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WELCOME FROM MY DESK Our publication is very fortunate to have so many talented people contribute their skills and passion within our pages. Our first issue for 2017 is no exception and is filled to the brim with great articles and interviews featuring inspirational equestrians, training articles to motivate you and photo essays to keep you up-to-date with what’s been happening on the competition scene. Many of our readers who love the challenge of the competitive scene will have been out and about competing through the summer season. We hope that over the holiday period you have had the opportunity to have a break, back off the training a little, get out of the arena and enjoy some fun low-key activities with your horse. This issue includes a breathtaking travel feature from our sub-editor Kate Lattey, who took some well-deserved time out just before Christmas to head south to Glenorchy, near Queenstown. Her adventurous trekking holiday may well inspire you to undertake your own adventure! Having had that brief break, riders are heading into the most intense part of the competition season, where national championships are decided and Horse of the Year beckons. Travelling horses and competing through the hottest time of the year means that keeping your horse hydrated is critical, both for success and for his welfare. Make sure you check out our article in the Health section. Speaking of Horse of the Year, we are looking forward to covering this iconic event in our next issue. In our current issue, Laura Stenberg talks to six top competitors and finds out what makes them HOY Greats. Should you find that your or your horse are becoming bored by your usual training exercises, seasoned competitor and coach Christine Weal shares her tips, tricks and exercises to help you get your horse thinking and engaged. Finally, it’s not just about our equine partners; we need to take care of ourselves as well. Nicola Smith’s exercises help riders to prevent the discomfort and distraction of joint pain. Slot these exercises into your busy day, then follow up with our healthy and delicious recipe, Roast Vegetable Salad. You’ll be good to go! I hope you enjoy this issue as much as we have loved putting it together.
Sheryll Davies, Publisher
A WORD FROM THE TEAM PIP HUME EDITOR
We are all behind the efforts to secure Woodhill Sands for the future. How can you help? Find out how on page 42. LAURA STENBERG
SENIOR FEATURES WRITER
Ready to get into the Horse of the Year spirit? Find all the inspiration you need reading about our six legends of HOY on page 22. KATE LATTEY
WRITER
It was four seasons in five days when I went horse trekking in gorgeous Glenorchy last month. Find out more on page 46. NICOLA SMITH
PERSONAL TRAINER
I enjoyed writing exercises on how to prevent joint pain and enjoy your riding more. Check out my article on page 150.
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CONTENTS REGULARS 16
Top Shot
58
Pony Club Spotlight | Waikanae Branch
74
Retail | Summer Style
128
New Products
130
Eventing Point of View
131
Show Jumping Point of View
132
Dressage Point of View
133
Pony Breeders' Point of View
134
Warmblood Society Point of View
135
Pleasure Point of View
136
Legal Advice
138
Turnout Tips | Make White Socks Gleam
152
Recipe | Roast Vegetable Salad
153
Subscribe
154
Business Directory
SPECIAL FEATURES 22
Six Horse of the Year Greats
32
Tapatai Driftwood Sculpture
42
Woodhill Sands Fundraiser
46
Trekking through Glenorchy
INTERVIEWS 18
JHT Equine | Sharing a Dream
28
Amon Family | Horse Sense & Hard Work
34
Chloe Hansen |Multi Disciplined
38
Janet Shaw | Return to the Ring
52
Stacey Markham |The Road to HOY
54
A Day in the Life of | Louisa Broughton
56
Off the Track | Top Class
60
Lucy Olphert | Aiming Sky High
TRAINING 64
Dressage | Christine Weal
70
Transitions |Walk to Canter
72
Focus on | Control
78
Canterbury Dressage Championships
82
Hawke's Bay Showing Championships
88
Taupo Christmas Classic
94
Dressage Wellington Championship Show
100
NZ Show Horse Council Nationals
104
Ashburton Show Jumping & Show Hunter
108
Eventing Wairarapa Spring Horse Trials
112
Canterbury A&P Show
118
National Young Horse Jumping
122
Motueka A&P Show
SHARING A DREAM
FEB / MAR 17
18
JOHN THOMPSON & HOLLY LEACH Characteristically brimming with enthusiasm, Waikato couple John and Holly share their dream, and it promises to be an amazing journey!
ACING TWO DISCIPLINES
34
CHLOE HANSEN There aren’t too many horse and rider combinations in New Zealand placing weekend after weekend in 1.30m-1.40m show jumping classes and then lining up to win Show Hunter championships less than an hour later, but Chloe Hansen is one of them.
MOVING POSITIVELY
64
CHRISTINE WEAL
If you want your horse to be more forward and off your leg, there’s plenty you can do to get him thinking and moving positively. Even if your time in the saddle is limited, you’ll soon have a more forward-going and responsive ride.
EVENT COVERAGE
HEALTH 142
What A Farrier Looks for in a Horse
146
Equine Hydration
150
Joint Pain in Riders
MOTUEKA A&P SHOW TOWN MEETS COUNTRY
122
A small and dedicated team is behind Motueka A&P Show, with the equestrian section running over three days at the beginning of December. A popular show on the top of the south show calendar drawing entries from as far afield as Marlborough and Canterbury.
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TOP SHOT
It marked the end of the Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro era of dressage as they gave their swansong performance in front of an emotional crowd at the London International Horse Show at Olympia, with Charlotte’s long-time coach, mentor and friend Carl Hester standing alongside.
“I want to retire him at the top of his game because he owes me absolutely nothing,” said Dujardin. Although he is retiring from competition, Valegro will continue to make celebrity appearances and give demonstrations. PHOTO Liz Gregg
All about
INTERVIEW
CHEMISTRY &ANATOMY CHARACTERISTICALLY BRIMMING WITH ENTHUSIASM, WAIKATO COUPLE JOHN THOMPSON AND HOLLY LEACH SHARE THEIR DREAM, AND IT PROMISES TO BE AN AMAZING JOURNEY WORDS Pip Hume | PHOTOS Show Circuit Magazine
Photo: supplied
T
“It’s our passion, it’s what we love, it’s what we do.” 18
SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
he plan is in place, and it’s an ambitious one which will see the pair working towards their goal of competing internationally at the very top level of dressage. To get there, it’s going to take more than just tenacity, perseverance, commitment, sheer hard work and talent. They will also need horsepower – horses with the athleticism, heart and ability to also go to the top. And now they’ve got that covered as well, with the arrival just before Christmas of two European-bred stallions. John explains, “Last year after I was selected as non-travelling reserve for Rio, an anonymous sponsor got together with my grandfather and they put together a package which offered us the financial backing to buy at least one, or hopefully two, quality young horses. Words can’t explain how grateful we are.” So after Rio, John and Holly set off to Europe on the shopping trip of a lifetime. “It was incredible, just so much fun. We tried over 120 horses during the month we were there. We went to barn after barn, and the horses and the people were just unbelievable. “Because we are sponsored by Schockemöhle we visited Head Office and we were able to tour the stables and see all the stallions – Fürstenball, Sandro Hit, Sir Donnerhall – imagine, the whole of New Zealand’s breeding programme all in one barn! “When we were in Holland we went to the Van Olst stables where Valegro spent his early years, before he was sold to Carl Hester. We were able to see his sire, Negro - we felt like groupies,” laughs John. However, despite being star-struck, they didn’t lose sight of their objective – to find at least one horse suitable to bring home. In the first week of their trip, they saw a four-year-old stallion named Chemistry. “We were blown away when we saw Chemistry the first week we were there,” John explains. “It was love at first ride! There are so many factors that make up the perfect dressage horse but for me, it’s all about how it feels, and riding him feels fantastic. He’s a very soft horse and his rideability is amazing. It’s his greatest attribute – whatever you throw at him he will try his best.” However, while both John and Holly were immediately attracted to Chemistry, they were cautious about committing to a purchase so early in their trip. “We felt it was very important to have a really good look around. As a buyer, you need to get your eye in and become more fussy about what you are looking at. If we had had less time we may not have come home with such quality.” John and Holly are particular about the type of horse they think will
Photo: supplied
excel on the international dressage stage. “We are very focused on a good contact and an easy connection, with really good back function. You can add power to that later, “says John. “A lot of power and a weak back is a long road ahead. “We like quite sensitive horses – sharp but not hot – more of a lady’s horse, and we had to look at a lot of horses to find that. “ Chemistry is by the licensed KWPN stallion Connoisseur and his dam line is Johnston/Ferro. He’s a very modern type; not overly big, quite refined and elegant, and according to John, “His athleticism is enough to make Usain Bolt green with envy and he has legs long enough to make Elle Macpherson jealous!” The four-year-old stallion was broken in six months ago and is right at the start of his ridden career. John says that initially the emphasis will be on getting the horse used to how things are done, and building a working partnership. He feels that it’s crucial to take the time to build a foundation of solid basics and trust and will be in no hurry to push through the grades. “It’s a long way to Grand Prix; it’s more about the journey than the ribbons. “ It was after they returned to the barn, having expressed their interest in buying Chemistry, that John and Holly got the opportunity to look at a three-year-old Apache/Gribaldi colt, Anatomy. “We really liked the look of him, he was our type of horse so I asked if I could have a sit on him. They said that being just three years old, he had only had two rides and that he had a bit of a buck! I got on with Holly holding him – I was pretty nervy but he was awesome! “Since Anatomy arrived in New Zealand we’ve been mouthing and long-reining him and he has just started ridden work. He will probably come out next season as well.” The two ‘new boys’ will be joining Holly’s young stallion HP Fresco, with whom she has enjoyed great success, achieving a score of over 80% in each of his first two seasons competing. She is excited about
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“We are very focused on a good contact and an easy connection, with really good back function. You can add power to that later.”
competing the five-year-old stallion at Dressage with the Stars in Australia, and the Sydney CDI later this year. Working together as a partnership comes naturally for the couple, who say that because they share the same principles and ideas there are no conflicting issues. And while they have big plans for their own riding, these flow through to the dressage scene in New Zealand. “We really like where the sport is heading in New Zealand. It’s in a growth phase which is really exciting, and there’s so much depth at the top level now. The camaraderie between the top level riders is fantastic – we are all fiercely competitive and love to win, but when you have got to that level there’s also a lot of empathy and we are all supportive of each other.” They see the introduction of strong dressage bloodlines via their stallions as part of the progress of the sport in New Zealand. With Chemistry joining Fresco for breeding this season and Anatomy next season, their progeny will be on the competition scene within the next few years. Collecting with three stallions at stud, breeding, riding, training, competing, coaching, clinics – it all sounds horrifically busy but the pair are unfazed. ‘It’s our passion, it’s what we love, it’s what we do.” C
“It’s a long w Grand ay to more Prix; it’s a journ bout the ey tha ribbo n the ns. “
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STYLE
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SPECIAL FEATURE
6 LEGENDS OF
HORSE OF THE YEAR IT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST SPORTING EVENTS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, WITH OVER 2,000 HORSES AND 1,300 RIDERS DESCENDING ON THE HAWKE’S BAY A&P SHOWGROUNDS IN MARCH EVERY YEAR FOR THEIR CHANCE TO WIN A COVETED TITLE AT THE ANNUAL HORSE OF THE YEAR SHOW. SINCE ITS HUMBLE BEGINNINGS IN 1953, HUNDREDS, MAYBE EVEN THOUSANDS OF RIDERS, HAVE ENJOYED THE THRILL AND OVERWHELMING EMOTION THAT COMES WITH A HORSE OF THE YEAR WIN. AMONGST THOSE RIDERS THERE ARE SEVERAL STAND-OUTS – PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACCUMULATED MANY MAJOR VICTORIES AT THE SHOW, ACROSS SEVERAL DECADES, SOME IN MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES. WITH HORSE OF THE YEAR 2017 ON THE WAY, WE’RE SHARING THE EXTRAORDINARY STORIES OF SIX HORSE OF THE YEAR LEGENDS.
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SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
Merran being inducted into the Horse of the Year Hall of Hame in 2010
01 MERRAN
HAIN
Show Hunter of the Year, Show Jumper of the Year, Working Hunter of the Year…you name the title and Merran Hain has probably won it. Since her first year competing at the show in 1968, where she took her first win in Lady Rider of the Year, she has won more than 30 titles in show jumping, dressage, showing and Show Hunter. Merran’s consistency and form at the show is probably best summarised by noting that she has won the Lowry Medallion for Rider of the Year a staggering nine times, including six consecutive wins from 1981 to 1986. Others have won the special title two or three times, but none have come close to Merran’s haul. There have been countless big wins, too many to list, but Merran won’t hesitate to tell you that the most memorable were her two Olympic Cup wins on Tregonning. “The Olympic Cup in 1999 is my most memorable, as I never ever dreamt I’d win,” she says. “I was getting older and you think your days are gone. I was against John Cottle in the jump off and he should have beaten me, but he didn’t, and I just remember thinking ‘I can’t believe it, I’ve won it!’ Then in 2003, when we won again, that was the year we did the best jump off.” Many will remember the incredible horse Tregonning, who Merran won several of her 30 odd titles on, but while he’s been one of her favourites, there was another special horse. “You can’t disregard Smiley John winning the Rigoletto Trophy for the Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage in 1983 and 1988,” she says. With a history at the show spanning almost half a century, Merran has seen plenty of change and progress since that first year in 1968, but believes the importance of winning at HOY and what it means to the riders is still just the same. “There have been changes, like how the show now stays in the same place rather than moving around the country, but I don’t think a lot has changed as far people wanting to the win the title classes goes.” And it’s that challenge and desire to win that keeps Merran going year after year. “I love the camaraderie between competitors and the challenge of winning. It’s always thought of as a premier show and it’s where you want to win.” Merran plans to be at the show this year, hoping to add to her collection of title wins. “I’ve qualified for all of my classes on Untouchable – he’s my only horse these days and I hope to be there competing.” As always, multi-talented Merran will enter several disciplines, including Working Hunter of the Year – where she’ll be aiming to take the title for third year on the trot – the Amateur Rider of the Year class in show jumping, and probably some Show Hunter classes too.
02 BILL
NOBLE
After arriving in New Zealand from the United Kingdom in 1998, Bill Noble quickly made his mark on the New Zealand dressage scene by securing his first Horse of the Year title at the show in 1999. He took home the big one too, the Rigoletto Trophy for the Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage, aboard Icarus Allsorts, a horse he’d brought over from the UK. By this stage the show had already found its permanent home at Hawke’s Bay A&P Showgrounds, so unlike our other legends, Bill has only seen it run in this location. However that doesn’t mean he hasn’t also witnessed plenty of development. “There are more horses competing in the Grand Prix now,” says Bill. “There have always been two or three main contenders for the big class and another batch that weren’t far away. Now there are more entries, but still the same number of people in contention. We also no longer compete on grass and we’re in the main oval.” His win in 1999 was the first of many, with Bill taking the title for three successive years from 2005 to 2007 on Vincent St James and then again in 2014 on Airthrey Highlander. Every win has been special. “Any time you win at a show like that is incredible, as it’s difficult to perform with so much buzz around the oval. It’s definitely a case of luck as to whether you get a good run through, and whether your horse can cope with the atmosphere. It’s all part of the fun, really.” Bill recalls one incident where things didn’t quite go his way. “One year with Vincent St James I was in the middle of my extended walk when Stand up for the Champions started playing next door and he went ballistic. It was just rotten luck, but you have to be philosophical about it. You can’t dwell.” The atmosphere, while testing when you’re in the saddle, is what Bill believes makes the show. “It has an amazing atmosphere: friendly, vibrant and bustling. It’s an extraordinary show,” says Bill. He hasn’t competed himself for a few years, but has been there watching and coaching daughter Anya, which he says is far more nerve-wracking. “I’m conscious of all the things I could have helped her with or what I might have missed and constantly putting myself under scrutiny.” With Anya busy at university now, there won’t be a Noble in the dressage arena this year, but Bill will be there to coach and isn’t ruling out a return to competition one day. “Theoretically I have retired but I have no intention of stopping riding,” he says. “I’m not interested in going there to compete below Grand Prix level, but if I had the right horse I would like to go back again. I had hoped I’d slip into retirement happily, but I miss it more than I thought I would.” Let’s hope we see this Horse of the Year legend and 2016 Hall of Fame inductee back in the main oval again soon.
Bill riding Airthrey Highlander in the Dressage Horse of the Year 2014
SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
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SPECIAL FEATURE
03 CATRIONA
Catriona being inducted into the Horse of the Year Hall of Fame in 2014. With Sir Mark Todd speaking
WILLIAMS
Catriona Williams was just 11 years old when she rode in her first Pony of the Year class in 1983, when the show was at Pukekohe. She didn’t go too well in that first start, but in later years she went on to pick up multiple title wins on ponies and horses, in both show jumping and Show Hunter. Catriona secured her first Pony of the Year win aboard Meisha in 1987, then followed that up with a win on Harlequin at Levin in 1998. “Both those Pony of the Year wins were special,” says Catriona. “Meisha was just a little rock star. When I won on Harlequinm he belonged to the family we’d sold him to and had been misbehaving. They asked if I’d ride him in Pony of the Year to get him going again and he won!” Since then, Catriona has won Young Rider of the Year, Rider of the Year, the Norwood Gold Cup and Show Hunter of the Year, some on more than one occasion, but the most exciting win (alongside Pony of the Year) was the Silver Fern Stakes in 2001 on her horse of a lifetime, Falcon. “That Grand Prix class was always known as the biggest class of the show and I had to work really hard in the jump off for it. Winning that class on Falcon after bringing him home from Europe felt like validation that I had learnt something over there.” With a tragic eventing fall the following year leaving Catriona a C6-7 tetraplegic, she hasn’t competed at the show for years, but hasn’t missed attending one since. Even after her accident in November 2002, Catriona was at HOY the following March. “I remember going up to watch and I didn’t yet have a folding shower chair, so Dad drove me up with a big chair up on the back of the trailer. I kept thinking, ‘wow, could this be any more embarrassing?’” she laughs. A few years after her accident, Catriona started doing commentary for the show, which she loved and did for about seven years. It was this contribution to the show and her competition record that saw Catriona inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014, something she considers a great honour. “It was an absolute surprise and I feel very lucky to be there alongside the other inductees. It brings back great memories of the good fortune I had there.” Having not missed a single Horse of the Year since 1983, Catriona has seen plenty of changes. “It was a lot smaller back then and aimed at the best of the best,” she explains. “It wasn’t open to everybody and you had to qualify to get there and then qualify again for the championships at the show. You had to be the best you could be to make it ot HOY, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.” However, she still rates the quality of the jumping as first class and loves being there to watch the best riders on their best horses. “When it all comes together on the day, there is no better sport in the world to watch. People prepare their horses to peak at this show and it’s just the best feeling when it all works.” She’ll be at the 2017 Horse of the Year to watch a few friends’ children compete and catch up with everyone. “I love going for two or three days when I have someone to follow, but I’m not a good tourist. We’ll keep going as long as we’ve got an interest. It’s the best show in Australasia and one you can’t miss!” Dorothy and Glentullock
Gaylene and El Sid
LENNARD 04 / 05 GAYLENE & DOROTHY
Horse of the Year 2017 will be an unusual one for sisters Gaylene & Dorothy Lennard. Since first competing at the show at Karaka in 1997, they’ve been to all but one Horse of the Year Show together. However, with the recent retirement of the horse of a lifetime, Glentullock, Dorothy is unlikely to ride this year and Gaylene will only be competing her young horse in dressage. The Lennards have always been tough competition at Horse of the Year, picking up numerous titles over the years in the show ring. Gaylene won Hack of the Year six times between 2000 and 2006, Park Hack of the Year five times between 1999 and 2008, and the Gee Whizz Memorial Equestrian Turnout on a couple of different occasions too. These results were recognised when Gaylene was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011, something that left her totally gobsmacked. “It was amazing really, such an honour. I never thought they’d induct a showie!” she says. Dorothy has also had her name on the Gee Whizz Turnout title and has won Saddle Hunter of the Year twice and Paced and Mannered Saddle Hunter of the Year on Glentullock several times. Success at the show has always been a team effort with the sisters mucking in to help out and cheer each other on, and their mum Betty is a vital part of the team too. “We just couldn’t do without Mum at Horse of the Year,” says Gaylene. “We help each other too. El Sid (six-time Hack of the Year winner) always used to need lunging before competition, so Dorothy would fill up the thermos and come with me. Our title classes were on different days, so I’d help her with Glentullock too.” They work well together while staying away at the week-long show too, with Dorothy adding that “one always does the cooking and the other does the cleaning!” They’ve seen plenty of growth at the show since 1997 and enjoy what it’s become. “It’s got a whole lot bigger and I like how there are so many different disciplines at one show – no other show is like that,” says Gaylene. “It’s such a different mix of horses and people. Of course, the shopping is great too.” Dorothy loves the atmosphere, the chance to catch up with friends and like Gaylene, the huge array of trade stalls. “At Karaka there was just dressage, show jumping and showing all crammed in between the trees and there was no trade space. I love the atmosphere at the show now. Glentullock always knew it was a big show and rose to the occasion to give his best.” While HOY 2017 will look a bit different for the Lennards, with no experienced horses going and none competing in the show ring, the intention is still to win. Having switched to dressage seven years ago after winning everything she could in showing, several times over, Gaylene will be taking a young Level 1 horse that she is “pretty excited about. The goal will be to win, of course, we don’t go to muck around,” says Gaylene. “That’s why I won’t be taking my Grand Prix dressage horse, Donzello. He’s still very green at this level and I’ll only take him when I have a chance of being in the winner’s circle.” With no Glentullock for the first time in nine years, Dorothy is still uncertain whether she’ll be there to watch her sister. “It was the right time to retire him, but it wasn’t easy. I had to put it on Facebook and make it official, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it,” she laughs. “If I do get down to the show to watch Gaylene, it will be different not riding. I’ll be able to party until late and sleep in!”
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“IT’S JUST A GOOD SHOW TO BE AT. THE PEOPLE, THE HORSES, THE ATMOSPHERE.” 06 MAURICE
BEATSON
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Maurice riding My Gollywog in the 2015 Olympic Cup
Starting at his first Horse of the Year show in 1965 at 11 years of age, Maurice Beatson was the first of our ‘legends’ to ride at the prestigious event. That happened to be a year in which it was held at its current location, the Hawke’s Bay A&P Showgrounds, but it certainly didn’t resemble the show we know today. “I can’t even think what the grandstand was like back then. It might be a different grandstand now,” says Maurice. “Everything has changed – the jumping, the jumps, the horses, the people, the shopping and the public numbers. There have been so many major changes, the public attendance has increased so much since the show moved to Hastings and everything’s more professional.” Maurice doesn’t believe anything has changed, however, as far as people wanting to win the big class. “The Olympic Cup is still the most prestigious class and people still want to win it – that’s still the same.” Maurice knows better than most why that is too, having won an incredible five times. His first win came in 1983 aboard Nationwide, which the combination backed up by winning again the following year, and Maurice won for a third time in 1986 on Jefferson Junior. His fourth win came in 1991 on Minalinka, but then it was a 22 year wait for his fifth victory, in 2013 on seasoned campaigner My Gollywog. “It always gets harder to win and that last one in 2013 was pretty special,” he says. “It’s been worth a lot of money to win and place in the big class over the years and I’ve had some very good dividends out of it.” It’s not just the Olympic Cup that Maurice has starred in – he’s won just about every major show jumping class at the show, including the Norwood Gold Cup four times, the Silver Fern Stakes three times and the Nationwide Cup (for the show jumping rider with the most points at the show) four times. This cup was donated by Maurice and named after his double Olympic Cup winning horse, Nationwide. Maurice will be lining up in the three major show jumping classes again this year, the Norwood Gold Cup, the Silver Fern Stakes and the Olympic Cup. Riding Mandalay Cove and Schimmel Warrior, he says the ultimate goal is to win any of those big classes, and he’ll also have one each in the Five, Six and Seven-Year-Old age group titles too. Five different horses to ride in multiple classes at this major event – it’s no mean feat! After all those years competing at the show, having only missed it a handful of times since 1965, Maurice still appreciates every Horse of the Year. “It’s just a good show to be at. The people, the horses, the atmosphere, the social side and the opportunity to compete in those major classes is great.” C
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MEANT TO BE INTERVIEW
WORDS Pip Hume | PHOTOS Show Circuit Magazine THE FIRST TIME NATALIE TOEKE LAID EYES ON THE BEAUTIFUL AND APTLY NAMED THOROUGHBRED GELDING HIGH CLASS, SHE KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT HIM. HOWEVER, HE PASSED THROUGH A COUPLE OF OTHER HOMES BEFORE THE TIMING WAS FINALLY RIGHT AND SHE WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE HIM.
