Equestrian Pursuits

Head to Rubern Lodge

Shelley Callaghan (nee Washington) is a true Chinchilla local having lived in the town all her life. She is well known as a local equestrian coach, mentor, expert and generally the go-to person when it comes to horses in the region. Shelley has taught hundreds of children how to ride over the past 39 years and she is rightly proud of some of her high achievers. Shelley is the manager of the Washington family’s 300-acre property “Rubern Lodge” which looks like a set from the popular TV series “Saddle Club”. “Rubern Lodge is an equestrian centre offering agistment and riding lessons for absolute beginners to advanced competition riders,” she said. “We teach horsemanship to all our students and additional skills including dressage. “Our Rubern Riders are a strong, connected group, a family really, who often travel throughout the country competing at equestrian events. “For a long time we have been the first stop for anyone moving to town with horses because they often need somewhere handy to agist while they settle into their new properties. So we sometimes get to know the new horses in town before the people! We currently have 40 horses on agistment.” Shelley believes that Rubern Lodge’s natural beauty needs to be shared. “It’s a beautiful spot close to Chinchilla town centre,” she said. “Tourists and locals like to visit and enjoy water sports on the lagoon including paddleboats and kayaks. Shelley recently added another string to her bow by acquiring qualifications as a marriage

SHELLEY celebrant. BELIEVES THAT RUBERN LODGE’S “Two years ago we converted an old church on the property NATURAL BEAUTY into a B-and-B. That sparked an

NEEDS TO BE interest in weddings so we created

SHARED. pretty areas for ceremonies and receptions which are proving very popular.” If you’re moving to Chinchilla with horses, or if you are interested in taking up horse-riding (no matter what your age) get in touch with Shelley first and make it happen!