The Heart
or small your dreams might be.
of a Horse, and then we invite you to
And what a privilege it is to have
feast your eyes on the bodaciously
Warwick Schillar as our first Spotlight
baroque Andalusians, Lusitanos,
of the year - such an amazing
Lippizaners and Friesians who star
equestrian and all-round great bloke. In case you missed it, Charlie Brister
in this issue’s Breed feature.
spoke to him in Episode Five of The
We introduce you to our Young
Right Rein Podcast. If you haven’t
Rider, the super speedy barrel racer
already, make sure you catch that
Alishia Thomas, and then explain
episode and prepare to be inspired. Speaking of Charlie, the final in his series on lunging is in this issue. If you thought lunging your horse was all about sending them around and around in rather boring circles,
these days, I don’t ride (a long story for another time) – so I simply get to drool. Something that’s always fascinated me is watching riders walk the course. What are they doing? What are they thinking?
why John Solomon Rarey and Cruiser turned out to be Perfect Partners. That’s before we wrap it all up with 20 Questions, this time with the fascinating Dr Andrew McLean.
What are they looking for? Wonder no
Phew! It’s a full on edition for you
more! Our guest columnist Jeanne
all to enjoy as we roll on into 2021
And Charlie, I love your model!
O’Malley answers all of our questions.
– and may this be the year when
Ever heard of sarcoids? In the first
Natural health therapist Catherine Bird
all of your dreams come true.
Vet Vibes, our new regular feature, Dr
takes a herbal approach to helping your
Doug English introduces us to these
horse cope with the stress of our hot
And finally, as always, pour your
pesky skin tumours, their various types
climate, whilst equine nutritionist Leisa
and their treatment. We also hear
Hofstetter offers a scientific approach
from Tasmanian vet Dr Susan Peden
to some of the challenges feeding in
on the subject of Hair Tissue Mineral
summer presents. Get it right and your
Analysis, also known as HTMA.
pony looks and feels amazing, get it
you absolutely must make sure you catch each of this three part series.
It’s no secret that I love show jumping, but what you probably don’t know is that
favourite tipple, sit back, relax and enjoy.
wrong and there may be problems. With borders opening up and hopes of H O R S E V I B E S . C O M . AU | 9