EARLY DAYS
I bought Squidgy in April 2015. He was bred by Trevor Yule, and Ilone Kelly bought him at the 2009 NZB Yearling Sales. He came from a very good line, and Ilona had purchased a few of the same family. It has been a very consistent family that have all won…except Squidge. He showed promise in his trials, winning jump-outs, but after only two starts for a third and a fifth he was retired.
THE PURCHASE
OFF THE TRACK
After his short racing stint, Squidgy spent some time with Megan Hawkins in Taranaki before ending up at EventStars in Cambridge where he was sent to be sold on. I first saw him advertised in late 2014 and I recall thinking what a lovely type he was. He was definitely my kind of horse – big, handsome and with an amazing presence about him. The video that EventStars posted on their Facebook page caused a lot of attention as he just floated across the ground. For a green horse he was naturally balanced and really covered the ground; an amazing mover that definitely had the x-factor! It was hard to believe that he was a Thoroughbred, and I thought he would get snapped up in no time.
HIGH CLASS
He was sold fairly quickly but from what I understand some of his quirky post-racing behaviours were just a little too much for his new home, so he was returned as unsuitable and re-advertised for sale. Whilst I loved the look of him and thought he could be something quite special, I wasn’t in the market for a new horse as I was still competing my show horse, Countaj.
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But as fate would have it, Countaj was regretfully retired not long after Squidgy sold for the second time. Squidgy ended up in Christchurch for a short period, before being advertised again as the new owner was having a baby. Not wanting to miss a third opportunity, my sister and I took a day trip to Christchurch to see him, and I fell in love from the moment I first sat on him. After that first ride on Squidgy, I was sold. I had never sat on any other Thoroughbred that had his suppleness, lightness and presence. Although he was weak and gangly and still very green he had such a balanced, uphill feel that I knew what sort of horse he could be with work and development. I was looking for a big horse that had great paces and oozed presence for the show ring and he definitely ticked those boxes. He’s also got a beautiful head with a kind eye. I was excited to see where I could take this very special horse! I had heard from a few people before I looked at him that he could be a difficult horse and could get quite full of himself but on the day I looked at him, he didn’t put a foot wrong! And based on what he had shown me that day, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to own him.
A CHARACTER
Squidgy is definitely an interesting character. He can be a soft, loving horse who just adores cuddles and attention and really tries very hard to please in his training. He’s a very quick learner; most of the time he enjoys learning and has a very good work ethic, but he does have a quirky side to him. His sheer exuberance means that he likes to let off steam and he can be full of himself but he has never, ever been ‘dirty’. I have found that he just needs a firm but understanding hand to sort through those quirks and show him the behaviour that is expected of him. It helps that I have had most of my horses off the track and understand that it takes patience, time and understanding to re-educate them in their general manners as well as their ridden work. I didn’t have unrealistic expectations of Squidgy to begin with, because that cocky attitude of his is what gives him that ‘look at me’ quality. It’s just part of his make-up! Our worst day ever was probably at Rotorua A&P Show. It was only his fourth show and he was a lot more rebellious than I expected in the ring and pushed it to the limits. Straight afterwards, I asked Chris McKechnie to have a ride on him and he advised me on how to approach some of the issues. Squidgy responded really well and that was a turning point - he then took out the Champion Paced and Mannered at Franklin A&P only a few weeks later. Training has been a matter of perseverance and consistency! He’s been challenging, and it’s easy to start questioning what you should be doing at different times.
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“He thinks when he steps into the ring that everyone is there to see him.” I’m lucky to have some good sounding-boards who keep me focused on the basics of manners and correct development work for Squidgy’s topline and self-carriage. I have found that sticking to a correct and patient philosophy and seeing improvement encourages me. Consistent work has been crucial for him and there have been a lot of winter nights under a single floodlight this year! For a horse that I was warned about as being dangerous and unpredictable, I really couldn’t have asked for a better partner! He’s my dream and is developing into a wonderful horse that has a huge future ahead of him. He’s also made me a better rider along the way.
ACHIEVEMENTS
What we have achieved to date has gone beyond my expectations and the 2015/2016 season has been pretty successful. I was asked to be part of the Thoroughbred team for Beyond The Barriers in the Battle of the Breeds competition in Hamilton. It was a fantastic day and Squidgy gave me the most incredible ride. He really rose to the occasion and loved the crowd and music, and we won the challenge, which meant $1,000 cash! There have been multiple championships and reserves in the show ring, but a memorable win was the 2016 Champion Paced & Mannered at Franklin A&P. There were some very well-seasoned horses in the class and winning
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it was confirmation that we have come such a long way and the hard work and dedication has really paid off. He was also second in the prestigious Cholmondeley-Smith Salver Cup at the Easter Show (a class for Thoroughbreds) alongside some beautiful quality Thoroughbreds, and has been competing at Level 3 dressage with good scores.
FUTURE PLAN
Born:
08/11/2007
This year our focus is on consolidating Squidgy’s performance and consistency in the show ring. He loves to show off and enjoys a crowd, and I really want to see just how well he can go there. The schooling I have been doing to get him to go more correctly has also got me far more interested in the challenges of dressage – I really enjoyed doing the Waikato Winter Series on him, so I’m also determined to pursue that and see how far we can go through the levels. Combining the discipline of the movements with a soft, supple, happy horse that keeps his cocky ‘look at me’ character is going to be my biggest challenge! Squidgy is the ultimate showman. He thinks when he steps into the ring that everyone is there to see him. He has a very high opinion of himself and turns heads wherever he goes. We are still a work in progress but I love that ongoing challenge and the satisfaction of making progress with my very special horse. C
Race Name:
Big Chap
Sire:
High Chaparral
Dam:
Java Silk
Race Starts: Two
Race Winnings:
One third placing for $1,015
Show Name: High Class
Paddock Name: Squidgy
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INTERVIEW
“Although there is a healthy rivalry between the three siblings, they all get along with each other, and regularly go away together to competitions for four or five days at a time with little friction.”
HORSE & hard work THIS CLOSE-KNIT AND TALENTED FAMILY SHARE A PASSION FOR HORSES AND A STRONG WILL TO SUCCEED. WORDS & PHOTOS Pip Hume
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B
ounded by the massive Kaingaroa Forest and the rugged and imposing Te Urewera National Park, the lush, green Murupara Valley nestles between Rotorua and Taupo. It’s the home of the engaging and likeable Amon family. It’s clear that parents Rob and Lisa have passed on their own solid values and work ethic to their children. Young riders Jeffrey, Danielle and Sam are rising stars in the eventing world, and their success has been brought about by their own hard work and commitment. “While we’ve always encouraged and supported our children as much as we could, the horse scene is expensive!” explains Rob. “So they’ve each had to make their own way – we haven’t bought them expensive horses and equipment.” Over the years, that support has taken many forms, and Rob is himself a man of many talents. He is an accomplished maker of beautiful, hand-tooled Western saddles,
and is able to make whatever tack and cover repairs and alterations are necessary. As the son of a shepherd, he has spent most of his life on horseback, and it was his ability to capture and break in wild ponies from the bands that roam the edges of the Te Urewera National Park which initially provided the three siblings with their horsepower. “Many people are aware of the Kaimanawa wild horses now,” says Rob, “but there are other bands that still exist in New Zealand. Just recently I saw a band of about 40 Te Urewera horses on the road. Some are wilder than others – it’s not unusual to see horses with ropes still on them that have just been let go.” He adds that the Murupara locals tend to keep an eye on the local horse population, culling stallions where necessary from time to time. Rob likes the easy and excellent temperament of the wild horses. Of the “many, many” wild horses that he has dealt
Jeffrey with My Silver Lining who has just stepped up to 3* level
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“Spirit was running with a band of Te Urewera wild horses when Dad captured him. He was about two years old at the time.” with, he has only ever struck one difficult one, who had been separated from the herd as a baby, and then left in a paddock alone. “They are a lot easier than many ponies. We run them into loading yards and bring them home into a quarantine paddock where they are wormed and any health problems can be dealt with. We then spend two or three weeks working with them until they are ready to have the saddle on, then another week or two under saddle before they start going out around the farm.” The eye-catching 14.2 palomino Spirit is one of the success stories for the family. “Spirit was running with a band of Te Urewera wild horses when Dad captured him. He was about two years old at the time,” explains Jeffrey. “He is a fantastic jumper – as a youngster he would jump out over the 2.4m deer fences. I took him eventing up to CNC95 level, then Danielle took over the ride – she did the CNC105 at Kihikihi on him in 2014. He was a fantastic ride across country and could turn and jump on a
dime, but as he went up through the grades he was always going to struggle a bit to cover the ground. We sold him to a show jumping home and he is out competing successfully at Pony Grand Prix now.” At 19 years old, Jeffrey is the eldest of the three children. His main ride is My Silver Lining (Grey Boy), a 12-year-old grey gelding by Craighaven Leviosa who has just stepped up to 3*. Unfortunately injury put Grey Boy on the sideline for the latter part of the spring season; however the hope is that he will be out competing again in the autumn season, with 3* starts planned if all goes well. Eighteen-year-old Danielle has recently taken over the ride on JA Candy Girl from Jeffrey. By Pintado Desperado out of a TB mare, she is competing at 1* level. “She’s not very big, only about 16.1hh and she has more of a pony stride,” comments Jeffrey, who has long legs. He explains that the mare’s initial eventing career was hampered by a series of ‘dumb’ accidents as a young horse – “always in the safest paddocks on the farm!” – and says that she is still quite immature. Danielle also has My Rainbow Rhythm, Sam’s former 1* horse, plus a youngster who is a half-brother to Jeffrey’s My Silver Lining. “He’s a stunning, big young horse. He’s four years old and has just been started – the boys aren’t allowed to ride him, because they won’t give him back!” Sam is fifteen years old, and is currently campaigning Trojan Warrior, on which he took out the CNC1* class at the National One Day Eventing Championships at Arran Station in 2016, then followed up that success with a fourth place at Puhinui in the CCI1* Junior Rider class. Sam also has a young Thoroughbred, JA Take a Shot, who was picked up off the track as a sixyear-old. He is by Danroad, and is known around home as Danny. Also on his team is Ellie, or RM Let it Be, a Holsteiner-Thoroughbred cross who was bred by Debbie and Peter Barke. She is an easy and relaxed horse that is currently competing at CNC80. With about 20 horses altogether on the property, there’s no shortage of rides for everyone. However, when it comes to travelling away, the seven truck spaces are strictly allocated.
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“We can stretch it to nine if we can pursuade our grandparents to tow the float, but realistically that only works for local competitions, like Rotorua or Taupo,” grins Jeffrey. Although there is a healthy rivalry between the three siblings, they all get along with each other, and regularly go away together to competitions for four or five days at a time with little friction. Rob and Lisa feel that their children’s strong bond comes from the fact that they have been home schooled. “They are best friends. They work and play together, and they are definitely a team. They each use their strengths. Danielle is a fantastic plaiter and great on turnout – she does all of the turnout for the team. The boys look after the saddles and bridles, and they ride the roughies.” Jeffrey is part-way through a farriery course through Telford and is able to take care of most of the horses’ feet, although their regular farrier does any corrective work that’s needed. His business JA Eventing also keeps him busy taking in horses for breaking in, schooling on the flat and over jumps, and giving lessons. He has also become sought after to build cross-country jumps, including moveable jumps which are ideal for individuals and trainers. He sources the timber for these and mills it himself, and recently upgraded the cross-country course at his local Rerewhakaaitu Pony Club. The Amon family are all great contributors to Pony Club, having come through the PC system and participated in everything from Area mounted games to teams show jumping at Cambridge. They help out with training at two camps run annually, one at Taupo and the other at Murupara. “It’s a way of giving back. It’s not just about helping the kids with their riding – it’s about helping them with all the details that they need to know, for instance that they need to have a back number holder when they compete at horse trials. It’s so rewarding seeing riders go from having three refusals at every start to moving up a level and winning!” Sam with Trojan Warrior
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Hunter trials – From left: Jeffrey, Danielle, Sam
Danielle with JA Candy Girl
Peter and Debbie Barke
Well-known trainers Peter and Debbie Barke first met the Amon family when Jeffrey approached them seeking work experience in the winter of 2015. This winter, both Jeffrey and Sam worked for the Barkes a couple of times a week in exchange for lessons. “The association grew because they are such a great family. Their work ethic is second to none – they are very conscientious and can turn their hands to anything from roofing and tree planting to handling, breaking and riding the horses,” says Debbie. “All three of them are very talented and have this hunger to learn; they are like sponges. They’ve got great instincts and are nice with the horses. They’ve been very successful with their less conventional horses, turning them into really reliable, honest mounts.” Debbie credits the siblings with being good horsemen, and coming from a background of good horse sense. Jeffrey has done all of the jump training and eventing with the Barkes’ young gelding RM Limbo, who missed the spring season due to an annoying cough but will be out competing again in the autumn. “He will go to Pre-Novice and 1* quite quickly. He has the jump, he just needs the experience.” Meanwhile, Debbie is also very pleased to see how well Limbo’s full sister Ellie (RM Let it Be) is going in the hands of Sam, who now owns her. C
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INTERVIEW
“
I can tell what type
of tree the wood
HORSES FROM THE
Sea
has come from –
pohutukawa, black
”
maire, puriri - and how old the tree was.
WORDS Pip Hume
TAPĀTAI MEANS ‘COASTLINE’ OR ‘SHORELINE’ IN MAORI, AND FOR WAIPU CREATIVE ARTIST GREG MADDOX, THE SEASHORE PROVIDES BOTH THE INSPIRATION AND THE RAW MATERIAL FOR HIS LARGE-SCALE DRIFTWOOD SCULPTURES. Greg’s driftwood art is imposing and frankly, stunning. His rearing horse Goliath stands at about four metres tall – about the size of a Clydesdale horse – although he is happy to take commissions that will fit his customers’ needs. “That’s the joy of working on commission – I can give my customers exactly what they want,” he explains.
An artist who has always loved horses, Greg’s riding experience has been limited to rides on borrowed horses. However, his partner Sarah Archer is an avid horsewoman, and has brought him closer to the equestrian scene. The driftwood sculptures originated when Greg returned to New Zealand after seven years in New York, where he principally worked as a firefighter, but with a graphics business on the side. "At that time I was into airbrushing motorcycles, doing mural work and 3D fibreglass sculptures. I had a lot of fun working with a New York graphic designer doing some work on the Big Apple campaign over there, which was a project to colour up the streets. It started with cows on street corners, then moved to big 3D apple sculptures. It was great!” While he was working in Auckland, Greg met Sarah, and the pair decided to return to Greg’s hometown of Waipu, setting up their signage business there. The driftwood sculptures came about after a
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SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
huge storm in 2010. “The beach was filled with driftwood; you couldn’t even walk on it,” Greg remembers. “The first piece I did was a driftwood moa, which sold to the Auckland Zoo, and the second piece was an eagle with a four metre wing-span, which also sold relatively quickly. I realised then that the driftwood sculptures could be a viable business.” The coastline at Waipu, about 20 minutes south of Whangarei, is classic Northland, with long, white sand beaches, lots of islands and lots of ocean. However, the driftwood there isn’t ideal for his purpose, and Greg prefers to travel down to the East Cape area every few weeks to source driftwood that is derived from native timbers. “The Awanui River up here has pine trees on both sides, so the driftwood is mainly pine. It’s too soft and not durable enough,” he explains. In contrast, the hardwoods will not break down, as long as they are above the soil and dry. “The water and salt work to preserve the wood. The tree has washed down a river and been bashed about by rocks and waterfalls. By the time it has been washed out to sea, floated around for a bit and then washed up on the shore it’s a very strong piece of wood, all washed and polished. I probably break four drill bits a week on the driftwood! “I’m not looking for big pieces of wood; I’m very selective and use
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smaller pieces that will flow into what I am creating. When I’m building a sculpture there isn’t any particular way to do it – the wood itself shapes the final piece. It’s quite a spiritual process actually. “I can tell what type of tree the wood has come from – pohutukawa, black maire, puriri -
and how old the tree was.“ Greg prefers to work on one piece at a time, completing what he has started before commencing the next project. The wood for each individual piece is specifically collected, although the finished piece evolves during its construction. “I will look for a muscle, or a hoof – there’s no cutting. I have developed a better understanding of the form of an animal and I can see how it all works as I build – nature is so perfect in the way that an animal is set up. “The rearing horse sculpture uses basic engineering principles to make the inherently strong shape. Nature utilises those shapes – when a horse rears it naturally forms a C shape to create strength.” Greg also likes to adhere to eco principles, saying that he prefers not to use steel in his pieces, as the manufacturing process for steel is inherently ‘dirty’. He does however use rebar and concrete for the installations.
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INTERVIEW
PHOTO Trewey’s Photography
ACING
DISCIPLINES
TWO
“I’M 50% A SHOW HUNTER RIDER AND 50% A SHOW JUMPER
AND I’LL KEEP DOING IT IF I’VE ALWAYS GOT THE RIGHT HORSES TO DO IT ON.” There aren’t too many horse and rider combinations in New Zealand placing weekend after weekend in 1.30m-1.40m show jumping classes and then lining up to win Show Hunter championships less than an hour later, but Chloe Hansen (nee Akers) and her horse of a lifetime, Kiwi Motto (Harty), have managed to perfect the art of competing across the two disciplines. We caught up with the 27-year-old from Opiki to find out the secret to her success and her advice for other riders wanting to get it right in both show jumping and Show Hunter arenas. WORDS Laura Stenberg
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SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
PHOTO kampic.com
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A GOOD START
Being the youngest of five girls in a horse mad family, Chloe was on ponies at a young age and started out competing in the show jumping and showing ring. At age 8 she gave Show Hunter a go and quickly uncovered a new passion. “I really liked it. I was getting lots of lessons from Gail Goodwin and I had some incredible ponies,” says Chloe. “Minuette was a star and Irish Molly had won Show Hunter Pony of the Year when we got her, so I had great ponies to learn from. To help the kids enjoy it from a young age, they’ve got to be on ponies that are suited to whatever discipline they’re doing.”
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STICKING WITH BOTH
While her older sisters grew out of the Show Hunter interest and chose to focus solely on their respective disciplines, Chloe has competed in both show jumping and Show Hunter for almost 20 years. “I’d say I’m pretty even on the two – I’m 50% a Show Hunter rider and 50% a show jumper – and I’ll keep doing it if I’ve always got the right horses to do it on. Just like with the ponies, there’s no point battling away with a horse that is completely unsuitable for one or the other.”
WHY DO IT?
Chloe is a big advocate of competing across both disciplines, whether it’s on the same horse or not. For the rider, there are so many skills learnt competing in Show Hunter that you can take back to jumping. “Hunters encourage you to be a nice soft rider,” says Chloe. “You can’t be on the horse’s face in front of the fence, you have to learn to soften. Many of the basics are the same, such as keeping the rhythm, and riding accurate lines.” The accuracy, precision and need for any adjustments to be invisible when riding a Show Hunter round will help a rider to improve their overall show jumping performance. “In Show Hunter, you need to learn to keep your horse in a rhythm, get the right leads and do clean flying changes, and these basics, once you and your horse learn them, make your show jumping much easier. Equitation classes are great too as they are almost a combination of the two disciplines, with roll back turns and split lines like in show jumping, but with the rhythm and accuracy of Show Hunter.”
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“I PROBABLY GET A BIT MORE NERVOUS FOR THE HUNTERS BECAUSE I PUT A LOT OF PRESSURE ON MYSELF AS I’M STRIVING TO MAKE IT LOOK PICTURE PERFECT.” FINDING A HORSE FOR BOTH
So what is it that Chloe looks for in a horse to compete in both disciplines? “If you are just going to have one horse and you want them to do both, there are a few key things I’d look out for,” says Chloe. “You want a nice type that’s not too heavy and jumps with the classic technique, making a nice shape over the fence with tight, even front knees. They’ve got to have a good brain too.” If they have those qualities, Chloe says they should be able to do the two disciplines, and that many horses out competing now could easily be successful in both. “In America there are lots of people who compete at the top level in both disciplines, but here many people will say their horse is Show Hunter only and can’t show jump, which is silly. If a horse can jump a Show Hunter round, there’s no reason it can’t also show jump. It’s just about making tighter turns, and a few minor tweaks with your riding, and sometimes your tack.” The same thing goes for show jumpers, with Chloe saying that there are plenty of horses out there that could be in the hunter ring. When Chloe bought Harty as a five-year-old, she wanted him for both disciplines but never knew quite how good he would be. “We noticed he had the basics that would make him suitable for both, but never expected he would be so good. Still, there’s no crystal ball with horses; you’ve got to look out for those basics and the rest is in the training.”
MANAGING THE LITTLE CHALLENGES
You’d think for a seasoned pro like Chloe that nerves would be long forgotten, but that’s not quite the case. “I probably get a bit more nervous for the hunters because I put a lot of pressure on myself as I’m striving to make it look picture perfect. My sister Sophie gave me a great bit of advice that I now remind myself of when I go in the ring. It’s that I can’t control the competition, only what I’m doing. So now I’m only focused on my round and doing the best I can – I don’t think about what the others are doing.” Thanks to many years of training and experience, her number one horse is used to the crossover between disciplines, and with good management it’s now very straightforward. “Harty is a super freak and finds going between the two easy now. I plan my competitions so I ideally show jump on day one when he’s fresh and do the hunters the next day when he has a little less energy, but it doesn’t always work that way! So I manage his feed, giving him his Pryde’s Power Pak and Easi Result to keep up his energy up when I need it, and a range of Cortaflex products to keep him in peak condition for whichever discipline he needs to be ready for.”
CHLOE’S APPROACH
For Chloe to get things right in both arenas, it’s important for her to focus on each discipline separately and then adjust her riding to suit. When the fences get a little bigger in the show jumping ring, Chloe will ride in a full seat to help Harty keep upright and go in a slightly more collected, uphill canter. “They are only small adjustments though and my basics are the same, where I aim to keep him in a good rhythm all the time,” she says. “Being able to use a good range of seats is important as when I get back into the hunters, I’m in a two-point contact.”
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Chloe has acquired plenty of knowledge and experience over the years to train her horses for one or more disciplines and perfect her ride for both, but her advice to other aspiring Show Hunter/show jumper riders is simple. “Your success in the ring will depend largely on your horse – whether they are able to cope and have the basic attributes for both disciplines, and whether you’ve trained them well for both. You also need to get in the zone for each discipline, focus on each one individually, do your homework and don’t be afraid to ask for help!” C
INTERVIEW
return to the What do you do when you have a well-bred horse – an Olympic prospect, no less – sitting in your paddock with no rider around? What if you haven’t competed in over 30 years, but the horse is simply too good to waste, and too much a part of the family to sell on? When top dressage trainer Janet Shaw found herself in this position, there was no choice but to don her dressage tails and get back into the competition arena.
or years Janet has devoted her life to her daughter Charlott Bayliss’s dressage career and to training other riders and horses. It was only in 2014, when Charlott gave up riding to have a baby, that Janet was left without a rider for their stunning 10-year-old bay gelding Jitter Bug, by the KWPN registered stallion Jive Magic. “Bug”, as he’s known at home, was bought by mother and daughter from Melbourne as a weanling to be Charlott’s Olympic Games prospect. “Charlott’s last competition was Horse of the Year 2014 at Level 6/7 on another horse, Champs Elysée. Bug had only had a few outings at that stage so I had one of my students, Kate Welton (a three time winner of the National Young Rider title and New Zealand representative) ride him for a little while. She did two shows and then gave up riding too,” Janet explains. “I was in the situation where I had this incredible horse who I could either sell or find another rider for. It’s funny – when Charlott and I used to work together and we would argue, as mother and daughter often do, she would say, ‘You get on and do it!’ so I thought, ‘Bugger it, I will get on and do it!” Janet has slowly taken Jitter Bug up through the grades and has now had a couple of Level 6 starts. However, getting to this stage over the past two years hasn’t been easy, and still isn’t. Despite Janet being one of New Zealand’s top dressage coaches, training many riders and their horses up to Grand Prix level over the years, her own time in the competition arena is very limited and before campaigning Bug, she hadn’t ridden in a competition for over 30 years. Growing up in the East End of London in a working-class family, there wasn’t the money for Janet to have horses of her own, so she mucked out and swept a lot of stables, doing everything she could to ride. “I left school at 14, worked hard in a stable and would try to get catch rides on other people’s horses,” she says. “I rode and schooled a lot of horses and had the opportunity to train with and work for incredible people like Stephen Clarke, David Hunt and Judy Harvey. However, without the money, my opportunities to compete were limited. Then when I did finally get a good,
F
Ring
WORDS Laura Stenberg | PHOTO Eye Witness Photography
fully sponsored horse in the UK, I competed up to about the equivalent of Level 5 before I married a Kiwi and left, so that was about all of the competition I had ever done!” Since moving to New Zealand, most of the schooling riding Janet has done has been in rising trot, so learning to sit to the trot again well enough for competition has been a struggle. Grit and perseverance, as well as the support, comfort and security Janet feels in her Bates saddle, have helped her get to the point where she can now ride a Level 6 dressage test. “After any break – and in my case it was a rather long one – it’s not easy to come back, and my Bates Innova Mono+ was what enabled me to find the right support for my return to high level competition,” explains Janet. “Bug is a big moving, incredibly powerful warmblood, so it wasn’t easy to learn on him, but the Bates Innova Mono+ special single flap design gives me the closest possible contact, so I feel secure and can get my leg down, long and on. The FlexiContourbloc together with the adjustable stirrup bar allow me to customise my very own preferred positions, so the saddle is always perfectly balanced for me.” After sponsoring Charlott for over 20 years, Janet was pleasantly surprised when the Bates sponsorship was offered to her after Charlott stopped riding. “Not in a million years did I ever think someone would want to sponsor me, so it’s great encouragement to keep going. I’ve now moved into the Mono-Luxe saddle which features the most beautiful, soft, sticky leather with incredible grip to keep me still and even more secure. Charlott always loved the Bates Isabell dressage saddles but the Bates Innova Mono+ with the calf-skin Luxe leather is definitely the one for me. I love these saddles because they are so adjustable – and the adjustment options through the EASY-CHANGE® Fit Solution are so easy. This means that as the horses change shape, for whatever reason, the tree width or the panel depth can be customised to accommodate those changes. In a few minutes, on the spot, the saddle fit can be altered dramatically – it is that easy!”
“Not in a million years did I ever think someone would want to sponsor me, so it’s great encouragement to keep going.”
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Aside from struggling with sitting trot and perfecting her position, Janet has battled with competition nerves and says getting out to compete has given her a better appreciation and understanding of what her clients feel when they are in the ring. “You’re either a natural competitor or you’re not. I’m not. I haven’t done enough of it and I get nervous, so it’s helped me to understand my students better, because once you go down that centre line, anything can happen. I enjoy schooling, but the discipline in the arena is hard for me. I’m definitely a trainer at heart.” While Janet is enjoying the outings with Bug, her focus is still on advancing her number one passion – coaching. As a British Horse Society Intermediate Instructor with years of experience, Janet is well qualified to teach, but is currently working to take her qualifications to the next level and competition is part of that. “To move up to the next level I need to have ridden a Grand Prix test, so that’s the goal now. It’s all about furthering my coaching – that’s my passion, no matter the discipline.” She’s good at it too, with not only Charlott but countless other students enjoying success under her tutorship. Vay Snyman, Bill Millar, Anya Noble, Lisa Blackbourn, the Lennard family, Margs Carline, James Jackson and Robyn Coupe are all top riders and
competitors who have been helped by Janet over the years. “I only ever have 10 to 12 pupils at a time, as I prefer to have fewer and give each of them 100%,” says Janet. “I’ve enjoyed working with so many great riders but I need help too, so Lisa has been great at helping me out and we swap lessons. I’m on a tight budget so that works well. I’ve also been fortunate to have some help from Louisa Hill.” One pupil that Janet particularly loves working with is Robyn Coupe. “Robyn inspires me – she’s around the same age as me, but there she is competing at Level 7, taking two horses out every weekend, with no groom, just doing it all herself. She rides both horses in a Bates Innova Mono+ too and I’ve seen first hand how that has also helped her to connect so closely with her horses. I truly believe those saddles help both of us to do what we’re doing.” Janet is unsure how much longer she’ll be out competing, but the goal is to ride Grand Prix in order to take her coaching to the next level, while keeping the seat warm for Charlott to take over again. “I’d give anything for Charlott to get back on, and she might now that she’s had her baby,” says Janet. “We picked Bug as our Olympic horse and we’ve been so close to that before, so who knows, we could still make it!”
“I’d give anything for Charlott to get back on, and she might now that she’s had her baby.”
A woman of many talents PHOTO takethemoment.co.nz
She’s best known for her involvement with dressage, but Janet has also trained trotters and racehorses – even being involved with the training of Oarsman, a horse that went to the Melbourne Cup in 2004, after winning the Wellington Cup and placing 2nd in the Auckland Cup. She also worked in a polo yard for some time and set up a business years ago called Polowear to sell gear and equipment to polo players. In New Zealand, she designed and patented “forgiving reins”, a special type of rein with elastic inserts which Janet created to help her students have an elastic feel from their hand to the horse’s mouth. C
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COMMUNITY
WOODHILL SANDS EQUESTRIAN CENTRE
WOODHILL SANDS EQUESTRIAN CENTRE, NORTH OF KUMEU EN ROUTE TO HELENSVILLE, IS THE PREMIER FACILITY FOR EQUESTRIAN SPORTS COMPETITION AND TRAINING IN THE AUCKLAND AREA, SO WHEN THE NEWS WAS REVEALED THAT THE PRIVATELY-OWNED PROPERTY WAS TO BE PUT ON THE MARKET, IT PROVOKED A STORM OF COMMENTARY.
Not content to leave the future of equestrian sports in Auckland to chance, a small but very influential group took action, putting together a proposal to purchase the 10-hectare property and securing the backing of the Auckland Council. The Woodhill Sands Trust was formed and registered as a Charitable Trust, with the objective of securing the property for long-term equestrian use. The initial trustees, Kathryn Roberts (Chair), Lesley Going, Cindy Mitchener, Glen Beal and Neil MacKenzie-Hall, are all riders or supporters of equestrian sports, and in addition to this, each has a business background and experience in sports administration. “The Trust was set up to secure the Woodhill Sands facility for equestrian sport,” explains Cindy
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Mitchener. “It’s a Charitable Trust. The initial trustees are scheduled to retire over a three year period, and the power to appoint new trustees rests with Equestrian Sports New Zealand and the New Zealand Pony Clubs Association. There’s no personal benefit to anyone; the facility will be secured for equestrian sports, which will then have ongoing control.” An agreement for sale and purchase (conditional on finance) of the Woodhill Sands property has been entered into. A major step towards meeting the finance condition was securing the agreement of the Auckland Council to guarantee a bank loan of up to $2.5m. However, this is reliant on the Trust obtaining a binding tax ruling from the Inland Revenue Department confirming its ‘tax exempt’ status, and fundraising the balance. Currently for the Trust, it’s a
bit of a waiting game until the Inland Revenue Department process has been completed. In the meantime, the Trust has set about raising the balance of funding required to complete the purchase and undertake some very necessary renovations; $1m is being sought for this endeavour. Kathryn Roberts adds, “With its sand surfaces, Woodhill Sands is able to be used year round - currently about 160 days annually, catering for around 9,500 horse starts. It’s the home of equestrian sports in Auckland, and is the most used regional competition and training facility for equestrian sports in New Zealand. “Because of the need to fulfil debt-servicing obligations, it is intended that the facility be operated as a commercial venture, along similar lines as at present. The current owners Chris and Shelley Ross have indicated a desire to move on to other ventures, however we are hopeful of retaining other key team members.
“It’s a facility that many different disciplines can use – the arenas have great surfaces, and that’s something we really need on the show circuit, for the good of our competition horses. It would be a real shame to lose this venue.” - sam mcintosh “Borrowing a phrase from a recent campaign elsewhere in the world, our vision is to make Woodhill Sands great again. Even its most loyal supporters cannot dispute that the visitor facilities at Woodhill Sands need upgrading, especially if we want to attract spectators and sponsors. “Our ability to deliver on this vision in the medium term will be strongly influenced by our performance on funding for the purchase. We need to make our deposit as big as it can possibly be to cap the interest-bearing debt component of the purchase price. Financial support from the sport is critical to this.” There are many avenues available for those who wish to contribute, from the Woodhill Sands Givealittle page through to partnership proposals. “We are very, very flexible,” she says. “We are happy to tailor a business proposal to suit anyone who wants to
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support this project. We really need the help and support of the whole equestrian community.” Currently settlement is scheduled for March – the end of the current competition season, although it may be necessary to extend this, depending on the Inland Revenue Department ruling. “We are optimistic. We have the support of a number of forward thinking people within the sport who very much understand the significance of Woodhill Sands to the sustainability of equestrian sports in the Auckland area.”
WOODHILL SANDS FUNDRAISER In early December 2016 invited guests were introduced to the Trust, its vision for Woodhill Sands, and the associated fundraising campaign at a function hosted by Janice Sommerville in her lovely Remuera home. Amongst the number of Olympians present, equestrians Sam McIntosh and Clarke Johnstone were also on hand to lend their support, giving their viewpoint on what the Woodhill Sands facility means for equestrian sport in New Zealand. Sam McIntosh is one of New Zealand’s most consistently successful show jumpers, and is currently ranked in the top 10 female riders in the world. She is based just south of Bordeaux in France with show jumpers Joelle and Philippe Dagut, who were also in attendance. She has also had fantastic support from Mitch and Kate Plaw, of Lake Ridge Equestrian and APL Industries. “I’ve been lucky enough to compete many times at Woodhill Sands,” explains Sam. “It’s a facility that many different disciplines can use – the arenas have great surfaces, and that’s something we really need on the show circuit, for the good of our competition horses. It would be a real shame to lose this venue.” New Zealand’s best placed rider at the Rio Olympics, Clarke Johnstone, who finished in individual sixth place in the Eventing, agrees. “It’s a venue that hosts numerous good quality shows. We don’t have many show venues with great footing and great facilities, and that makes Woodhill Sands very important when trying to prepare a horse for top level competition both at home and overseas.” The value of Woodhill Sands as a competition venue does not stop with equestrian athletes, however. Trustee Neil MacKenzie-Hall also attended the Rio Olympics, as an official. “New Zealand officials are some of the best in the world,” he says. “Woodhill Sands has offered a lot of opportunities for my development – in the future we hope to offer programmes to assist in developing officials, then get them overseas so that they can bring that experience back to Woodhill Sands. “Sport in New Zealand couldn’t function without volunteers; we need to make sure that we give back as much as we get so that people want to volunteer. “There are other opportunities too; looking after owners via an Owners’ Club is another initiative. “ Kathryn Roberts adds, “Woodhill Sands has so much going for it – it just needs some TLC and vision to get it looking and operating how it should. Its retention is vital for the well-being of equestrian sports in Auckland and its neighbouring regions.” C
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SPECIAL FEATURE
GLAMPING IN GLENORCHY FOUR SEASONS IN FIVE DAYS
The beauty and grandeur of the South Island is admired by countless people from planes, cars and boats – but as Kate Lattey recently discovered, there is no better way to experience the high country than on horseback.
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T
he decision to spend five days on horseback in Glenorchy was made over lunch one day in the middle of winter, when my sister and I decided that we needed to stop just talking about how amazing a trip like that would be, and actually go ahead and book it. We jumped online and looked around a few places before landing on Globetrotters. com.au, an Australian-based company that specialises in high-end horseback riding holidays. Deciding to treat ourselves to what promised to be the ultimate high country experience, we signed up for the Glenorchy Back Country Ride, run by High Country Horses, a local outfit with an excellent reputation. Fast-forward a few months, and I was on my way to Queenstown to begin the adventure. Unfortunately a last-minute injury prevented my sister from joining me, so it was with some disappointment – and a little trepidation – that I flew there alone.
I was picked up from my hotel the next morning by Duayne Insley of High Country Horses, and along with eight fellow intrepid trekkers, headed to Glenorchy to meet our horses, our guides, and set off on our adventure. As an experienced rider with many years of competing under my belt, I was curious – and a little nervous – to meet my assigned mount for the week. Like most riders who’ve had some miles in the saddle, I know my ‘type’ – small, forward-moving and a little feisty – so I was a bit shocked when I first met “Doobie”. He stood well over sixteen hands, was tacked up in a Western saddle (a style I’d only ever ridden in once before) and kept pawing the ground impatiently as he waited for us to mount and move off. I looked enviously at the smaller horses tied nearby before giving Doobie a hopeful pat and starting to pack my saddlebags, resolving not to judge a book by its cover. Before long we had met our guides, Casey
Irvine and Alex Russell, and were in our saddles and riding out. We crossed the Rees River, riding through waist-high lupins in every shade of pink and purple that filled the air around us with their sweet smell. Already the scenery was spectacular, and none of us could ride more than a couple hundred metres before whipping our cameras out and trying to capture something of the grandeur that surrounded us. We rode for several hours on that first day, climbing the sides of mountains, splashing through rivers, clattering across the tarmac in the sleepy village of Glenorchy, and enjoying long canters through tall mountain grass. I quickly became very comfortable on Doobie, who turned out to be beautifully schooled and an absolute pleasure to ride. Whether I chose to cruise along Westernstyle with my reins in one hand, or to take up the reins and ask for a balanced, collected canter, I got exactly what I asked for from him.
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We spent the night in a shearers’ hut on Rees Valley Station, sleeping on cosy bunk beds after hot showers and more dinner than any of us could eat. But it was the small touches that really made the experience special – from headlamps and hot water bottles, everything we could have asked for was provided. We were also reminded to enjoy the hot showers, because the only running water we’d have for the next two days would be a glacial-fed creek! The next morning we continued riding north, crossing the Rees again and riding through Mt Earnslaw Station for most of the day. Lunch provided some unscheduled excitement when a deer in the beech forest spooked the horses, causing a chain reaction as they all pulled back from the trees they were tied to. Half of them broke their twine and headed back in the direction we’d come from, but Casey quickly headed them off on her speedy palomino and made sure that they didn’t take themselves all the way back to Glenorchy without us. With Alex’s help, she regathered the horses and once we’d picked up the few pieces of gear – leadropes, stirrup leathers, gloves – that had been discarded during their flight, we headed into the beech forest, enjoying another long canter along the winding tracks before stopping to refill our water bottles from a nearby spring. We eventually broke free of the beech forest and the upper part of the Rees Valley unfolded in front of us, breathtaking in its beauty. The Rees River flowed along the valley floor below us, surrounded on all sides by snow-capped mountains that were covered in matagouri, manuka, and trickling waterfalls of melting snow. Our tents were already pitched for us, complete with camp stretchers, swags and fresh pillowcases and towels. Alex barbequed steak for dinner and we ate inside the renovated woolshed, which was very well-insulated and provided a cosy haven from the misty rain that had rolled in that evening.
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The Rees River flowed along the valley floor below us, surrounded on all sides by snow-capped mountains that were covered in matagouri, manuka, and trickling waterfalls of melting snow.
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On the third day, our ride took us to the top of the Rees Valley and back down again before another night in our tents. The rain hadn’t eased off, so not everyone chose to ride, but a few of us hardier souls, plus our two guides, shrugged into our Drizabones and headed out. The rain cleared halfway up the valley and afforded us a beautiful view. We enjoyed several long canters through the damp grass, admired gushing waterfalls and explored glacial streams and rock crevasses. Sadly the sunshine didn’t last, and by the time we returned to the hut it was raining yet again. The bad weather continued all night, punctuated at times by thunderstorms and high winds, but Casey was determined that it would rain itself out overnight. And she was right – when I woke before dawn, the sky was clear and the moon was full, reflecting freshly-fallen snow on the mountains above. Unfortunately, by the time the sun came up, the weather had turned to the south and brought the rain back with it. Not only that, but by the time we’d broken camp and swung back into our saddles, the rain had turned into sleet, and Doobie insisted on sidepassing down the hill with his tail to the wind as tiny hailstones landed in his thick mane. Fortunately the weather eased within the first twenty minutes of our ride, and we enjoyed a long uphill canter that got everyone’s blood pumping again. We’d wrapped our socks with bin liners to keep our feet dry, and the general mood was merry, despite the rain that persisted throughout most of the day. Another challenge came when crossing the Rees River, now much higher and swifter than before, but a team effort that involved sandwiching the smaller horses between the bigger ones ensured that everyone made it across safely. We rode through more beech forest on Mt Earnslaw Station before stopping for lunch, and the sun obligingly came out again and dried us off. But it didn’t last long, and the rain returned with a southerly chill to it that made me glad I’d chosen to wear a scarf. From polo shirts on day one to winter woollies on day four, we truly were experiencing every type of weather the high country had to offer! After riding through Mt Aspiring National Park and along the edge of Diamond Lake, we reached our destination at Paradise. Leaving the horses to graze in knee-deep grass, we gathered around the fire in the historic Miller House and dried out our boots and chaps while enjoying a few wines before a big roast dinner. Many happy toasts were made and a successful ride celebrated – we were
all thrilled with the trip so far. As another thunderstorm rolled in and more snow fell on the hills that night, we slept soundly in beautifully appointed bedrooms, warm and clean after our long-awaited hot showers. We woke to blue skies on our last morning, and we were soon back in the saddle and heading up Mt Alfred. Our fit horses climbed the narrow, steep track willingly as stunning panoramic views unfolded below us, and we took copious photos along the way before stopping for lunch at the highest point on the track, where the view was simply spectacular. With our memory cards almost full, we headed back down the mountain towards Glenorchy. Doobie was a born leader and had been at the front of the ride for most of the trip, but when I decided to stay at the back for a while, he allowed me to loop the reins over the saddle horn and steered himself while I took yet more photos on our way downhill. In what seemed like no time at all, we had crossed the Rees for the final time and were having our last group canter. The horses had a new spring in their step as they approached home and a well-earned rest, but for those of us in the saddle, the trip seemed to be finishing far too soon. Our return to the yard brought with it the moment that I’d been dreading since halfway through the first day’s ride – it was time to dismount for the last time, say goodbye to Doobie and to the new friends I’d made on the trip, and head back to the real world. Looking back, I wouldn’t have changed a thing about the entire experience – our guides were incredibly capable and helpful, consistently going above and beyond to ensure that we all had the best possible time; the horses were fit and well-mannered, and everyone was well-suited to their mount. And I’d more than learned my lesson about first impressions – I had a brilliant time with Doobie and wouldn’t have swapped horses with anyone else on the ride. It was truly the trip of a lifetime, and reminded me that we have some of the best scenery in the world on our very doorstep, just waiting for us to saddle up and ride out.
WANT TO KNOW MORE? Visit Globetrotting.com.au to find out more and check out their 2017/2018 departure dates. High Country Horses offer rides for all levels, from day rides to overnight trips, and are happy to cater to your requirements. Google “High Country Horses” or email info@highcountry-horses.co.nz for more information. C
TOP TIPS for your trip: •
Wear good quality WATERPROOF boots and several pairs of socks.
•
Helmets are required, so make sure that yours is comfortable for long rides.
•
Make sure you have a good quality camera with a long-lasting battery and spacious memory card.
•
What to pack in your saddlebags – a lightweight waterproof jacket, gloves, sunblock, chapstick, camera, lollies, a warm jersey and a scarf!
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What’s provided – saddlebags, water bottles, helmets, gumboots and Drizabones as required. On our ride, tents and all sleeping and dining equipment were also supplied.
•
The food is organic and locally produced, and dietary requirements are no problem – my gluten free food was clearly labelled and delicious! BYO alcohol.
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SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
PHOTO Pip Hume
INTERVIEW
PHOTO Sophie Simson
Horse
Year
STACEY MARKHAM ON THE ROAD TO
OF THE
STACEY MARKHAM IS A WOMAN ON A MISSION. THE 24-YEAR-OLD FROM ROLLESTON IN CANTERBURY IS STOPPING AT NOTHING TO ACHIEVE HER GOAL OF COMPETING AT THE 2017 HORSE OF THE YEAR SHOW WITH HER 12-YEAR-OLD STANDARDBRED, JD FORTUNE. WORDS Laura Stenberg For Stacey, Horse of the Year has been a competition that she’s only ever distantly dreamed of competing at. However, with the show’s recent introduction of a dedicated Standardbred showing section, it’s now an event she has marked on her calendar with every intention to be there. “It’s always been a bit of a pipe dream for me, as I’ve never had a horse eligible to compete there, so it never seemed possible,” says Stacey. “With serious momentum building for the Standardbred breed in general and the introduction of this section at Horse of the Year, I started thinking it might be possible to get there, so that’s been my goal for the past two years.” Stacey isn’t just committed to achieving this dream, she’s also passionate about positively representing Standardbred horses in their lives after racing, and is excited that they are starting to get more recognition as performance horses. “Standardbreds have typically had this stereotype of being wobbly, a bit plain and not much use after racing, other than as a hacking or pleasure horse,” she says. “I think that is definitely changing though. They are much more refined now and are almost more like a Thoroughbred. It’s great that people are starting to appreciate their potential and to see that they can be successful in the show ring after a racing career. Being included at Horse of the Year is huge progress and that’s another reason I want to be there, as it needs to be well supported so the organisers will keep running it.” Working with Standardbreds has been a lifelong love affair for Stacey – they’ve always been her favourite breed. Her parents Lyn and Carl were involved with harness racing as trainers and Stacey has been devoted to the horses from day one. “I love their temperaments, their personalities and I’ve always had one to ride. I did have ponies growing up and a couple of Thoroughbreds as I got older, but they just weren’t for me.” As well as competing her own team of Standardbreds, she is heavily involved on the racing side as the Media and Marketing Manager for Harness Racing New Zealand, and she prepares and sells yearlings herself under her business, Meraki Equine. Of the small team of ex-racehorses that she is currently campaigning in the show ring, JD Fortune is the stable star and they’ve enjoyed plenty of success over the last couple of seasons, winning many championships and reserves in ridden and in-hand classes at shows across Canterbury. Broadening their horizons
and venturing north for Horse of the Year would mean a lot to Stacey and the team behind her. “JD’s old racing owner has followed his journey with me from when he finished racing, and she’s at every show supporting us. She’s planning on coming up to Hastings with me and Mum too. It will be so special for all of us just to be there.” Stacey will be competing JD in both ridden and in-hand classes at Open level. She hopes to be successful and competitive at the event, but above all wants to walk away pleased with both her own and her horse’s performance in every class. “To come away with the Standardbred Horse of the Year title would be incredible and I will be focused on achieving good results, but I go into every show, whether it’s big or small, thinking so long as I’m happy with how my horses go, then that is what matters,” she says. “Of course I want to do my very best, but I will focus on JD’s performance and my own, not just the results.” With JD Fortune qualified for all the important Horse of the Year classes, Stacey’s efforts are now on keeping him fit, happy and healthy in the build up to March. He had a short break over Christmas before coming back into work and is going to some smaller local shows in February. “It’s definitely a quiet time for competitions down here now, but he’ll be having a couple of outings and during the week I’ll be taking him out the beach or to the forest. I try to do different things as often as I can so he doesn’t get sick of schooling.” The trip from Canterbury to Hastings is an expensive one and Stacey has been working hard to secure sponsors that share in her vision to represent the Standardbred breed at a show like Horse of the Year. “I’ve put together a sponsorship proposal and have been working hard to get some KEEP UP TO DATE support,” says Stacey. “The biggest cost is the travel from ANYONE WANTING TO here to Hastings, with the ferry FOLLOW STACEY’S BIG TRIP in the middle of it and hundreds AND KEEP UP WITH HER of kilometres from A to B, so HORSE OF THE YEAR RESULTS I’m reaching out to people who CAN VISIT HER FACEBOOK want to join me on this exciting PAGE WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ journey – for us, and for the RACETRACKTOSHOWHACK Standardbred breed too.” C
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EQUINE PROFESSIONALS
“It’s a job I absolutely love; I just can’t imagine what else I would do.”
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ABOUT LOUISA
Equine vet Louisa Broughton graduated from Massey University in 2004 with a B.V.Sc. After working in mixed practice for around eighteen months, she sold the two eventers she had produced herself and headed off to England to fulfil a long-held, multi-faceted dream – to complete a postgraduate equine qualification, to compete on the eventing circuit over there, and to indulge in some European travel. She accomplished all of that – and more. Alongside her veterinary work she completed a post-graduate Certificate of Equine Practice (G.P.Cert. (Eq.P.)) and also evented to 1* level, producing horses for owners. She also found time for travel, and to marry Englishman Dan Broughton. Louisa and Dan moved back to New Zealand five years ago. They live in the Wairarapa on a lifestyle property with their two young children, a three-legged cat named Tripod, and Louisa’s two horses.
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FOR WAIRARAPA EQUINE VET LOUISA BROUGHTON, THE JOB IS ALL ABOUT MANAGING PROBLEMS. WORDS & PHOTOS Pip Hume Equine vet Louisa Broughton’s enthusiasm for her chosen career and her equine patients shines through in conversation. “It’s a job I absolutely love; I just can’t imagine what else I would do,” she says. “It’s largely about managing problems and helping the owner to make decisions on the best way to proceed.” Louisa’s life is a busy one. She and her English husband Dan are parents to two young children, Nell (3) and Dexter (1). She grins wryly when asked about her typical day. “Today started at 4.30am when Dexter woke up. After about an hour I got him back to sleep, but then Nell woke up so the day was underway …” This morning she has three veterinary cases to check on. An older Thoroughbred broodmare who was served several days ago has received treatment to remove the post-mating fluid build-up in her uterus which would create a hostile environment for the developing foetus. She will be scanned and all being well, will have Caslick surgery, where the vulva is stitched partially closed (in this case about halfway) to keep it clean and reduce the chance of infection. “The saggy vulva is due partly to her age, and partly to her conformation and broodmare history – she has had several
foals,” explains Louisa. “We can scan this mare at her home, because they have good, safe facilities including a crush. Although she is a quiet mare she will be sedated and we will use plenty of lubricant to minimise the risk of a tear.” An Appaloosa who has been treated for a potentially serious corneal ulcer will be assessed to see whether the lavage system inserted into his eye for the delivery of drugs can be removed. Louisa says that while eye issues can be a problem for the Appaloosa breed, in this case the cause appears to have been trauma-related. A small laminitic pony mare will also be checked. She is on box-rest for six weeks, standing on a deep sawdust bed with a lime base. “In the past, we would have encouraged walking exercise to increase the blood flow to the hooves, but that was incredibly painful for the patient and we have drugs for that purpose now. “We’ve had her feet trimmed and she is standing more comfortably, although there is probably more to come off her heels. We will x-ray next week to check whether the pedal bone has dropped or rotated.” Louisa has also tested the mare for Cushing’s disease.
“She fits the profile – at 17 she is an older pony. She has quite a long coat for this time of the year, and while she’s not grossly fat, she’s lacking in top line with a droopy belly and shows supraorbital fat, which is fat deposition in the hollows above the eyes (normally you can see these depressions moving when a horse chews). “Vet work is quite seasonal,” Louisa explains. “In early spring when people start bringing their horses into work we usually do a fair number of lameness investigations. This is quite a big area in our practice, because while we do some racehorse work, we are mostly sport horse based. In this area there are simply not enough farriers to service the number of horses, so when horses have to go for too long between farrier visits it can cause real problems. “In spring we also typically deal with problems related to spring grass, from behavioural issues and injuries through to laminitis. This spring has been particularly challenging and we have seen a higher than usual number of laminitis cases. Laminitis is a veterinary emergency where the outcome is very dependent on how quickly the appropriate veterinary care is administered. “Breeding work is also a quite significant area of practice for us, as well as equine dentistry which we prefer to schedule over the winter. And all year round there are veterinary emergencies such as fence accidents, injuries and colics.” One of the changes that has come about since
Louisa qualified is the number of horses which are insured these days. “More horses within our practice are covered for veterinary costs now, which can simplify things as it means we are able to provide the optimum level of care for our patients rather than just what the owner can afford. “There’s so much more technology available now. In our practice we have a portable x-ray machine and an ultra-sound scanner. We also work with Massey University quite often – they are only a little over an hour away and have a CT scanner. “We have good equine facilities at our clinic which include the crush which we designed and had built locally, so we encourage people to bring their horses to us if possible. We’ve got enough room to hold two horses during the day, so people can drop a horse off to us and then pick it up later, although we don’t keep horses overnight at the clinic. For longer term care we have an arrangement with Panorama Equestrian Centre who offer horse care for injury recovery and recuperation.” When asked what the worst aspect of veterinary practice is, Louisa’s reply was somewhat unexpected. “It’s when people have left a problem that could have been resolved for too long because they just didn’t care enough to get vet advice. We hardly ever see that now though.” C
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Jobs on today’s agenda include a visit to a small laminitic pony (left) and checking an Appaloosa to see whether the lavage system can be removed from his eye (below)
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PONY CLUB
Pony Club Spotlight
BRANCH, HOROWHENUA PONY CLUB WORDS & PHOTOS Pip Hume
IT’S SURPRISING TO DISCOVER THE PARK-LIKE GROUNDS OF THE WAIKANAE PONY CLUB IN THE MIDDLE OF A RESIDENTIAL SUBURBAN AREA, AND EQUIPPED WITH FACILITIES THAT WOULD MAKE MANY OTHER BRANCHES GREEN WITH ENVY. IT’S A PROUD LEGACY THAT THE CURRENT COMMITTEE AND MEMBERS TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY. WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR BRANCH?
We are fortunate to have such fantastic facilities for our riders, but that doesn’t count for anything unless riders feel supported and that they are part of the club. Simply knowing all of the riders’ names, the names of their parents (and of their ponies!) is a little thing that makes a big difference to how welcome people feel, especially when they are new. We try to keep every rally fun and interesting for all involved – including our eight boys, most of whom are under ten. They have a lot of fun at rallies together! Pony Club gives every rider with a pony a chance to come and meet other like-minded riders. We have a wide range of riders at Waikanae, from those who come from horsey families and have been riding since they could walk, to teenagers who have just recently realised their horse-owning dream. Our coaches come from a similarly broad spectrum of experience, and almost all of them are former members who want to give back to Pony Club. It is easy when you are experienced to look down on those who are still learning and to pass snap judgements, but we have a saying at Waikanae that ‘you never know what someone has been through to get here,’ and that is something we always try to keep in mind. Riders may not realise that their saddle doesn’t fit or may not have the finances to replace their naughty pony with an easier mount, but it’s our job to support them and help them as much as we can while they are at Pony Club, and to make sure they feel part of the team.
HOW MANY MEMBERS DO YOU HAVE?
Waikanae has 53 riding members this season, from six-year-olds on the lead rein through to teenagers working towards their A and H certificates. We hold fortnightly rallies from September to April, usually on a Thursday evening once daylight saving has started. With so many members, we separate riders into groups and assign coaches to work through certificate cards. We have a strong focus on certificates and helping our riders to achieve their goals through the Pony Club system.
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Pony Club offers so many opportunities to riders, from competing in local team events to making it to national competitions. We try to encourage all of our riders to give different disciplines a go, so our rallies often include a mix of jumping, cross country, dressage and games. Sometimes we have themed rallies, including our perennial favourite ‘scary jumps rally’ which this year happened just before Halloween, so the riders all dressed up in costumes to add to the fun. At Christmas we have a team games rally with a Six Bar competition, and all our riders love to get dressed up – especially the seniors! Other themed rallies include ‘The Amazing Race’, bareback rallies and treks. We also have mounted games training every other week in the New Year to prepare teams for Area and Zone Games.
WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES DO YOU UNDERTAKE AS A CLUB?
Our season kicks off with a quiz night and we also hold horsemastership sessions and working bees throughout the season. All of our riders have the chance to attend Horowhenua Pony Club Camp in January which is a week-long trekking camp, giving riders the chance to venture out of the paddock or arena and ride up and down hills, along roads, across rivers, through farms, over bridges and down the beach. It’s always a huge confidence booster for riders and ponies alike. Over recent years we have had to do a lot of fundraising to resurface our 100x100m arena, which we completed this year. We finally got this project done with the help of grants and fundraising events, including a winter show jumping series that was run in conjunction with the local adult riding club, and will hopefully become a regular fixture. We also run a spring show, cross country and show jumping training days, and in conjunction with our local Horowhenua Pony Club, we assist with running the Horowhenua ODE on our grounds.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF YOUR BRANCH?
Waikanae Pony Club was formed in 1946 as a branch of Horowhenua Pony Club, and has been at Waikanae Park since 1958. The Pony Club is very lucky to have the use of Waikanae Park, which belongs to the Kapiti Coast District Council. The Council was able to purchase the land for Waikanae Park in 1958 with the assistance of the late Sir Charles Fleming, who contributed when bidding for the land exceeded the Council budget. His gift was conditional on the land being available for Pony Club activities in perpetuity. Back then, the park would have been surrounded by farmland, but it is now in a residential-zoned area. Our facilities include use of the main park, a 15-acre cross country course, 100x100m surfaced outdoor arena,
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Facebook: Waikanae Pony Club Website: www.sportsground. co.nz/waikanaepc
large clubrooms and two gear sheds. Notable former members include Tayla Mason, who is now part of the NZ Eventing Development Squad, and is a regular coach at our rallies. Judith Haskell is also on hand for coaching, and as ESNZ Eventing Rules Liaison and a List 1 TD. She is an invaluable resource, especially for our
senior riders. Other former WPC members have gone on to have lots of success in show jumping, dressage and showing, both within New Zealand and overseas. With our branch currently going strong, we look forward to remaining in the area for many years to come. C
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Visit our website: www.mooresridingwear.co.nz SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
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INTERVIEW
WORDS Laura Stenberg PHOTOS Show Circuit Magazine
AIMING SKY HIGH TAURANGA-BASED SHOW JUMPING RIDER AND COACH LUCY OLPHERT IS DETERMINED TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP OF HER GAME. RIDING TWO SPECIAL HORSES, EVE SAINT LAURENT AND CONNOISSEUR, BOTH BRED BY HER MOTHER LIN AND LATE FATHER JEREMY, LUCY HAS BIG ASPIRATIONS AND IS POURING EVERYTHING INTO FOLLOWING HER DREAMS. WE SPOKE TO LUCY ABOUT HER JOURNEY WITH THESE HORSES SO FAR – THE UPS, THE DOWNS, AND HER LONG-TERM GOALS.
T
his story begins over 10 years ago, when Ted Edwards from Cushionride won a service to the Selle Francais stallion Lindberg Des Hayettes, and gifted that service to Lucy. “Ted turned around and gave it to us, with his vision being that in years to come he could follow a horse in the Seven-Year-Old series, as Cushionride was a series sponsor at the time,” explains Lucy. “We leased a Telegraph mare for the service, and Mum and Dad bought a second service to Lindberg the next year, as they wanted me to have two nice horses.” Full siblings Eve Saint Laurent (Eve) and Connoisseur (Dave) are now eight and nine years old respectively, and have had successful campaigns in the age group series before recently stepping up to Grand Prix. EARLY TESTS Both horses have tested Lucy along the way. “Riding them is the easy part, but getting the respect on the ground has been hard,” says Lucy. “At the first show that we needed to use studs with Eve, we had to rope tie her legs! I’ve definitely had a lot of people ask over the years why I’ve kept her, because she can be so difficult. But I’ve always focused on getting her to work with me, not against me, and in the last two years she has come into her own.” Lucy believes that all good horses have a few quirks, and that it would be a struggle to find one competing at the top level that didn’t have one or two. “I think that the quirky character is what they draw on when the going gets tough.” Eve and Dave grew up together, so separating them at competitions has been problematic. “It’s definitely about management, and at shows I now make sure they are yarded as far away from each other as possible, so they are apart from the beginning and won’t see each other until it’s time to go home. It’s a bit of extra work, but worth it.”
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STRAIGHTFORWARD TRAINING While both horses have been tough on the ground, Lucy has loved the work under saddle, applying training systems and processes learnt in her time spent abroad. Back in 2006, just after her eighteenth birthday, Lucy packed her bags and headed to Germany where she spent four years riding and competing. Her longest stint was at Stal Brinkman in Germany, a show jumping stable owned by former Olympic gold medallist Wolfgang Brinkman. “The training system I use is simple, drawing on knowledge I learnt overseas,” says Lucy. “I start by teaching the horse to jump a cross bar and once that’s firmly established, the jumps go straight up to around 90cm to encourage the horse to develop a correct technique and respect for the fence from the get-go.” Using placement poles in front of fences, Lucy will get a young horse to start jumping a whole course in trot before bringing in some canter work, focusing on balance, straightness and keeping the correct leads. “I’m also a firm believer that the type of flatwork a show jumper needs their horse to learn is different to what a dressage rider needs. For example, I don’t mind where the horse carries its head, but I need adjustability. The horse needs to go forward when asked and come back when asked – not two or three strides later!” It’s not only the horse’s training that’s important to Lucy. Her own fitness and strength training is crucial too. “I normally start my day at 5am. I feed the horses, go and do a fitness session, then ride and teach for most of the day before finishing with a cardio session at the end,” says Lucy. “The stronger you are physically and mentally, the more successful you are likely to be in competition. Being fit and strong is not negotiable for me and my horses.”
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EVE’S PAYBACK Eight-year-old Eve is fit and healthy now, taking the top spot in the Equidays Hyundai Derby last year, but go back seven years and she came close to ruining her show jumping career before it had even begun. “She attempted to jump a fence in the paddock and almost completely severed her hind leg. We put her straight in the truck and with blood pouring everywhere, we drove to Marks Ewen & Associates in Matamata, where we were given the option of surgery, with no guarantee that she would recover enough to be ridden,” Lucy explains. “At $10,000 it was a lot of money to fork out, especially without knowing whether I would ever ride her or not, but we took the risk.” Vet David Howes did an incredible job, she says, and the injury doesn’t bother Eve today. “The $10,000 cheque from the Derby definitely felt like Eve’s way of paying us back for taking that gamble!” THE DAY IT ALL CAME TOGETHER Eve was the only horse to jump clear in the first round of the 2016 Hyundai Derby, and for a moment Lucy thought she’d secured the win – until she realised that it was a two-round competition! However that moment of disappointment was quickly replaced by determination as she went out to seal the deal in round two. “Going last in the second round put a lot of extra pressure on – especially when Vicki [Wilson] went clear, so I didn’t have a rail in hand! I had to make the decision whether to go slow and steady for a clear, or fast in case I had a rail.” In a nail-biting finish, Lucy jumped clear to take the win, a moment which she says made the past 10 years of ups and downs well worth it. “It’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears – there have been sacrifices, financial stress and personal hardship. The day of the win coincided with Dad’s birthday so prize money aside, it was just a very special moment.” For Lucy, it also justified her decision to quit her job and go full-time with the horses a few months earlier. “The horses were at an age where they were ready to jump at the top level, and I knew if I carried on working full-time, I couldn’t ride to the best of my ability at this level.” With all her money going towards campaigning the two horses, Lucy doesn’t have any exciting holidays or spending sprees lined up for her Derby winnings. “Unfortunately, it’s all going towards boring things like paying off bills!” BUSINESS END OF THE SEASON While things are looking good for the final part of the season for Eve, older brother Dave has suffered an unfortunate setback, sustaining an injury during competition back in October last year. ”I’m not going to try and rush him back for the last couple of months of the season,” Lucy explains. “It might take him several months to get him back to where he was, but if it means he’ll be sound for years to come, then I can wait.” Having ridden and competed for many years, Lucy knows that horses are great levellers and says it’s easy to go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows when horses are involved.
“THE PAST YEAR HAS BEEN SO CHALLENGING FOR ME ON SO MANY LEVELS AND I’VE LEARNT THAT YOU HAVE TO SINK OR SWIM. RIGHT NOW I’M FOCUSING ON THE POSITIVES – I STILL HAVE ONE REALLY GOOD HORSE TO COMPETE.” WHAT LIES AHEAD After not having her own base for 10 years, Lucy is loving being back at her family’s Tauranga property, once again using the stables and arena she worked from in years past. “Everything is centered around these two horses. It has been a decade-long project getting them here and there’s a stubbornness in me that wants to see how far they can go. I believe that both of them have big futures,” she says. “I want to get to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and I’ll throw everything I have at that goal. After all, if you set your sights toward something and believe you can do it – who’s going to stop you?” C
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TRAINING
Learn something new or refresh an old technique with advice from our leading trainer in this issue
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TRAINING WITH CHRISTINE WEAL
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TRANSITIONS
FOCUS ON CONTROL
A closer look at canter transitions
Pole work that helps with balance
Mastering canter transitions is one of the fundamentals of riding
Pole work increases a horse’s muscle tone and flexibility, and helps him learn how to adjust his stride
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TRAINING
Get him going
Dressage training with Christine Weal
IF YOU WANT YOUR HORSE TO BE MORE FORWARD AND OFF YOUR LEG, THERE’S PLENTY YOU CAN DO TO GET HIM THINKING AND MOVING POSITIVELY. EVEN IF YOUR TIME IN THE SADDLE IS LIMITED, YOU’LL SOON HAVE A MORE FORWARDGOING AND RESPONSIVE RIDE. WORDS PIP Hume PHOTOS Show Circuit
1
Start with stretching
Start by aiming to loosen your horse through his back and along his topline. Try not to let him collapse or drop down in front. Even when stretching, his wither should remain higher than his back end, and his hind legs should continue to travel well forward under his body, rather than stretched out behind.
Try it for yourself:
In the early stages of a horse’s training, the emphasis should be on the horse accepting the contact, rather than being in a frame. Concentrate on combining short spells of working into a steady contact with frequent intervals of stretching forwards and downwards. Allowing the horse to stretch his head and neck forwards and down while maintaining a light contact will help improve suppleness and encourage him to seek a soft contact. Ensure you have an even contact through both reins. Next, try lengthening and shortening the stride within the pace – for example, while trotting, ask him to stretch out and give a few strides of medium trot. This will help to remove any excess tension or stiffness. The horse must be the one doing most of the work. Give him an aid, then sit in balance in the middle of the saddle and keep a steady feel on the reins to help him engage. Before making any transition, either downward or upward, put your legs on and remind him to engage his hindquarters. Your legs give him the support he requires. Remember to reward him with a few minutes of walking after five minutes, especially if he is not used to this kind of work.
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en Even wh r horse’s u o y , g stretchin hould remain , s r e h it w ack end an his b should th r e h ig s h hind leg and his nue to travel conti ward well for body. is h under
Try it for yourself:
Ride forward for a few strides, then return to a working pace before riding forward again. Keep a steady contact with the reins and encourage your horse to lengthen his stride by using a gentle leg aid. Bring him back with a gentle half-halt. You will be amazed at how aware you become of the slightest delay in the responsiveness your horse offers. If he’s listening to your aids, he’ll make transitions smoothly without losing his balance,
3
Flexion and bend
Circles are a great tool to improve flexion and bend. To start, you need to teach your horse to flex at the poll, to the right and to the left. This is very subtle and doesn’t mean hauling your horse’s head from one side to the other. At the halt, flex your horse to the right by increasing the pressure very slightly with your right hand and allowing the same amount with the left. The horse should respond by turning his head to the right at the poll so you can see his right eye and nostril and the cheekpiece of the bridle. He should quietly mouth the bit, too. Even up the rein pressure, then repeat to the left. It is important to keep a soft hand that can follow the horse’s mouth to ensure that the contact is consistent. Following on from flexing your horse to the right in halt, now turn your upper body (hips and shoulders) to the right. You’ll notice that your legs are automatically positioned with your outside (left) leg behind and your inside (right) leg down into the stirrup. Mix it up so you are not just hanging onto the reins with the horse leaning. Establish bend on the circle, then straighten the horse and ride him forward on a straight line, then circle again, either on the same rein or after changing the rein. Or circle away from the track, then leg-yield a few steps back to the track to push the horse more into the outside rein, then circle again. Make sure you’re riding forward and ensure that the horse responds immediately to your leg and seat.
Problem spots
Rushing If the horse tries to run through your hands and speed up rather than lengthen, you’ll need to use more outside rein to contain the energy. Losing balance This usually happens because the rider is asking for more than the horse can offer - simply try asking for a little less.
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Transitions are so important in making a horse more forward and brighter off your leg. Riding transitions within the pace will help to make the horse more responsive to the rider’s leg and seat aids and will help with engaging the hind legs, making it easier for the horse to carry himself. The horse should be encouraged to extend the length of his stride while maintaining the same rhythm and balance. The difference in stride doesn’t have to be massive, it just needs to be enough to get the horse to start developing his ability to lengthen and shorten his frame.
popping his head in the air or interrupting his rhythm. The upward transition from trot to canter requires that the canter be the same speed as the trot, so concentrate on making the first few steps of the canter come from the hind leg. Your hands must be still, maintaining the contact and not pulling back. Your horse must learn to round up from behind. Think of this as ‘squashing’ the horse up to the steady bit. Once your horse understands this aid, he will arch his neck from the withers and reach forwards into the contact. This has the effect of lifting his back and allows him to bring his hind legs under. Once he does this a few times, let him stretch.
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Transitions create balance
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Leg-yield to create suppleness
Leg-yield is a great suppling and engagement exercise that works the whole body. Being soft and supple through the body and neck allows your horse to bend without stiffness and to work freely without excess tension through his back and muscles. He can then perform movements and transitions more smoothly and with better balance, which leads to the development of strength and muscle. It will be become easier for him to engage his hind end and lift through his shoulders. Leg-yield is a movement where the horse moves forwards and sideways at the same time, while keeping straight throughout his body. However, he is slightly flexed away from the direction of travel. So, if the horse is moving towards the right, he will be
looking slightly to the left. The movement is an elementary lateral exercise that can be performed at either the walk or sitting trot, along the long side of the arena or across the diagonal. When changing the rein on the diagonal, leg-yielding helps get the horse onto the new outside rein and inside leg and keeps him thinking. It’s a great movement for every horse, especially during warm-up at events, no matter the level. When you practice riding leg-yield, it’s important that you give yourself a definite start and finish point. If you don’t have a target point you’ll end up moving over more quickly on the rein your horse finds easiest and you won’t even realise anything is different.
Try it for yourself:
10m circle
20m circle
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To help your horse understand the movement, start on a 20m circle. Working on a circle will help you move the horse over and establish the idea of moving sideways off the leg. Spiral inwards, making the circle smaller until it is a 10m circle and then leg-yield back out to the 20m circle. Do this several times on each rein. When leg-yielding out, ensure that your horse is moving sideways, away from your leg. His body should follow the curve of the circle, with a slight flexion at the poll away from the direction in which he’s moving, and you should just be able to see his inside eye and nostril. Remember, you are pushing your horse off your inside leg into your outside rein. The outside rein helps guide the shoulders and maintain suppleness within the movement and must work together with your inside leg. You can then add a few strides of
medium canter to make sure that the horse is staying in front of the leg, balanced and is adjustable, then come back to the 10m circle again to balance and collect him. You can also introduce transitions whilst leg-yielding, for example changing the rein. Before X, make a transition to walk. Check that you can keep the same angle in the leg-yield in and out of the transition. Walk six strides, then transition into trot. This exercise helps you ride forward off your leg into the contact through the transition, encouraging the horse to step more under in the transitions and stay more balanced. In the beginning, you will find one side easier than the other and this shows you how even the horse is off the leg and into both reins. Remember that it’s about quality, NOT about quantity.
Problem spots:
Hollowing Just encourage him to soften by playing gently with the bit. Too much neck bend Make sure your contact is even and that you have enough outside rein contact. You only need to see the corner of your horse’s inside eye for the leg-yield, anything more and you are bending too much. Falling through the outside shoulder Reduce the bend in the neck and keep your horse straight, using your outside rein and outside leg. Loss of rhythm and balance It’s easy to lose rhythm and balance so remember to ride forward into the movement and use half-halts to correct him and carry on. If he loses rhythm and balance, don’t keep pushing him on because it will make the problem worse. The half-halt is my best tool if I need to ask the horse to really listen to me. Too much sideways movement So that you don’t get back to the track too early, set yourself a marker to ride to and keep riding forward throughout the movement. Too little sideways movement Make sure you are not blocking the horse in any way, and apply a little more inside leg pressure.
Leg-yield is a movement where the horse moves forwards and sideways at the same time, while keeping straight throughout his body. However, he is slightly flexed away from the direction of travel. So, if the horse is moving towards the right, he will be looking slightly to the left.
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Shoulder-fore
Shoulder-fore is the introduction to shoulder-in for horse and rider. In both movements, the horse’s forehand is brought towards the inside of the track, while the hindquarters remain on the track. However, in shoulder-fore, less angle and less bend are required. Shoulder-fore encourages the horse to take more weight onto his hind legs and step more actively underneath his body with the inside hind leg. It also helps to supple the shoulders. When you ride shoulder-fore, your shoulders should be parallel to your horse’s shoulders. If your horse falls behind the leg and slows, or falls onto the forehand and rushes, half-halt and ride a circle to rebalance him and start again. Whatever gait you’re riding in, try to keep a regular rhythm.
Try it for yourself:
Start with this exercise in walk and once you feel satisfied that you and your horse have a clear understanding, try it at trot. As you come onto the long side of the arena, imagine you’re going to ride a 10m circle in the corner, but as your horse takes the first step onto the circle make a half-halt and use your inside leg to ask him to keep going down the side of the arena. Use your outside rein to support your horse’s outside shoulder. Maintain the correct angle with your inside rein.
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Following on from shoulder-fore, this is another lateral movement that is useful in helping your horse to become supple through his whole body. It also helps the horse collect and become more uphill and is a tool for straightening your horse. Shoulder-in promotes control of the horse’s inside hind leg, which is critical to the correct execution of several upper-level movements. The movement requires more than just bend as the horse is required to stretch the inside hind leg a little farther sideways than normal, which causes him to lower his inside hip in collection. This movement is performed on three tracks. The horse should be slightly bent around the rider’s inside leg and should be looking away from his direction of travel. His inside foreleg passes and crosses in front of his outside leg, while his inside hind leg is placed in front of his outside leg. The ideal angle of the bend is 30 degrees. The goal is to have the neck supple, allowing the horse to be put in a position willingly without being forced.
Try it for yourself:
Ride a 10m circle, two or three times in the same place, at the beginning of a long side in the arena, following the rules above for flexion and bend. Then start another circle, but as soon as your horse takes the first step of the circle, half-halt and maintain the angle as your horse brings his forehand one
Shoulder-fore is the mini version of shoulder-in. The rider asks for less angle and less bend in the shoulderfore. The rider looks to the inside track and turns her upper body and shoulders where the shoulders of the horse are to be placed. The inside rein opens slightly and brings the horse’s nose in, while the outside rein closes against the neck and brings the shoulder in.
step off the track. Keep sufficient contact on both reins to maintain this ‘inside position’, and use a bit of extra inside leg to ask your horse to step sideways along the track. After a few steps, straighten up and continue along the track. Repeat this circle - shoulder-in - straight exercise several times around the arena, then repeat it on the other rein. Ride this exercise in walk to ensure your horse learns to flex and bend both ways before doing it in trot or canter. Finish off by riding the horse deep and stretching him to alleviate and release any muscle tension.
Something a little harder
Travel on the three-quarter line in shoulder-in, then straighten the horse for six strides, then transition back to shoulder-in. Make sure the horse stays balanced throughout. It is important that he remains straight between the shoulderin movements. The goal is to encourage the hind leg to come under the horse’s body more, allowing him to lift through the forequarter. Using the three-quarter line is a great test to ensure that the horse is not relying on the side of the arena. The horse must be working off your aids and using himself. Try this at walk and then trot the shoulderin to test if you can hold the same line. You will quickly find out if the horse is drifting. If he is, go back to using the side of the arena to assist you.
ome Add in s g or in ld leg-yie in while r e should a hack out on he han in t rather t to keep arena aried. things v
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Hacking out
Do plenty of hacking out of varied types. You can hack out for hours or minutes at whatever speed you feel like. I try to hack each horse out twice a week or use hacking to cool down my horses. It is beneficial to all horses even if it is just used as a bit of downtime for both of you. I always want my horses to finish their work in a relaxed easy manner after they have tried hard for me and a short hack is a nice way to do that.
Pace work
Pace work is great for improving your horse’s fitness and is essential to both overall health and performance. If your horse is relatively fit, trot and canter up medium hills to improve the suspended movement. Don’t overdo it - 15-20 minutes of trotting and relaxed pace work is generally enough. It’s about getting the horse to stretch through his body and take a longer stride after
spending time in the arena taking a shorter stride, rather than trying to make him tired. Lots of walking and trotting up hills is great to improve strength in the back end, and it also helps with the horse’s coordination and balance. Don’t forget to work on straight lines or very gradual bends to help your horse find his own balance when doing hill work.
Pace wo rk is grea improvint for horse’s g your fitness!
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TRAINING The walk
your aids...
A closer look at
CANTER TRANSITIONS MASTERING CANTER TRANSITIONS IS ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF RIDING; HOWEVER EVEN RELATIVELY EXPERIENCED RIDERS CAN FIND MAINTAINING THEIR POSITION AND SITTING QUIETLY THROUGH UPWARD AND DOWNWARD TRANSITIONS QUITE CHALLENGING. WE ASKED CHRISTINE WEAL TO TAKE US THROUGH IT IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL.
Preparation is the key
The quality of the transitions between all paces is an overall indicator of both how the training of the horse is progressing, and also how the rider is progressing. Good transitions are smooth and fluent, while poor transitions show up through a variety of resistances in the horse. Mistakes in the transitions often relate to inadequacies in the rider. A lack of core stability, the rider losing position and falling forward, ‘pumping’ with the seat or upper body, or releasing the contact too much are common problems. One exercise which can be helpful is the transition from walk to canter. The prerequisites for this exercise to be successful are that the rider must have a basic degree of balance in walk, trot and canter, and the horse must be sufficiently trained to
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understand what is being asked. For a novice rider, it is most helpful to practice this on a schooled horse.
Quality of the walk
In the walk, you are looking for energetic but quite short steps. The horse’s outline should be round, rather than stretched out and long. Ride him into a nice contact, using your fingers to encourage him to soften his jaw without losing contact. If he is too strong in the contact, half-halt by stilling the hands momentarily, then when he responds, soften the hands forward. Repeat this half-halt as many times as is necessary. If he resists, make sure that your hands aren’t too strong – he needs to feel that he can go forward without being punished.
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The horse will probably trot, or if he does canter, the transition will be flat, sloppy and disengaged and feel awkward and ungainly.
Make sure that your horse is flexed to the inside. Your inside hip should be slightly forward, and the outside hip slightly back. The inside leg at the girth provides the energy, while the outside leg is stretched down and back from the hip joint. If you simply take your lower leg back, your heel will come up and your leg will become sloppy, losing its tone.
Timing is everything – feel for the moment. It’s not always easy to catch the perfect moment within the horse’s stride. For a fluent transition, use a quiet and discreet canter aid. Ask for the canter using your outside leg. A wellschooled horse will respond to the seat bone and upper leg pressure; however a horse which is not so well-trained may require a stronger aid, such as a nudge or light tap from your outside leg. If necessary, carry your dressage whip in your outside hand and use a flick behind your outside leg to encourage your horse to canter.
• • • • • •
Contact is too strong or non-existent Leaning forward Locking hips or gripping with the thighs Unbalancing your horse Pumping seat or upper body Stiff elbows that do not ‘give’ forward as the horse strikes off
When in canter
Establish the canter so that each stride is regular and consistent, with a steady tempo. Sit quietly – do not move more than your saddle! C
Make su r horse is e that your flexed t o inside. Your ins the should i d e hip be slig and the htly forward, outsi slightly de hip back.
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FOCUS ON
TRAINING
control GROUND POLES ARE A FANTASTIC TOOL FOR CULTIVATING CONTROL, BALANCE, FOCUS, SUPPLENESS, ELASTICITY, COORDINATION (INCLUDING HOOF / EYE) AND STRENGTH IN BOTH THE HORSE AND THE RIDER.
Ground poles teach our horses use their backs more correctly, develop greater flexibility and bend in their joints, and help them to learn how to shorten and lengthen their strides in different gaits. Poles are also a very effective training tool to loosen up older, stiffer horses, and to encourage short or choppy-striding horses to lengthen or stretch without rushing and losing their balance. The slow action of lifting the hind legs up and over the pole will strengthen the tensor muscle as well as the long digital extensor; both of these muscle groups are responsible for the stability of the stifle. The exercise: Start by travelling over the poles in a straight line at trot. Once your horse feels comfortable and balanced, start introducing the circles. Trot over the first two poles, make a smooth 20m circle to the left before returning over the poles, then proceed to the next poles and repeat the exercise. Make sure to do it on both reins, and for added difficulty, give it a go in canter! C
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McMillan Premium Plus is a superior textured feed providing a premium blend of energy sources to support the extreme demands of racing and high performance horses. Grains are steam flaked for optimum digestibility and palatability. The vitamin and mineral formulation is specifically designed for supporting equine athletes through times of increased workload and associated stress. High quality protein provides optimum ratios of essential amino acids. Contains organic trace minerals.
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Premium Plus has been formulated to complement New Zealand forages and provide the correct balance of all essential nutrients when fed at the following levels daily:
Fat
Nutrient
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10g
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3g
Sodium Chloride
BODY WEIGHT Light Work
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500kg 3–4kg
Per kg
Crude Protein
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Potassium
4–5kg
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The above table is a guide only and the amount fed should be adjusted according to the horse’s age, temperament, condition, bodyweight and workload.
When combined with forage, the above indicated amounts of Premium Plus will provide more than the minimum National Research Council (NRC) requirements for each essential nutrient.
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Kerrie Morrison – ALLITATION
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Josie Greer – TE ARAKURA PREMIERE
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Olivia Maat – GLAMORGAN TAILOR MADE
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Jan Morice – DENMARK, Level 2 Reserve Champion
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Helen Trotman – CAVORT
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Barbara Chalmers – ROSSELLINI, Level 7 Champion
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Sophie Griffith – FRANGELICO F, Level 6 Reserve Champion
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Shannon Brien – DELAGO
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Sharon Brown – SANDMAN
10. Sophie Griffith – HELLS BELLS, Level 1 Champion 11. Lily Barrett-Power – IZABELL M 12. Rebecca Rowlands – SOLO, Level 3 Champion 13. Joan Adair – LA PEREGRINA
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Phillippa Thompson – GANGSTAR
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Louise Green – TS BELLATOFFEE
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Kirsty Jacomb – GLENMARK
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Kate Mullins - ZACTAC DUN-FOR-FUN
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Lucy Cochrane – HAVEN WITCHHAZEL, Overall Pony Champion
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Amelia French – WOLKENBLAZ, Level 7 Reserve Champion
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Marlene Parkinson – HAPPY FELLA
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Lynley Stockdale – REVELWOOD SHERRY
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Julie Fraser – ARNAGE RHUMBA, Level 4 Reserve Champion
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HAWKE’S BAY
Showing Championships PHOTOS showcircuit.photoshelter.com
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Adrienne van den Berk - BROOKFIELDS DREAMS ARE FREE, Champion Large Show Pony
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Liam Murphy - LINDEN HEAVENLY MUSIC, Champion Novice Show Pony
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Wendy Jeffery - GIZELLE MH, Champion Led Adult Sport Horse and Reserve Champion Novice Park Hack
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Jennine Stretch - FEATHER, Supreme Pleasure Horse or Pony
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Haiden Rankin - SHERWOODS MARK II, 4th in the Best Lead Rein Rider 4 & 5 years
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Judges from left: Bruce Holdaway, Koreen Nichol, Vicky Ratcliffe, Michael Gates and Kim Martin
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Cherie Eastwood - PARKHILL DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, Champion Youngstock Heavy Horse
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Bella Vujcich - ASCHBROOKE BOBBY DAZZLER, Champion Open Medium Show Pony, Champion Junior Rider and Champion of Champions Ridden Exhibit
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William Struijck - GUNDAGAI NADRILL, winner of the Best Lead Rein Rider 6 & 7 years
10. Tina Sergeant-Boyce - SISTERS II ELFEE, Reserve Champion Novice Riding Horse 11. Madeleine Leslie - CLASSIC BEAUTY, Champion Pleasure Horse or Pony (Rider 16 years and under) 12. Ali Angove - WOODHAM RYE BUFFY, Supreme Champion Heavy Horse
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Sophie Chipperfield - KS B-WITCHED, Champion Open Lead Rein Pony
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Natasha Anderson Nairn - SWANHAVEN JAMES OF PARKHILL, Supreme Champion Gypsy Cob
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Imogen Malcolm-Solly - COROVIEW KINGSTON, Reserve Champion Open First Ridden Pony
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Nicola Robertson - BRACKENMERE SUZY Q, Supreme Welsh Purebred
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Annie Moffett - TANE MAHUTA, Reserve Champion Pleasure Horse or Pony (Rider 16 years and under)
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Willa Aitken - ZEBEDEES MAGIC, winner of the Youth or Girl Rider, 17 years and under 21
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Georgie Wilson - LANCEWOODS COPPERS DELIGHT, Reserve Champion Small Hunter Pony
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Tina Sergeant-Boyce - REAL LLADRO, Reserve Champion Led Adult Sporthorse
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Ngalaire Pony Stud - NGALAIRE FINAL LIGHT, Supreme Welsh Partbred and 4th in the Champion of Champions Led Exhibit
10. Noah Murphy - LINDEN ANGEL’S SONG, 4th in the Special Led Mare Class 11. Liz Kingston - STARSTRUCK, Champion Open Show Hack and 5th in the Champion of Champions Ridden Exhibit 12. Victoria Haines - DEEPLAKE FASCINATION, Reserve Champion Open Lead Rein Pony 13. Christina Dunn - KS BELLADONNA, Champion Youngstock Show Horse, 5th in the Special Led Mare Class and Runner Up in the Champion of Champions Led Exhibit
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Pip Taylor - TO THE MAX, Reserve Champion Open Riding Horse
2.
Amy Vujcich - OOH LA LA, Champion Open Park Hack and Runner Up in the Champion of Champions Ridden Exhibit
3.
Ashleigh Santo - JUBILEE SILVER WINGS, 6th in the Special Led Mare Class
4.
Sue Reynolds - X FACTOR, Champion Open Riding Horse, Champion Senior Rider and 3rd in the Champion of Champions Ridden Exhibit
5.
Fenella Train - SYLVAN ROYAL PORTRAIT, 4th in the Open Lead Rein Pony over 123cm and not exceeding 128cm
6.
Michele Stowe - KS PRINCESS ROYAL, winner of Champion Led Pony Youngstock, the Special Led Mare Class and the Champion of Champions Led Exhibit
7.
Elizabeth Struijck - KS TRICK OR TREAT, Champion Open First Ridden Pony
8.
Bonnie Hughes - CLIFFORD MY BIG RED HORSE, Reserve Champion Youngstock Heavy Horse
9.
Scott Morris - B&W 22 MAGNUM, Champion Youngstock Pinto and 6th in the Champion of Champions Led Exhibit
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SUPREME PRODUCTS...
PRESENTATION MATTERS
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PHOTO ESSAY
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TAUPO
Christmas CLASSIC PHOTOS kampic.com
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1. Tessa Clark - SINATRA II, 4th in the Country TV World Cup; 2. Natasha Brooks - KAPATTACK, winner of the Country TV World Cup; 3. Sharnaye Lammers - ROMEO NZPH, 2nd in the FMG Young Rider; 4. Catherine Cameron - KINGSLEA COUTURE, 1st= in the Mitavite Six-Year-Old Series class; 5. Tim Wilson - FEATHER STORM, in the Zilco Open Pony 95cm; 6. Samantha Peters - BIARRITZ, 6th in the Country TV World Cup
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TRM EQUINE PRODUCTS TRM EQUINE PRODUCTS
The prestigious, and newly extended, TRM range is now available in New Zealand. The prestigious, and newly extended, TRM range is now available in New Zealand. GOOD AS GOLD
SUPERLYTE
GOOD AS GOLD
SUPERLYTE formulation provides
Available as a powder or as a paste, Good as Gold nutritional supplement has a calming effect making your horse more relaxed and attentive. Available as a powder or as a paste, Good as Gold nutritional supplement has a calming effect making your horse more relaxed and attentive. ELECTROLYTE GOLD
ELECTROLYTE GOLD
The premium electrolyte supplement, Electrolyte Gold powder provides a scientifically formulated balanced electrolyte to care for your exercising The premium electrolyte supplement, Electrolyte horse’s needs. Gold powder provides a scientifically formulated balanced electrolyte to care for your exercising horse’s needs. STRIDE
STRIDE
Superlyte’s balanced
rapid replacement Superlyte’s balanced of lost electrolytes formulation provides during training and rapid replacement post competition of lost electrolytes during training and post competition
HOOFMAKER Hoofmaker nutritional
HOOFMAKER supplement is a
combination of trace Hoofmaker elements, nutritional minerals supplement a and vitamins is that combination trace assist withofthe elements, minerals maintenance of the and vitamins that integrity of your assist with the horse’s hooves. maintenance of the Hoofmaker integrity ofIfyour guarantee: you horse’s hooves. do not notice any Hoofmakerafter improvement guarantee: If you using one bucket doHoofmaker, not notice any of we improvement will refund theafter full using one bucket purchase price. of Hoofmaker, we will refund the full purchase price.
GNF GNF
Stride is a fast acting joint and mobility supplement. Available as a powder or solution. Maintenance program formulation is available for Stride is term a fastmobility acting joint and mobility long maintenance. supplement. Available as a powder or solution. Maintenance program formulation is available for long term mobility maintenance.
STAYSOUND STAYSOUND
GNF – Gut Nutrition Formula – is a combination of minerals, amino acids and a prebiotic that have a role in your horse’s general metabolism and GNF – Gut Nutrition Formula – is a combination are required for normal feed conversion. GNF is of minerals, and ato prebiotic that have available as amino pelletsacids and paste complement the a role in your horse’sof general metabolism and feedstuff your horse. are required for normal feed conversion. GNF is available as pellets and paste to complement the feedstuff of your horse.
YOUR HORSE DESERVES THE BEST!
MUSCLE-UP
Muscle-Up, when
MUSCLE-UP fed daily, provides a
Staysound is an internationally acclaimed kaolin cold clay which cools, soothes and tightens hot tired legs. Staysound is ready to use and easy to Staysound is an internationally acclaimed kaolin apply and wash off. cold clay which cools, soothes and tightens hot tired legs. Staysound is ready to use and easy to apply andCALPHORMIN wash off.
powerful antioxidant Muscle-Up, network andwhen plays feda daily, role inprovides muscle a powerful antioxidant development, networkwell-being and plays physical a role in muscle and improving the development, overall appearance physical of yourwell-being horse. and improving the overall appearance of your horse.
CALPHORMIN
Calphormin is a complementary feeding-stuff to support the normal growth and maintenance of your horse’s bones. Calphormin is a complementary feeding-stuff to support the normal growth and maintenance of your horse’s bones.
TRM AND AHD EQUINE PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE FROM ANDARE VETERINARY TRM ANDYOUR AHD LOCAL EQUINEEQUINE PRODUCTS AVAILABLE OUTLET OR, VISIT WWW.AHDLTD.CO.NZ FROM YOUR LOCAL EQUINE AND VETERINARY OUTLET OR, VISIT WWW.AHDLTD.CO.NZ
06 877 3201 | 1229 Maraekakaho Road, Hastings | sales@ahdltd.co.nz | animalhealthdirect.co.nz
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1. Michaela Kennedy - KALA BELLA, in the Zilco Open Pony Championship 95cm; 2. Charlotte Wear - BMW SWEET CHILI, in the Zilco Open Pony Championship 95cm; 3. Grace Van Cingel - I OF THE STORM, in the Zilco Open Pony Championship 95cm; 4. Drew Carson - DOUBLE SHOTT, 8th in the Great Lake Taupo Challenge; 5. Lucy Bull - WESTHAY GRACE, in the Great Lake Taupo Challenge; 6. Mathew Dickey QUANGO, in the Country TV World Cup; 7. Tyla Hackett - GIN, in the Great Lake Taupo Challenge
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High Definition Ideal for performance, endurance, showing and sales preparation and weight gain Conditioning Supplement
Antioxidant blend
Contains Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids
High Fat Gluten Free
NEW LO
SAME FORM
NEW To find your local stockist Ph: 0508 267 742 coprice.com.au CopRice is a division of Ricegrowers Limited, trading as SunRice. CR0700HDNZSC.
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1. Greta Van Den Brink - BILLY SPARKY, in the Great Lake Taupo Challenge; 2. Ella Hawkeswood - KOHATU SEAWYNDE, in the Zilco Open Pony Championship 95cm; 3. Carissa McCall - ESTEBAN MVNZ in the Country TV World Cup, 2nd; 4. Graeme Isaacson - POKERE, in the Great Lake Taupo Challenge; 5. Grace Parker - THE COOKIE MONSTER, in the Zilco Open Pony Championship 95cm; 6. Katie Laurie - DUNSTAN BREEZE, in the Country TV World Cup; 7. Abby Robinson - HILLMAN HUNTER, in the Mitavite Six-Year-Old Series class
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EQUINE HEALTH
FOR YOUR HORSE
ANPROFLEX™ ANPROFLEX™ is the leading natural nutritional supplement for joint and connective tissue functions and repairing of damaged cartilage. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR HORSE? • A quicker recovery time for damaged tissues, ligaments and tendons. •
Faster recovery of joint functions and reduced severity of arthritis problems via the essential nutrients to help with repair
•
A rich source of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) Omega 3 fatty acids
YOUR HORSE
ORAL MAG
DESERVES THE BEST!
Reach for the best when choosing your oral magnesium supplement, Oral Mag, gold medal performance.
Available from your local equine and veterinary outlet or visit www.ahdltd.co.nz
FORAGE
Conventional bales - Meadow & Lucerne hay Balage (large & small bales) Meadow & Lucerne chaff in bags
Phone: 027 296 2967 Email: hayandchaff@gmail.com Delivery to South Auckland area SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
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PHOTO ESSAY
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Dressage Wellington CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW 2016 PHOTOS Pip Hume 1.
Paula Brown – WINSLET, Sharon Dixon – GARAVANI, Jacqui Thompson – GEORGIO
2.
Melissa Beech – SO DUN
3.
Emma Wilson – RAUPAPA DONNERITA, Level 1 (Amateur) Champion
4.
Louisa Ayres – PLAYMATE
5.
Joanne Brown – AMORETTE, Level 8 Reserve Champion
6.
Rochelle Speirs – VOLLRATH LATIMER
7.
Julie Pearson – ZINSTAR, Level 8 Champion
8.
Catherine Tobin – I LIKE IT
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Sara White – ROCK OF CASHEL
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Paige Tholen – MY QUESTIONAIRE
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Vanessa Way – NRM ARAWN, Level 9 Champion, NRM ANDREAS Level 6 Champion, NRM KH ARION, Level 5 Champion
4.
Abbie Deken – KH AMBROSE, Level 9 Reserve Champion
5.
Jacqui Thompson – GEORGIO, Level 6 Reserve Champion
6.
Robyn Warren – ANECDOTE
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EQUILIBRIUM SUPPLEMENTS
THE VERSATILE AND EFFECTIVE SOLUTION
CORNEGE PHOTOGRAPHY / WWW.CPNZ.BIZ
SCIENTIFICALLY formulated for equine needs NOT particular pastures or geographic areas. COMPLETE - no need to feed additional vitamins, minerals or salts. Can BALANCE the diet where nutritional deficiencies and imbalances exist. SUITABLE for horses with Laminitis, Cushing’s, EMS, PSSM & IR. ESSENTIAL nutrients for optimum growth and development of youngsters. SPECIFIC allowances for horses grazing oxalate pastures i.e. Kikuyu. Recommended for ALL soil and pasture types. EXCEPTIONAL VALUE – one 22kg bag can last a regular horse for nearly 12 months.
0800 442 450 - sales@equiaustralia.com.au - www.equiaustralia.com.au for product & nutrition advice
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Ann Webster – ORANOA MOREPORK, Level 1 Champion
2.
Chelsea Callaghan – SISTERS II ETTA J, Level 4 Champion, with Catherine Tobin
3.
Toni Louisson – ASTUTE, Level 7 Champion
4.
Sarah Jocelyn – FAIESKA, Level 1 (Amateur) Reserve Champion
5.
Lucarne Dolley – DEVILS CHOCOLATE, Level 7 Reserve Champion
6.
Emma Challis – GUISTO MH
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Need hoof & leg treatments? Ask for the best! NON SWABBABLE PRODUCTS!
Animal Health Direct Ltd
P 06 873 3611| F 06 873 3616 |E sales@ahdltd.co.nz
Now available from your local equestrian store!
www.ahdltd.co.nz
PHOTO ESSAY
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Nationals #
PHOTOS showcircuit.photoshelter.com # Show Shots Photography
1.
Zoe Garland - MISTY LEA SCORPIO, Reserve Champion ProVida and Nettex Leading Rein Show Hunter Pony (not exceeding 12hh)
2.
Vanessa Everton - LADY’S HONOUR RP, 2nd in the OTT Thoroughbred Show Horse Series (2 or more seasons under saddle in the show ring), Champion Wade Equine Large Show Hack (over 16hh) and winner of the Child’s Show Hack (over 15hh) Rider 12 years & under 17 years, ridden by Grace Tripe
3.
Lucy Dagnall - LITTLE PIP, in the JTL Rider 17 years & under 21 years
4.
Ben Thomson - TC ARTISTRY, Cabernet Foods Rider 21 years & under 30 years
5.
Natalie Toeke - HIGH ROLLER
6.
Amanda Clayton-Greene - PUSS IN BOOTS, in the Snuggy Hoods Small Show Hack (over 15hh & not exceeding 16hh)
7.
Paris Masterson - ASCOT DA VINCI, Palamountains Newcomer Large Show Hunter Pony (12.2hh & not exceeding 14hh)
8.
Shenae Mackenzie - DEBFORD RHAPSODY, Champion Power Star Nutrition Newcomer Show Hack (over 15hh & not exceeding 16hh), and Champion Led Hack 4 years & over (over 15hh)
9.
Lillie Wallace - NALA NICHOLAI’S HOLLY, Reserve Champion First Ridden Show Pony (not exceeding 12.2hh) Rider 5 years and under 12 years
10. Janna Borich - TIKI TOUR BM, Champion Gallery Equine Rider over 30 years 11. Rebecca Mobberley - MONSTEVOS JUST IN PRETORIA, in the Child’s Large Show Pony (12.2hh & not exceeding 14hh) Rider under 17 years 12. Richard Otto - DOLLY BLUE, owned by Clarke Johnstone, Champion Equestrian Elegance Newcomer Show Hunter Hack (over 15hh), Champion Led Hunter Hack 4 years and over (over 15hh), Champion IRT Large Show Hunter Hack (over 16hh) and winner of the Cape Kidnappers Lodge Open Show Hunter Gala
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11 1. Australian judges from left: Denise Fenwick (SA),
Leonie Roberts (NSW), Carmel Perkins (QLD) and Amanda O’Sullivan (QLD)
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Zaria Johnston - CANDY MAN, Champion Paratene Family Leading Rein Show Pony (not exceeding 12hh) Rider 3 years & under 8 years
3.
Kelly Sheely - DA VINCI, Reserve Champion Power Star Nutrition Newcomer Show Hack (over 15hh & not exceeding 16hh)
4.
Ben Thomson - WILLOWBRAE ILLUSIONIST, owned by Holley Applegate, Champion Garrards Newcomer Show Hunter Galloway (over 14hh & not exceeding 15hh)
5.
Lucy Dagnall - RT SONG BOOK, owned by Amanda Berridge and Ryan Teece, Champion Provida Newcomer Small Show Pony (not exceeding 12.2hh)
6.
Paris Masterson - MY KINGDOM, owned by Mary Copeman, Reserve Champion Child’s Show Hack (over 15hh) Rider 12 years & under 17 years and Reserve Champion Wade Equine Large Show Hack (over 16hh), ridden by Mary Copeman
7.
Ben Thomson - KS HONEY BOO BOO, owned by Sheridene Swift and Lesley Stonehouse, Champion Equilume Newcomer Show Galloway (over 14hh & not exceeding 15hh) and Champion Showshots Small Show Galloway (over 14hh & not exceeding 14.2hh)
8.
Amanda Berridge - GLAMORGAN BY DESIGN, Reserve Champion Led Hunter Hack 4 years and over (over 15hh) and Reserve Champion Cabernet Foods Rider 21 years & under 30 years
9.
Grace Purdie - TAURIMU RENAISSANCE, Champion Regent Park Rider 6 years & under 9 years and Reserve Champion Child’s Small Show Pony (not exceeding 12.2hh) Rider under 17 years
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10. Richard Otto - XANT’E, Reserve Champion Led Hack 4 years and over (above 15hh), 3rd in the Kauri Cliffs Lodge Open Show Horse Gala, winner of the OTT Thoroughbred Show Horse Series (2 or more seasons under saddle in the show ring) and Reserve Champion Snuggy Hoods Small Show Hack (over 15hh & not exceeding 16hh)
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11. Mia Cadwallader - NANTEOS AUTUMN GUARDSMAN, Champion ProVida and Nettex Leading Rein Show Hunter Pony (not exceeding 12hh) Rider 3 years & under 8 years and ridden by Trey Cadwallader to Champion Child’s Small Show Hunter Pony (not exceeding 12.2hh) Rider under 17 years and Champion Hygain Small Show Hunter Pony (not exceeding 12.2hh) 12. Lindsay Everton - GLENMOOR SAM I AM, Champion Norton Law Rider 15 years & under 17 years and 3rd in the Cape Kidnappers Lodge Open Show Hunter Galloway 13. Julia Leusink - LSL CHICO CHICO, in the Yakka Show Hunter Galloway (over 14hh & not exceeding 14.2hh) 14. Margot Haynes - HIGHCROFT HEAVENLY, owned by Andrea Shore, Champion TuffRock Newcomer Large Show Pony (12.2hh & not exceeding 14hh) and Reserve Champion TuffRock Large Show Pony (over 12.2hh & not exceeding 14hh) 15. Fiona Honeyman - LEEARA PARK FIRST EDITION, owned by the Cadwallader Family, winner of the Kauri Cliffs Lodge Open Show Horse Gala, and ridden by Trey Cadwallader to Champion TuffRock Large Show Pony (over 12.2hh & not exceeding 14hh) and Champion Child’s Large Show Pony (12.2hh not exceeding 14hh) Rider under 17 years
SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
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PHOTO ESSAY Ashburton Area
&
SHOW JUMPING
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SHOW HUNTER PHOTOS showcircuit.photoshelter.com
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Sonia McKerchar - BLUE LAGOON, 2nd in the Adult Rider Equitation Jaimee Bird - CANCION HSH, 1st= in the Open Horse (2 Phase) 90cm Emma Hanna - MY ULTIMATUM, 5th in the Open Horse 1.10m Samantha Torrie - HI-HAT, 6th in the Open Pony (2 Phase) 1m Mary Wakeman - MJ TOMIC, in the Morrison’s Saddlery Open Horse 1.10m Nicole White - CRICKLEWOOD ACE, 2nd in the Ashburton Trust/Lion Foundation Open Horse (2 Phase) 1.20m Tegan Fitzsimon - DOUBLE J MONARCH, 2nd in the Wholesale Seeds Ltd/Bayleys Real Estate Horse Grand Prix Series 1.40-1.50m Sarah Mattson - WINDWARD LEGACY, 3rd in the Open Pony (2 phase) 90cm
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9. Anna Redmond - VERA MERA AA, 2nd in the Hunter 1m 10. Nicole White - LC UMHLANGA ROCKS, winner of the South Canterbury Saddlery FEI World Jumping Challenge 1.20-1.30m 11. Olivia Harkerss - ASTEK REFORMER, in the Ashburton Trust/Lion Foundation Open Horse (2 Phase) 1.20m 12. Rose Alfeld - KBS THE IRISHMAN, in the Ashburton Trust/Lion Foundation Open Horse (2 Phase) 1.20m 13. Florence Tapley - KINGS REPICHARGE, in the FMG Young Rider Series sponsored by Mainland Coachwork Ltd 14. Georgina Palmer - BRAVADOS NZPH, 1st= in the Mitavite 6 Year Old Breeding Series 1.20m
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Rohan Tennekoon - DOUBLE J RUMOURS, winner of the Rainer Irrigation/ Lincoln University Junior Rider with Equitation Series 1.15-1.25m
7.
Nicole White - LC UMHLANGA ROCKS, winner of the South Canterbury Saddlery FEI World Jumping Challenge 1.20-1.30m
8.
Tyler McKee - STRATOS, winner of the Hunter 1m
9.
Hanna Lowe - DR LUCAS, in the Open Pony (2 Phase) 1m
1.
Harry Feast - DOUBLE J BARMAN, winner of the East Coast Performance Horses 5 Year Old Breeding Series 1.10m
2.
Courtney Townsend - SUZY FOG, in the Rainer Irrigation/Lincoln University Junior Rider with Equitation Series 1.15-1.25m
3.
Tamara Silcock - TUI B, 3rd in the Carrfields Horse Championship (Tony Archibold Memorial) 1.20m
4.
Steffi Whittaker - MOONLIGHT GLOW, winner of the Neumanns Tyres/Equissage Pony Grand Prix Series 1.20-1.30m
10. Rohan Tennekoon - MANGAKARAA CARBON COPY, 4th in the Neumanns Tyres/Equissage Pony Grand Prix Series 1.20-1.30m
5.
Tyler Mckee walking his course
11. Grace Manera - REDNALHGIH COWAN, 3rd in the Neumanns Tyres/ Equissage Pony Grand Prix Series 1.20-1.30m
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12. Lucy Maley - ONEWERRE TOWN TALK, 3rd in the ESNZ Open High Points Series 1.10m
16. Harry Feast - DOUBLE J BOUNCER, winner of the Wholesale Seeds Ltd/Bayleys Real Estate Horse Grand Prix Series 1.40-1.50m
13. Katie Meredith - LAKOTA, in the Ashburton Trust/Lion Foundation Open Horse (2 Phase) 1.20m
17. Samantha Gillies - SIMPLY STRIKING, 2nd in the Morrison’s Saddlery Pony Championship 1.05m
14. Sally Spicer - WEITI EROS, 4th in the Ashburton Trust/Lion Foundation Open Horse (2 Phase) 1.20m
18. Kate Mullins - COWBOY COOL, winner of the Rakaia Foodcentre/ Coca Cola Amateur High Points Series 1m
15. Devon van Til - WINTERBERG, 5th in the Orari Estate/Caledonian Holdings Amateur Rider Series 1.10-1.20m
19. Steffi Whittaker - NGAHIWI CRUISE, winner of the Mainland Coachwork FMG Young Rider Series 1.25-1.35m
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PHOTO ESSAY
1
Eventing
Wairarapa
Spring Horse Trials PHOTOS Pip Hume 1.
Eloise King – SIROCCO ATHENA, CR Nelson CNC95A Under 18
2.
Hannah Chowen – MOOCHACHA, in the Hire Shop CNC80B
3.
Maddie Fraser – MOJO BANJO, Hire Shop CNC80B
2
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3
4.
5.
Karla Wilson – STONEY MARA, PGG Wrightsons CNC2*
4
Brittany Tilson – PAINTED ROSE, 3rd place – Norwood CNC1*
5
6. Holly Morrell – PAMPERO, 4th in the PGG Wrigtsons CNC2*
6
7. Fenella Grigsby COTSWOLD LIEBSBRIEF, Hire Shop CNC80B 8.
Lauren Currie – SPECTACULAR BREW, COP CNC95B 18 & Over
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1.
2.
Bria Fitzgerald – MIDNIGHT GANADOR, in the Langlands Honda CNC80A
Ella Goodin – GALAXY PICTURE PERFECT, Vet Services Wairarapa CNC65
3. Kaitlyn Freeman – LANDISOHN, winner of the Langlands Honda CNC80A
1
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4. Georgia Bennett – JOHNNY CASTLE, winner of the PGG Wrightsons CNC2* 5. Lauren Dolan – ABALONE PEARL, winner of the Hire Shop CNC80B 6.
Sarah Young – EQUADOR MW, 3rd in the NZ Lifestylers CNC105 7. Samantha Felton – RICKER RIDGE DIVINE RIGHT, 2nd in the PGG Wrightsons CNC2*
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The name synonymous with technical equine rugs.
8.
Maggie White – RICHIE McHORSE, 3rd in the Vet Services Wairarapa CNC65
9
9. Max Falloon – FORTIFICATION PENHELLAGON, Vet Services Wairarapa CNC65
Competition Cooler
10. Sarah Dalziell-Clout – BENROSE SUPER STAR, winner of the Fagan Motors CNC2*+ 11. Olivia Smallbone – KITEROA PEPPERJACK, Langlands Honda CNC80A
Zebra Sweet Itch Rug
10
11
Buzz off Rain Full Neck and Mask
“Intelligent” horse blankets from New Zealand Distributor Bucas Blankets NZ Ph: 06 762 8734
www.birtwick.co.nz View product range:
www.bucas.com SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
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PHOTO ESSAY
Canterbury A&P Show PHOTOS showcircuit.photoshelter.com
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1.
Dave Ferriman, Huntsman for the Christchurch Hunt, leads out the hounds in the lunchtime display
8.
2.
Allie Harper - ROSARI RINGO STARR, winner of the Diana Rainey Memorial Equestrienne Trophy
Sarah Cronin - CHELTON FAIRY LIGHTS, Champion Three Year Old Pony, Supreme Led Pony and overall PBNZ Youngstock
9.
3.
Maddi Thompson - SHADES OF GRAY, winner of the Renown Challenge Cup
Harriet Redmond - LAKEVIEW LONE DESIRE, winner of the Open Riding Horse over 148cm and not over 163cm
4.
Brechin Family - BRAEBURN PARK SHOWPIECE, Reserve Champion Three Year Old Pony
10. Ashleigh & Vanessa O’Connor - HOLLYBANK RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE, Reserve Champion Purebred Welsh Youngstock
5.
Sarah Fitzgerald - SKIBBEREEN WHAT A BUZZ, Champion Two Year Old Pony
6.
Bonnie Sinclair - WESTFIELD SAPPHIRE, Champion Purebred In Hand Gypsy Cob and Champion Purebred Ridden Gypsy Cob
7.
Thomas Kerr - THERMOPYLAE, Champion Ridden Pinto Saddle Hunter and Supreme Ridden Pinto
11. Jane Ross - DASHING, winner of the Best Rider, 21 years and over 12. Tracy Crossen - TREVALDA MOUNTAIN STORM, Supreme All Breeds 13. Lesley Lewis - COTSWOLD FOXFIRE, Champion Ridden Shetland Pony 14. Devon Van Til - HUNTER’S GOLD, winner of the Best Mannered Saddle Hunter, over 163cm 15. Hey Family - ARAPITO KOWHAI, Supreme In Hand Golden Horse and Champion In Hand Hunter Pony
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Quick & easy clean up of Horse Manure CHECK US OUT AT:
superscooper.co.nz
ONLY $1295!!
9
10 1.
Sarah Cronin - KS QUEEN BEE, Supreme Champion Arabian. Led by Jesse O’Flaherty
2.
Erewhon Station - DONNYBROOK TYLER, Supreme Clydesdale
3.
Glenbrooke Park - RMS INKHEART, Supreme In Hand Pinto.
4.
Brackenleigh Stud - ARAWA COMMODORE, Supreme Led Pure or Partbred Welsh Exhibit and Champion Ridden Purebred Welsh Exhibit
5.
Philip Peter - KARANGA BLUE DANUBE, Champion Purebred Welsh Youngstock
6.
Sarah Wadworth - FAEMOSS BW, Champion Saddle Hunter Horse
7.
Linda Hammond - ALLANDER COLTEN, Supreme Champion Paced & Mannered Saddle Horse
8.
Sarah Fitzgerald - KS HELTER SKELTER, Champion Yearling Pony and winner of the PBNZ Youngstock Yearling Sash
9.
DG Equine - ROVALE GRASSIANO DG, Champion Youngstock Warmblood
10. D&J Humphries - COTSWOLD CRYSTAL CLARICE, Supreme Champion Shetland Pony 11. Kelly Chalmers - WILLOWLEE’S MASQUERADE, Supreme Champion In Hand Gypsy Cob 12. Kate Fleming - MANSFIELD PARK MAGNOLIA, Reserve Champion Derivative Senior Arabian
11 12
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A fitting tribute to a Canterbury legend
It is a rare year at the Canterbury A&P Show when you don’t see a Maxwellton pony in the limelight. The stud has been represented at the show for over 60 years and this year was to be the return of their ‘king’ Maxwellton Woody Woodpecker. Ten years after his last Supreme All Breeds at Canterbury Royal, ‘Woody’, now 15 years old and looking as good as ever had been prepared to return to the show to give it one last shot. Sadly that was not to be when just the day before their scheduled date of travel, Woody suffered a fatal heart attack. Without their main man, Judith and daughter Penelope made the trip with his full sister, Maxwellton Penelope Pitstop, another pony that has shared many successes at the show including the 2015 Supreme Champion Animal of the Show. His brother Maxwellton Secret Squirrel was also on board to make his Canterbury A&P Show debut. Along with Judith’s entries at the show there were many representatives of Woody scattered throughout the show including four full sisters and a full brother, and it was a fitting tribute to a Canterbury legend when both the Supreme Champion Saddle Pony (Beechcroft Playboy) and Supreme Champion Saddle Horse (First Edition) were sashed, as both were sired by Woody. The successes in 2016 did not end there with Maxwellton Secret Squirrel being sashed Reserve Champion Yearling and Maxwellton Penelope Pitstop being sashed Champion 14.2hh Pony. A son of Woody, Uptown Charlie Brown, stood Reserve Champion 14.2hh Pony and was the overall winner of the Pony Breeders of NZ Ridden Classes. Ever the optimist, Judith comments, “Not all is lost - we have two full borthers to Woody up our sleeve, one of which I always intended to carry on as a future sire. So as one door closes, albeit far too soon, another one opens.” While we will no longer see the handsome face of Woody, we will continue to see his descendants and relatives gracing the show ring for years into the future, and without a doubt, many more will reign supreme. C 1. 2. 3. 4.
MAXWELLTON WOODY WOODPECKER, Supreme All Breeds at Canterbury Royal 2006 with judge Alan Charlesworth FIRST EDITION, Supreme Champion Saddle Horse BEECHCROFT PLAYBOY, Supreme Champion Saddle Pony MAXWELLTON SECRET SQUIRREL, Reserve Champion Yearling Pony
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PHOTO ESSAY
NATIONAL YOUNG HORSE JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS
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Matt Irvine - INDEED, winner of the Five-Year-Old Championship Final Jesse Linton - POPEYE, winner of the Seven-Year-Old Championship Final Stephen Nickalls - LETINO, 4th= in the Seven-Year-Old Championship Final Vicki Prendergast - SANGSTER, 4th in the Six-Year-Old Championship Final Ashley Hart - KIWI BONUS in the Four-Year-Old Championship Final Hannah Bodle - WHAKANUI DE L AMORE, in the Seven-Year-Old Championship Final 7. Logan Massie - DOUBLE J KELVIN, 1st in the Four-Year-Old Championship Final 8. Melody Matheson - GRAFFITI MH, 2nd= in the Seven-Year-Old Championship Final 9. Shanae McKay - KD’S AFFAIR, in the Four-Year-Old Championship Final 10. Jeremy Whale - SELENA C, 6th in the Four-Year-Old Championship Final 11. Marielle Erikson - CATAPULT XTREME, in the Five-Year-Old Championship Final
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Emily Hayward-Morgan - DELICIOUS HM, 2nd in the Five-Year-Old Championship Final
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Jesse Linton - ARDEN, in the Four-Year-Old Championship Final
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Karen Bruce - KIWI CHEROSO, in the Five-Year-Old Championship Final
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Helen Kippen COMMANDER NZPH, 3rd in the Five-Year-Old Championship Final
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Julie Davey - NGAHIWI STONE, 2nd in the Six-YearOld Championship Final
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Lucy Fell - FARATONA STS, 6th= in the Six-Year-Old Championship Final
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Danielle Maurer - YALAMBI’S GUCCI GIRL, in the Six-YearOld Championship Final
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Ashley Hart - KIWI SHOWTIME, winner of the SixYear-Old Championship Final
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Motueka A&P Show
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Tamara Silcock - TUI B, in the Horse 1.20m
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Catherine Peter - TIRAUMEA NELSON, Champion Novice Saddle Hunter
Emma Pilcher - SNAZZY AS, winner of the Hack Two Jump Challenge
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Madeline Woods - SAMARKAND PARK VOGUE, winner of the Open Paced and Mannered Show Pony over 128cm and not exceeding 138cm
Peita Milne - WPS TONKA, winner of the Pony Two Jump Challenge and the Pony Six Bar
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James Duncan - BL ALONSO, Champion Open Saddle Hunter and Champion Adult Rider
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Georgia Weaver - RANGEVIEW DONAUPERLE, Reserve Champion Junior Rider
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Sophie Williams - MARIGOLD, 2nd in the Introductory Hack 70cm
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Vicky Ratcliffe - ASHTON PUSS N BOOTS, Supreme Led Pony
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Lynley Wilson - ZACTAC INDIAN BRAVE, 1st= in the Open Horse Six Bar
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The Newington Bro’s Trophy, presented to the Supreme Ridden Horse of the Show
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Rilee McMeekin - WINDWARD LIMERICK, Champion Open Saddle Hunter Pony and Supreme Pony
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Sophie Williams - CHASUBUL, Champion Novice Hack and Champion Open Hack
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Isa Hermens - MY WINTER WINDS, Best Presented Ridden Pinto
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Julie McKay - NORTHWOOD AMAZING DANCER, Supreme Led Horse
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Kelsey Biggs - BLACK CHAMPAGNE, Champion Open Park Hack
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Emma Pilcher - NGAHIWI JITTERBUG, Champion Working Hunter
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Jessica Ladley - CLIFTON MASERATI, 2 nd in the Horse 1.10m
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Tracey Heywood - VOLLRATH FÜRST PATRICK, Reserve Champion Open Riding Horse
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Point of View
Chloe Phillips-Harris Chloe is passionate about eventing, competing on her mount Cor Jet to 3* level. After winning the New Zealand Young Rider Horse Trials Circuit and sitting her riding exams in Germany in 2009, she started an equestrian business from her home in the Bay of Islands. In 2013 she rode 1000km across Mongolia in the world’s toughest horse race, the Mongol Derby. These days she splits her time between competing and producing eventing horses.
PASSION AND DRIVE Well the spring season has finished with lots of excitement and surprises at Puhinui. I was lucky enough to watch and enjoy the event from the sidelines rather than in the saddle, which gave me a good chance to catch up with friends and watch all the action, both on the course and off. The off-field antics included some well-known Aussie eventers racing each other on foot around a course of cross-country fences while carrying a "bride" on their backs – luckily they look far more elegant in the saddle while jumping than they do on foot. And I wouldn’t have rated their chances of passing the trot-up the next day after a few falls (both runners and their brides) in the main arena!
WEATHER CAN BE A CURSE As can happen at Puhinui, the weather didn't quite cooperate. Although the conditions started out ideal on cross-country day, by the time the big stuff came around the weather had turned and made for some truly miserable riding. It was certainly a day to show how tough eventing can be, and while spectators and riders alike got soaked, it did show that we have some superb riders and horses coming through the ranks. Puhinui in general was a great reminder of the hard work, bravery and skill it takes to be an eventing rider. The standout performance and big congratulations must go to Virginia Thompsom and her mare Star Nouveau, who were Puhinui champions for a second year in a row. Ginny showed some classy riding to jump a beautiful round in some of the day's worst weather. Winning any threeday event is a huge accomplishment, and to do it two years in a row puts the polite and hardworking Ginny up with some big and legendary names in the sport.
KIWIS ACROSS THE DITCH Andy Daines was the only New Zealand rider to compete in the 4* class at the Adelaide International Three-Day Event this year, finishing in a respectable 10th place at his first event at the top level. The little hop across the Tasman doesn't seem to have slowed him down on our national circuit either, winning the 1* class at Puhinui aboard the beautiful grey Giocattolo (I don't envy the announcer having to try and say that name). Andy was also seen in the bride-carrying competition, putting the pressure on the Australians, and I’m just glad that he could still walk, let alone ride, when the show jumping came around on Sunday morning! Sam Felton has also been in Australia with some great results, though with her fair share of the challenges that come with trying to keep horses in peak condition and performing at the top level. She finished on the podium riding Ricker Ridge Pico Boo in the 3* at Adelaide and it
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was great to see her back in New Zealand for another top 3* result on Ricker Ridge Escada at Puhinui. I think this goes to show that going to Australia is a viable option for home-based riders to gather international experience and exposure, while still allowing them to keep producing horses in New Zealand and ensure the level of competition stays strong here too. The 3* field at Puhinui was a good example of this, with the most competitors we've seen at this level for a while. Renee Faulkner is another young lady who's doing a beautiful job, with a brilliant ride piloting Rubinstar HH around the 3* track at Puhinui. In some wet and miserable conditions, she made it look easy, and is definitely a young rider to watch for the future.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE Speaking of young riders, anyone who reads my column knows that I'm very passionate about eventing, and how important I think it is to keep young riders and grass roots levels strong. I want today's Pony Club kids to love eventing and to see the sport as something fun to be a part of. So, when teaching a group lesson recently, I was saddened to hear the old "oh but we don't have an arena to practice in" excuse come up. In my opinion, eventing is great because just riding in arena isn't good enough – it is a sport where getting out and about is actually a huge advantage. I understand their point, but I don't have an arena either. There are some days when I would love to have an all-weather surface to ride on, or just a flat surface with some straight lines to run through a dressage test, but having an arena is not the be all and end all. That’s the great thing about eventing, you can kind of train anywhere. Road sides (though perhaps stay away from people’s neatly mown verges) provide ditches and banks, a sloping paddock or hill is great for fitness and practicing uphill and downhill jumps, thistle bushes can be anything you make them and the same applies to any other prickly hedges and plant species. Every puddle you come across on those miserable wet winter rides is practice for water jumps. There are training opportunities anywhere – you just have to look outside the box! Puhinui proved what anyone who's ever evented knows: that at some stage you will be competing in unpleasant conditions. Sometimes you will be galloping straight into driving rain and hoping your horse can see where you’re going slightly better than you can. Other times, no matter how much amazing work the organising committee puts in, you will have mud, wet grass or a slippery surface to jump off. If you've ridden in winter mud, trained on wet grassy slopes, and been in the saddle rain, hail or shine, then when it comes to competing in less than ideal conditions, you've done your homework. In fact, you've definitely got an advantage over those who’ve never left their arena. C
SHOW JUMPING
Point of View
©Kimi Knight
Dominique Visini 22-year-old Dominique is successful both on and off horses, with a Bachelor of Business Studies in Marketing having led her to a fulltime career in that industry. Despite her busy working life, she still manages to fit in her true passion - show jumping aboard her gorgeous grey Don Perignon II (Dan). She has competed up to 1.25m and is currently focused on competing in the Young Rider series, and moving up to Grand Prix in the future.
SUMMER AT LAST Summer has finally arrived, and it seems that the heat is here to stay – for a few months at least! Horse of the Year entries have opened and riders are looking forward to the second half of a very busy season.
WORLD CUP WONDERINGS The World Cup series has been hotly contested so far this year, with many new combinations stepping up with some success. It’s fantastic to see that these classes have around twenty horses and riders entered, proving that there is some depth at the upper levels and a lot of promising potential for future teams. However the series has also sparked some controversy this season, mainly with a focus on venues and their suitability to hold a class of this level. While the round at Hawke’s Bay was considered to be on the smaller end of the World Cup scale, it mostly escaped criticism, as did the Waikato round held indoors at the Mystery Creek Events Centre. Feilding provided the first real talk and what talk that was – riders took to social media to announce their disappointment with the surface and conditions. Although it was felt that the crew had done a great job overall with the show and that efforts had been undertaken to improve the ground, it was concluded by many that the warm-up had been very hard and the actual ring held some wet patches. Despite the conditions, Sam Morrison had a super win on the fiery Biarritz which puts her in a good position for her Australian venture after Horse of the Year. Taupo Christmas Classic is always a show to look forward to, and riders were quick to express their frustration that 2016 was to be the final year that the show would include a World Cup round. The riders' meeting held on the 15th December was well-attended, with the big topic of discussion being the decision to award the fourth World Cup round to Hawera show instead of Taupo in 2017. Many felt that after the mild disaster of Feilding there should be no contest as to which venue a World Cup should be moved from, if one should be moved at all. Furthermore, it appeared that the majority of riders had not been contacted about the possibility, if any had been contacted at all. Hawera is a superb show with great ground and would make for a good World Cup round, a fitting venue for top show jumping. I’m sure riders will be crossing their fingers at the possibility of adding a Hawera round to the series while still keeping Taupo in the mix, giving us a total of seven World Cup rounds over the season.
TAUPO CHRISTMAS CLASSIC – THE GOOD… The Classic was beautifully presented this year with jumps brought down from the Waikato show, though some riders despaired of the particularly light rails and spooky fences that these offered! The World
Cup win went most deservedly to Natasha Brooks and Kapattack, with second place to Carissa McCall and Esteban MVNZ. These two are a couple of the nicest riders on the circuit, always quick to smile and lend a hand, and both are very kind to their horses and other competitors. Tash has done such a super job producing the Thoroughbred Kapattack and with a couple of World Cup wins under her belt she is looking like a serious contender for some of the big titles at Horse of the Year. Credit where credit is due: several riders have had some fantastic placings in the first half of the season, many of these very well-deserved and inspirational. Briar Burnett-Grant had a great Grand Prix win on Fiber Fresh Veroana at the Young Horse Show, Georgia Massie placed in the Feilding World Cup round on Larinium LS, and Mikayla Herbert rode two super rounds in the Young Rider at Taupo for first place on the impressive Grand Caballo. Melody Matheson has done a great job with the Hanoverian Graffiti MH and notched up another win in the 7 Year Old at Taupo, while pony rider Ally Carson prevailed around the tough Pony Grand Prix track to take the win aboard Tiger Tale LS.
AND THE BAD… Alas, it can’t all be good and Taupo also produced some smaller negativities that have to be brought to attention. I couldn’t believe the amount of rubbish that had been thoughtlessly strewn around both the truck park and the actual competition grounds – it really is shocking to see our venues treated like that. The show provides big skips for rubbish and it really isn’t hard to make sure that we clean up after ourselves; the organisers didn’t need to be the ones picking up the broken gazebo left by one truck or the sacks of trash left by another. The banks next to Ring One were littered with candy wrappers after the kids’ lolly scramble, and I was shocked that children had not been expected to clean up after themselves. It’s a real shame that our showgrounds get treated this way. My second frustration comes from observing the way that a couple of very well-known riders treated their grooms over the four day show – grooms should be considered to be a privilege and I couldn’t believe the way that I saw a handful of them spoken to. I’m hopeful that this is the minority, but it’s worth bearing in mind that these grooms are working tirelessly in the worst of the weather, at all hours of the day and mostly just because they love what they do. I have to say kudos to riders like Oliver Croucher, who lent his groom one of his good horses for the show and was very complimentary about her efforts. And last but not least – riders, remember to check with the show before 131 if MAGAZINE you remove your jacket! ItSHOWCIRCUIT may be hot but it’s also rather bad etiquette the show has not announced a change to the attire rule. I’m sure this will be all the more relevant as the weather and the competition heats up! C
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Point of View
Michelle Zielazo
Michelle has been involved with the New Zealand Warmblood Association since she moved from Sydney to Christchurch in 2004, starting with volunteering to be the editor, right through to becoming President. A competitive rider, trainer and breeder, and holder of a Bachelor of Applied Science – Equine Studies degree, Michelle has been horse obsessed from a young age, and this passion doesn’t appear to be abating!
CLASSIFICATION TOUR 2017 Last issue I promised you a bit more information about the NZWA Classification Tour for 2017, and that I would introduce our assessor to you. Some of you may not be familiar with Matthias Werner personally, but I’m sure you would recognise his credentials. Matthias lives with his family in a small village one hundred kilometres north of Frankfurt, Germany. His family have been horse breeders for several generations, and Matthias himself has ridden from a young age, competing in dressage and show jumping up to M class. Matthias rode Gondola 2 successfully whom his mother later put in foal to Kostolany to produce none other than the world super-sire Gribaldi, sire of Totilas. Matthias has been classifying for many years, most recently under Lars Gehrman who is the Trakehner Verband Breeding Director and CEO.
Classification also approves Thoroughbred, Arab and Anglo-Arab breeding stock into the NZWA Foundation Studbook. This means that their progeny are eligible for registering in the NZWA Warmblood Register when the other parent is an approved warmblood. It is also important to note that only progeny from NZWA Warmblood Studbook stallions and those licensed overseas can be registered and branded as New Zealand Warmbloods. Progeny of unlicensed or unclassified warmblood stallions are only eligible for registration in the Warmblood Derivative Studbook and cannot be branded. The NZWA do currently have an amnesty in place to potentially elevate eligible warmbloods from the Derivative Register to the Warmblood Register and into the NZWA Warmblood Studbook through classification. Please see our website for more information (www.nzwarmbloods.co.nz)
2017 NZWA CLASSIFICATION TOUR
INSPECTION VERSUS REGISTRATION
The tour will begin on Monday 20 February in Whangarei, and will make its way down through Auckland and the upper North Island before moving to Palmerston North and Wellington. From Wellington, the tour heads to Blenheim and Nelson before progressing down to Christchurch, where it will finish on Tuesday 28th February. During the tour, Matthias will assess a range of different ages from foals to mature horses. The purpose and importance of classification has been discussed previously but it is invaluable to have an impartial and expert review of your horse's conformation and movement, and in the case of stallions, its jumping technique.
Registration Foals should be registered in the year they are born or as yearlings. Foals registered in the NZWA Warmblood Register are New Zealand Warmbloods. If your horse is not registered as a foal but is eligible, it can be registered by contacting the NZWA Registrar and providing proof of parentage. Inspection Inspection is the term for assessing a horse and allocating it a score based on its quality and potential, but not changing the status of the horse or elevating it into a different studbook. Foals, yearlings or twoyear-old youngstock may be inspected by an accredited assessor. Geldings are also able to be inspected. Assessment and Classification When horses reach three years of age, registered horses in the NZWA Warmblood Register are eligible to apply for classification into the NZWA Warmblood Studbook as approved breeding stock. The inspection criteria is set out on the NZWA website but entails assessment in hand and moving freely. Stallions have a different set of inspection criteria from other horses including a requirement to show jumping ability and the potential to be ridden. Mares that pass are elevated to the NZWA Warmblood Studbook or commonly known as studbook mares. Stallions that pass are consequently approved for breeding and become licensed stallions. For more information on classification please contact us on general@ nzwarmbloods.co.nz or have a look at the information on our website www.nzwarmbloods.co.nz and register your horse for the tour. C
th
ELIGIBILITY Any horse registered with the New Zealand Warmblood Association is eligible for inspection and classification. This includes warmbloods, derivatives and foundation stock (Thoroughbred, Arab and AngloArab). There are special sections and awards for warmblood foals, youngstock, mares, geldings and stallions, as well as for the foundation stock and derivatives.
WHY CLASSIFY? Classification elevates a horse from the NZWA Warmblood Register into the NZWA Warmblood Studbook, which increases the value and prestige of the horse, and potentially its future progeny. It is important to classify your breeding stock, and to breed only to approved stallions to ensure the improvement of the breed and to increase the value of your progeny. Internationally it is unheard of to breed to unapproved horses as this would risk devaluing the resulting progeny as well as potentially allowing negative traits into the bloodline.
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DRESSAGE
Point of View
Alicia Collin A pony-mad Alicia didn’t get her first pony until she was 13, and at 15 she began to specialise in dressage. She is now a Grand Prix dressage rider and trainer who is based in both New Zealand (Auckland) and Australia (Brisbane). Alicia is passionate about passing on her knowledge, teaching and developing horses into successful athletes, and she is a sought-after trainer in both New Zealand and Australia.
TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK GOODBYE TEAM VALEGRO So many horses have been and gone before Valegro, and there will be many more to come after him. While his retirement from competition was nothing new in the sport of dressage, it was definitely surreal. I didn’t find his retirement sad, I found it special. I loved that this horse, who wasn’t necessarily royally bred for dressage and had looked like most other ungainly yearlings, had found the right home and the right partner, and they had worked together to produce a wonderful team. Dressage is a team sport. It’s the combination of horse and rider, and then of trainer and support people in the form of vets, farriers, physios, saddle fitters, nutritionists … I could go on forever (dependant on your budget!). Then there are the mums, dads, kids and partners (otherwise known as “the unpaid help”) doing everything else that helps us to ride and train the perfect circle.
COLLABORATION KEY TO SUCCESS Valegro’s tale is a story of collaboration. It has been made no secret by the best in the world that having daily eyes on the ground is one of the vital ingredients to success, and for a long time I have been musing over ideas of how we in New Zealand can work more together. Most of us have our trainers that we go to however often we can afford, but why don’t we go and ride with our friends more often? Life is busy, but we make the effort to get to lessons and competitions. Do we have bad attitudes towards getting help? I’m not a walk in the park to train – I’m opinionated and I like to do things my own way – but I would love to improve my riding. I mean, what is so wrong with me that I cannot get an 8 or more for my entry? It is literally only a 30m straight line into a halt. It’s hardly enter at gallop, jump over a hedge into a lake and then up out of it into a halt. Would I get better marks if I had more help? I absolutely think that I would, so I would be receptive to having eyes on the ground from other riders. Does it really matter if the person who is watching you is the equivalent level of rider as you? I don’t think so. Most people who watch dressage have developed something of an eye for it. I often yell at my poor mother “What does it look like?” and become quite infuriated when her response is “Good”. Then I have to yell again – “Well, does it look like Valegro or Totilas?” Obviously it doesn’t, so I then have to prompt her with “What more do I have to do?” (other than be the world’s best rider on the world’s best horse being watched by world class trainers every day). All the while, at least two circles have gone by, at which point Mum might come up with a genuine pearl of wisdom as simple as “The nose needs to be out more”, or “The bum needs to be more under”,
and suddenly I’m up another mark. I’m lucky to have my Mum to help me occasionally, but for those who don’t have a long suffering watcher, where could we go?
BRING BACK THE RALLY! No matter how long ago your Pony Club days were, I’m sure you can remember the excitement of going to rallies. I don’t ever recall having coaches that were pivotal to my learning, but that wasn’t really what it was about. It was a place you could go regularly for support and fun with your friends, and to have someone cast their eye over you and give you some pointers where required. I keep thinking that our Area Dressage Groups could develop something similar. I appreciate that it’s difficult for groups who don’t have their own grounds, and that there are organisational hurdles, but I have seen Dressage Waikato having club days where they bring in a trainer and have lessons and ride tests. What a great initiative (and I am sure there are many other groups that do this too). I wonder how many riders would be interested in being able to go somewhere, have a shared meal and ride with others or in front of a trainer/judge for a small cost? Perhaps this isn’t just something that groups should put on over winter and the quiet months, either. Maybe it would be even more popular over the summer months! If we had more collaboration and more help on as close to a daily basis as we can, how far do we think we could get? There will only be one Valegro, just like there was only one Totilas, and one Bonfire, but there will be many more ‘one and onlys’ to come, and one of you may even have one of these in training at the moment, or growing up in a paddock. We have always been told that we have good horses here, but what we lack is the training support. We are at the end of the earth internationally, and until planes fly faster and travel costs become more effective, it will stay that way. We need to develop a way to get this training support, and instead of just talking about it, we need to do it!
COMING UP In only a matter of weeks, the best in the country will be battling it out at our upcoming National Championships and at Horse of the Year. But 'best in the country' only reflects those who are there competing. I have heard the grumbles about the cost of it, but I can assure you that Dressage NZ aren’t going to Fiji on the profits from this event. On that note, why don’t we want events to profit? Ultimately the sport itself is what benefits from events making a profit. There are fifteen horses lined up for the Grand Prix, and so many of them can produce a quality test that I wouldn’t want to bet money on who will win these coveted titles. C
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PLEASURE
© Pip Hume Photography
Point of View
Rebecca Harper Rebecca grew up pony mad in a non-horsey family - and never grew out of it! She lives on a sheep and beef farm in Pongaroa where her two horses come in handy for stock work, as well as turning their hooves to competing and hunting. She competed in the Pleasure ring for a season on her OTTB Mr Benny Hill and continues to follow the discipline with interest. With a background in agricultural journalism, Rebecca now freelances from home and loves a good equine assignment.
FIRST TIMERS TO FORMER WINNERS NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK A new horse and rider combination turned heads in the Pleasure ring at Hawke’s Bay A&P Show this season as Hastings-based Di Reid and the lovely Bella rode off with Reserve Champion at their first outing together. What makes it even more special is that Di has only recently returned to competing after she lost her ‘one in a million’ horse to a paddock accident in 2012, went through a few setbacks with unsuitable horses and eventually took a break from riding altogether. But the horse bug never left her, so when Di’s good friend Jane Maxwell offered her hunter Bella to Di for the summer, she took on the ride. The partnership has flourished and really impressed at the few shows they have already attended. “I’d had her for six weeks when we did Hawke’s Bay A&P. I was actually stoked to do so well. After two years without competing, to get Reserve Champion – first time out, on a horse I’d only had for six weeks – was amazing.” After their success at Hawke’s Bay, Di registered Bella with the NZEPS and is now chasing her HOY qualification. “It’s definitely the goal to get to Horse of the Year,” she says. “Having a goal gives you direction with your riding and a push to get out there and do it.” She’s enjoying being back on the horsey social scene and reconnecting with old friends, and loves the turnout side of competition. “It’s Pleasure, but it’s the only chance some of us get to bling our horses up, so why not go all out?” She says the standard of the Pleasure ring has improved since she last competed. “Pleasure has definitely stepped up. The quality is better but it’s still got the fun factor and enjoyment, and the riders are still supportive and friendly as well.” She wanted to acknowledge and thank all of the people who have supported her through the ups and downs since she lost her horse in 2012. “The support has been phenomenal from people who have been there for me.” Di’s plan is to have Bella for the summer and get to Horse of the Year, and now that the opportunity has arisen for her to purchase the mare, she’s hoping to make that happen as well. We could be seeing this combination in the Pleasure ring for many seasons to come.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The next few columns will revisit some of the past winners of the Pleasure Horse of the Year title, starting with the horse that the lovely winner’s trophy is now named after – Braveheart Leading Lady.
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Many Pleasure ring enthusiasts will be familiar with the name Tamara Savage. Although Tamara doesn’t compete in Pleasure now, she has dedicated hours and hours of voluntary time and effort to the Pleasure cause over the last few years, and has been instrumental in setting up the NZEPS. She has been one of the biggest cheerleaders for the Pleasure ring and pushed hard for Royal Agricultural Society affiliation. And before that, Tamara and Braveheart Leading Lady (Diva) won back-to-back Pleasure of the of the Year titles at Horse of the Year in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, the aim was simply to fulfill Tamara’s lifelong dream of riding at HOY. “All I wanted was one ribbon with Horse of the Year printed on it – I didn’t care what placing it was, I just wanted a ribbon! When we won a ribbon in the first class, I actually remember riding over to my friends and asking if I could stop now, as my dream had been fulfilled. But I’m so pleased I stayed to finish the classes!” In 2012 she decided to try and defend the title, as she didn’t think it had been done before. She was successful and she’s still the only person to have back-to-back titles to her name. After her wins, Tamara decided to donate a trophy in Diva’s name, as Pleasure was the only Horse of the Year section without trophies. “I also thought Diva deserved the recognition, after winning just under 50 wide sashes in two seasons of Pleasure showing.” In 2013 Diva had a foal and has now successfully turned her hoof to dressage, with the pair currently competing at Level 3. While Diva was out on maternity leave Tamara filled in her weekends judging and helping to set up the NZEPS society, and many people competing in the ring today are benefiting from her hard work.
NZEPS NEWS It is fantastic to see that the South Island will soon have its first affiliated NZEPS show, to be held at the Kirwee Showgrounds on 21st January 2017. The show will be a Horse of the Year qualifier and organisers promise that it will be the first of many Pleasure horse and pony shows, which sounds very promising! Pleasure is also spreading further north and some shows have started running affiliated classes in Auckland too. A common question asked on social media this season has been around eligibility – if I compete in Pleasure classes, what else am I allowed to compete in? The answer is anything, except the open show ring. If you want to do Show Hunter and Pleasure at the same show, you are within your rights to do so. And the old dressage rule has now been removed, so there are no restrictions on competing in dressage and Pleasure classes. C
PONY BREEDERS
Point of View
Sarah Bostock Sarah Bostock is the owner of successful pony stud KS Show Horses, located in Hawke’s Bay. Although still a relatively new stud, the KS ponies and horses have already won titles at National and Horse of the Year level. With her passion for pony breeding, Sarah joined the New Zealand Pony Breeders Committee many years ago and is now President of the Society, which is one of New Zealand’s biggest and is the original registry for ponies under 148cm.
A SUCCESSFUL SEASON IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR On January 22nd 2017, the Pony Breeders Society of New Zealand ran its annual in-hand and ridden show at the Ashburton show grounds. This year the show attracted encouraging numbers. It catered for most horses, offering sections from miniatures to show ponies and show hacks. Excellent prizes were won and the show has received some fantastic sponsorship from throughout New Zealand, including from North Island breeders and private individuals – it is excellent to see our show being supported by both North and South Island competitors.
SHOWS ONLY SURVIVE WITH SUPPORT Last year the show was cancelled due to a lack of support, not in terms of entries, but help on the day and leading up to the show. The Councillors within our Society give their time to the Society on a volunteer basis and those running the show give up even more time. Organising a show this size takes countless hours and sadly I think it isn’t always appreciated. Last year, very few outside of the Council put their hand up to help run this show. With others offering to help, I am confident that the show will not be cancelled again in the future and may possibly grow further if competitors continue to support us.
THE SEASON CONTINUES At the time of writing this article we are into the first month of 2017 and the show season is more than half over! Hopefully you’ve already qualified or almost qualified for Horse of the Year in March. If you haven’t qualified yet, there are still plenty of opportunities available in February. To date, the reports from the shows are that numbers have been good across the sections, and our sash classes have been well supported in both the ridden and led rings. The led section is especially important to breeders as it is a chance to showcase broodmares, stallions and youngstock. Many broodmares and stallions never have saddle careers, so this gives them an opportunity to be shown. Traditionally the led youngstock classes at HOY are well-supported, however the adult breeding stock – broodmares and stallions – haven’t been. Horse of the Year has kept the broodmare and stallion classes in the led section for 2017 – something PBSNZ has supported – and I personally would love to see more broodmares and stallions out competing. The HOY committee has made one key change – removing the qualifications needed for stallions and broodmares (previously they needed to attend three shows, as youngstock do). I know how hard it can be to show broodmares, especially with those with a foal at foot, so this change is welcomed. There is now no reason to risk travelling your mare and foal in order to gain qualification. To
attend HOY as a broodmare, she is eligible with either a foal at foot or foal weaned, but must be back in foal. It’s all a matter of timing for breeders – have a mare foal early with her foal weaned in time for Horse of the Year so she can be taken and shown on her own, or travel her just once with foal at foot. As an added incentive, the Pony Breeders Society of New Zealand is sponsoring a foal class at Horse of the Year. For those that bring their broodmare we are offering a separate class for the foal, or for those that have weaned foals, it’s a chance to expose them and educate them early to show careers. Either way I ask competitors to support these classes, as if they are not supported we cannot expect them to remain.
GOT TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT On another note the Council is very much aware that many of our registered ponies are owned by young riders who compete in a variety of equestrian disciplines. We wish to support them and encourage them to compete on their ponies by not only offering sash classes throughout New Zealand, but also through our National Performance Competition. This competition has been designed to support all levels, ages (of rider) and many disciplines. Our performance convenor has received all entries and the winners will be announced at our AGM in May. There are numerous categories in this competition, including Rising Stars, Senior and Junior sections, and individual discipline winners in Showing, Dressage, Show Jumping, Show Hunter, RTR/WPH, Lead Rein, First Ridden and Mounted Games, to name just a few! Entering is simple – once you’ve signed up for the competition, you keep a record of your pony’s winnings throughout the season. Then once the season is completed, your results sheet is posted in to the convenor and the points are tallied up. You have all season to enter, and there are rugs, trophies and sashes to be won, all proudly donated by the New Zealand Pony Breeders Society or by studs affiliated with Pony Breeders. Conditions to enter this competition are minimal – your pony must simply be measured 148cm and under and be fully registered with the Society. Information can be found on www.ponybreeders.co.nz, on our Facebook page or by contacting any of our Council members. Remember that entries close not long after Horse of the Year so we suggest you keep a record of your wins throughout the year to save precious time when entering at the end of the season. Finally, good luck to all those competitors that are preparing for Horse of the Year, we cope that your time there is both enjoyable and successful C
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LEGAL ADVICE
EQUINE LAW with Edward Bostock AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, MANY OF YOU MAY BE CONSIDERING BUYING OR SELLING A HORSE, AND WITH THAT IN MIND I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE TO REITERATE THE KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR A PURCHASER AND A VENDOR. IMPLIED GUARANTEES The first question should be whether the Consumer Guarantees Act applies and therefore whether the guarantees provided by the Act are implied into the sale and purchase. I discussed these guarantees in my last article so will not repeat them here, but if they do apply then they will often be of huge importance if any issues come up. This is a crucial consideration, whether you are the purchaser or the vendor. IN TRADE In determining whether the Act applies, we need to decide whether the seller is acting ‘in trade’ (i.e. trades in the sale of horses). Simply, if the seller is acting ‘in trade’ then the Act applies, and if they are not then the Act won’t apply. By way of example, a person selling their only horse privately will not be acting ‘in trade’, whereas a breeder (who breeds horses to sell each year) will be acting ‘in trade’. It is not always clear cut when someone is acting ‘in trade’ and the answer may differ depending on the circumstances – for a person who makes a habit of buying and selling horses, there may be a point when they do act ‘in trade’.
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How is the horse at being handled, including being rugged, clipped and shod?
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What experience does the horse have?
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Has the horse ever been injured?
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Has the horse ever received treatment from a vet and if so what was this for?
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When did you buy the horse and how many previous owners has the horse had?
BUYING OR SELLING A HORSE SHOULD BE TREATED JUST LIKE ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL TRANSACTION, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING HOW VALUABLE THEY CAN BE.
PURCHASING If you are purchasing a horse from a trader then you can rely on the guarantees in the Consumer Guarantees Act; however, it does not mean that you should forego your due diligence. A seller cannot misrepresent a horse – the misrepresentation could be innocent or fraudulent – but a seller is not required to be forthcoming with every detail he knows about the horse. It comes down to “buyer beware”, and although we expect people to be honest, my advice is to conduct your due diligence as if they won’t be. It is therefore vitally important that you ask the right questions, as incorrectly answering a question about the horse would be a misrepresentation. I do not have enough space to list all of the questions you should ask, and of course the questions will not necessarily be the same on each occasion. However, a selection of questions I would recommend asking are: •
Why are you selling the horse?
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Does the horse have any vices (e.g. windsucking)?
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Has the horse ever had any behavioural issues (bucking, rearing, kicking out)?
The key point is that the more questions you ask, the more information you will gather about the horse, which will significantly reduce the risk of not discovering something vital. Of equal importance is to ensure that the answers are recorded in writing, so that there can be no dispute as to the information relied on, and to remove the element of “he said, she said” from the scenario.
SELLING The position when you are selling a horse is fairly simple – answer the questions you are asked truthfully. However it is important to note that even if you do this, you could (innocently) misrepresent a horse. This may not seem fair but the point is that even if you have not experienced a particular issue, it does not mean that the horse has never exhibited it before. What this does is highlight the importance of undertaking your due diligence on purchasing a horse, as you will then be able to fully answer any questions asked when selling it on. For example, you might answer that the horse has not exhibited any vices with you, but you are aware that he did with the previous owner. As I said above, regarding purchasing, it is equally important for you as the seller to record the information provided in writing, so that there can be no doubt as to what was (and wasn’t) disclosed. CONTRACT Buying or selling a horse should be treated just like any other commercial transaction, especially considering how valuable they can be. A contract clearly outlines the terms of the ‘deal’, including what information has been disclosed/relied on, therefore removing one of the main areas of dispute. I strongly advise that every sale or purchase be recorded in an Agreement for Sale and Purchase. C
If there are any topics that you would like me to cover in future issues or you require professional services, please contact me via email: edward@bramwellbate.co.nz or check out our website at: www.bramwellbate.co.nz. Copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. Copyright ownership of all editorial sent to Show Circuit Magazine (for publishing purposes) is transferred to Waiata Publishing Ltd unless otherwise agreed to.
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Grubby white socks stand out from a mile away! Follow this easy guide to make sure that you stand out for the right reasons.
Make White Socks Gleam
Begin with clipping the socks, and make sure your blades are sharp and clippers are fully charged if you are using battery operated ones. Start on the solid colour clipping down towards the white sock. Then continue by clipping up towards the solid colour from the coronet.
Wash socks well with purple shampoo and dry. Use leg whitener as recommended on the product label before applying. Wipe off excess product from the horse’s hooves with a damp cloth for the best result.
With the Liquid Chalk Marker, go around the top of the sock to get a nice clean line without the finished result looking too fake.
You can then apply black make-up to the leg and bring it right down to the sock ensuring that you have only a small amount of Raven Oil on the cloth and the sock is completely dry to avoid running.
Outline the solid colour with an appropriate coloured white board marker pen.
To finish off, blacken hooves with hoof black. Be careful to avoid smudging it onto the white sock.
TOP TIP:
Allow enough time between application of products to avoid an unprofessional look. SHOWCIRCUIT MAGAZINE
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HEALTH
Keep your horse and yourself happy and healthy with our tips for achieving peak performance
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EQUINE HYDRATION
142 WHAT A FARRIER LOOKS FOR IN A HORSE
Show Circuit’s basic guide outlining what your farrier would likely consider when assessing a horse.
146 EQUINE HYDRATION
Protect your horse from the harmful effects of dehydration this summer so that he can perform at his best.
150 JOINT PAIN IN RIDERS
Even though a rider creates the illusion of being still the body does an incredible amount of movement to achieve this. This movement can become incredibly hard if you are experiencing joint pain. 140
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WORDS Laura Stenberg
“
EMS CAN L B O R P T S MO THE CLIENT IF D E G A N A BE M K ON A R O W O T D E IS PREPAR AN WITH L P G IN E O H GOOD S R. THE FARRIE
“
HEALTH
EVERY HORSE OWNER KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR FARRIER. WHETHER A HORSE IS TRIMMED OR SHOD, RETIRED OR COMPETING AT THE TOP LEVEL, FARRIERS ARE RELIED ON TO KEEP HOOVES IN GOOD CONDITION AND MAINTAINED TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY. HOWEVER, WHEN LOOKING AT A NEW HORSE, IT ISN’T ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO HAVE YOUR FARRIER BY YOUR SIDE FOR HIS OPINION ON THE HORSE’S FEET AND GENERAL CONFORMATION TO HELP ESTABLISH HOW SOUND THE HORSE IS AND HOW LONG IT’S LIKELY TO STAY THAT WAY. SO WE’VE PUT TOGETHER A BASIC GUIDE OUTLINING WHAT YOUR FARRIER WOULD LIKELY CONSIDER WHEN ASSESSING A HORSE.
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WHAT A FARRIER LOOKS FOR IN A HORSE
N IO T A M R O F N O C B LIM KNEES
Most farriers will tell you to look for correct straight legs, particularly if you expect the horse to have a long career. When looking side on at the horse’s front legs, you should be able run a straight line down evenly from their forearm to the fetlock. Ideally the knee shouldn’t be much over or behind the straight line.
Back at the knee
Over at the knee
From front on, a vertical line from the point of the shoulder should fall in the centre of the knee, cannon bone, pastern and hoof to represent the ideal position. Correct or ‘normal’ conformation of the front legs will help support even distribution of body weight through
Ideal
Toes out
The same applies to hoof pastern angle. You are looking for a ‘normal’ hoof pastern angle, not one that is broken forward or broken back.
Tied-in knee
FRONT ON
Normal knee
HOOF PASTERN ANGLE
Bow-legged
Normal
Broken forward
Broken back
all the joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and cartilages. With a horse carrying 60% of its body weight over its front feet when resting and 70% when in motion, the more correct the front legs are, the better they can cope with concussion caused during work.
Narrow chested, toes out
Base narrow, stands close
Knock-kneed
Pigeon-toed
BACK IT UP
As with the front legs, the back legs need to be straight, with a vertical line from the point of the buttock falling in the centre of the hock, cannon, pastern and hoof.
Ideal
Stands wide
Stands close
Bow-legged
Cow-hocked Cow hocked
With all of this said, it’s much easier to find a horse with conformational errors in the legs than it is to find one without. Often an issue like being slightly back at the knee or bow-legged can be managed, but if your potential new horse is pigeon-toed or over at the knee with abnormal pastern angles, your farrier is going to struggle to keep it sound for you. He won’t thank you for choosing that horse either!
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HOOF CONDITION
Assessing the health of a horse’s hoof can give you a good indication of his overall health. You need to look for good strong walls on the outside of the hoof that aren’t crumbling or cracking. In summer, you could excuse some cracking on the hoof wall, but it’s worth asking the seller what the feet are like during other seasons. The feet can’t function properly if they are not strong. Feeding a biotin supplement can help with this, but some horses grow poor quality hoof no matter what. Take notice of the growth rings on the hoof wall; they should be growing down with even spacing. If not, there could have been trauma to the foot at some stage causing the growth rings to bunch together, so it’s worth asking the seller about the history too. Pick up the foot and inspect the frog. It should be healthy and in proportion to the size of the foot. If it looks to be contracted, then it’s unlikely to be functioning well, which could be caused by several factors that are potential barriers to long term soundness. While you’re looking at the frog, look at the sole of the foot as well. It should be firm to press. Like the hoof walls, the soles can change with the season and in the wet months of winter and sometimes spring, a sole will be softer than usual. If you are looking at the horse in a dry season and the soles are soft, then you need to consider why that is and discuss it with your farrier and/or vet. The sole should also have a nice concave shape; if not, it’s also one to discuss with the professionals.
WATCH THE HORSE WALK & TROT If your farrier was with you, he or she would watch the horse’s action when walking and trotting on a straight line to assess how the foot meets the ground. Ideally, you’re looking for a horse whose front feet land slightly heel first, evenly right across each heel and the contact with the ground across the sole of the foot should remain even until it leaves the ground again. This would be expected in all three paces. Hind feet should land slightly more with the outside of the heel first, because the hind legs travel slightly outside the diaphragm of the horse. Several factors may cause a horse to land incorrectly in front and behind and many of these are able to be managed, but again it’s worth taking this to the professionals for assessment before committing to a purchase.
“I’M A FIRM BELIEVER IN THE IMPORTANCE OF X-RAYING PERFORMANCE HORSES ANNUALLY OR BI-ANNUALLY” George Hunt
IF IN DOUBT, INVESTIGATE Many things will influence your decision to investigate any potential issues with a horse’s feet and conformation, such as the amount of money you’re planning to spend and what you intend to do with the horse. While this guide will equip you with some basic knowledge of what to consider and look for when buying a horse, a vet check, x-ray, or further consultation with professionals to determine severity of any potential problems is always recommended. Having a set of x-rays to present to your farrier the first time he works on the horse will normally be welcomed too!
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FARRIER: George Hunt COMPANY: LG Forge Auckland QUALIFICATION: CFP (NZ) LOOKS FOR: Balanced, symmetrical feet that have
even wear patterns.
WOULD AVOID: Club feet and a horse with uneven muscle tone. WOULD HAPPILY MANAGE: Angular limb deformities (horses that don’t have normal conformation). This can be managed without too much hassle, provided they are regularly shod and continually assessed by your farrier, with the help of x-rays when required. I’m a firm believer in the importance of x-raying performance horses annually or bi-annually, to ensure the shoeing prescription is still suitable to maintain optimum soundness. FARRIER: Rodney King COMPANY: Rodney King Farrier (Canterbury) QUALIFICATION: NZCEF (NZ), CJF (US), AWCF (UK) LOOKS FOR: I like horses with good overall
conformation, but more importantly good limb conformation. Various limb deviations away from ‘normal’ can lead to hoof imbalance issues down the track and can place excessive load on joints and ligaments of the horse that can contribute to future unsoundness.
WOULD AVOID: Under-run or collapsed hooves
are a foot type I personally dislike. I believe a large proportion of horses in our country and around the world have, to some degree, feet with a low or collapsed heel. This contributes to a variety of hoof lameness, including navicular syndrome, palmar heel pain and general sole bruising. These foot types take a lot of maintenance and in my experience are very difficult to successfully rehab.
WOULD HAPPILY MANAGE: There are variations on
all hoof conformation types and low grade flat feet or low grade club feet can mostly be managed with good farriery and regular maintenance. Ask your farrier to look at the horse with you pre-purchase, as it may save you some headaches down the track!
FROM THE EXPERTS
FARRIER: Greg Hocking COMPANY: Cambridge Farriers QUALIFICATION: Dip WCF (UK) LOOKS FOR: A well-balanced horse across its
whole body with cleanness through the knees and fetlocks. I wouldn’t be too bothered about finding a horse with an ideal pair of feet, so long as the difference isn’t too extreme. A lot of people get too hung up on finding a pair of feet, when in reality 90% of horses don’t have feet that match!
WOULD AVOID: A club foot – I’d entertain most things, but would avoid a club-footed horse.
WOULD HAPPILY MANAGE: Most problems can be managed if the client is prepared to work on a good shoeing plan with the farrier. For example, one of my clients has just bought a horse which is imbalanced through the knees and doesn’t grow any foot on the outside but through regular shoeing every three to four weeks it can be managed. FARRIER: Jock Good COMPANY: Good Farrier Services (Taranaki) QUALIFICATION: CFP (NZ) LOOKS FOR: Good symmetry and conformation
and a well-behaved horse that’s happy to have its feet picked up and worked on. Generally, a horse that’s difficult with its feet is likely to be difficult to handle in other ways too.
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WOULD AVOID: Boxy, upright feet as they are prone to navicular.
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WOULD HAPPILY MANAGE: A conformational issue
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like being pigeon-toed, as this can be managed with the correct trim and fit. C
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HEALTH
THE IMPORTANCE OF
You can lead a horse to water … FIND OUT HOW TO HAVE YOUR HORSE PERFORMING AT HIS BEST BY KEEPING HIM PROPERLY HYDRATED THIS SUMMER. WORDS Pip Hume
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F
or performance horses that are travelling and working hard in the heat of summer, especially when away at competitions, dehydration is their biggest enemy. A decade of scientific research has confirmed that proper hydration at least four hours before competition time improves both performance and recovery for fatigued muscles. Muscular activity generates a great deal of heat that the body must dissipate, using the evaporation process where cool air evaporates water from the surface of the skin. Humid conditions can slow down this critical process, and horses have significant muscle mass compared with other mammals, therefore generate a considerable amount of heat. Body fluids are continuously lost through sweating, urination and defecation. Normally the horse will replace these fluids by drinking water, however at times when the loss is relatively rapid and the horse may not have
full-time access to water (for example during competitions) it will be difficult for him to regain sufficient fluids to prevent getting dehydrated. In addition, even if horses become excessively dehydrated, they do not experience the same thirst response as humans. Human sweat contains proportionally more water, so when we perspire our blood plasma becomes more concentrated and we feel thirsty. Horses’ sweat is similar in composition to their blood plasma, and because they lose many more electrolytes and proportionally less water when they sweat, their desire to consume water to rehydrate is less, and they may refuse to drink. Dehydration occurs when there is excessive loss of body fluids – more than 5% of the horse’s body weight. A loss of 12-15% of a horse’s body weight in fluids is potentially life-threatening. If horses get very dehydrated they may become very dull and stop drinking, at which point veterinary care is required.
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Excessive sweating is a good indicator that your horse is dehydrated
THE SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION
A dehydrated horse may seem dull and lethargic, and will exhibit muscle fatigue and a lack of will to perform. Check your horse’s hydration with one of these simple tests: The tongue should always be moist. Check the inside of the horse’s mouth for lack of moisture. Tackiness or dryness around the gums and teeth is another sign of dehydration. Capillary refill time - lift the upper lip away from the gum and press on the gum with your thumb, so that you force the blood away from the area where you have applied pressure. The gum will turn white. If it takes longer than two seconds to turn pink again as blood returns to the area, the horse is probably dehydrated. Simple pinch test - squeeze about two inches of skin on your horse’s neck between your thumb and forefinger, then let go. If it takes longer than two seconds for the skin to return to its normal position, he is likely to be dehydrated. (Note that this test can be confusing and inaccurate, especially for older horses that don’t have the same skin elasticity as younger horses.)
PREVENTION
Signs th a or has r t a horse is app e r dehydra ached a state o oaching tion and f severe r equ veterina ry care inires urgent clude: Excessiv e sweati ng A lack of p horse ha erspiration (wh en s stoppe spite of c d sweati the n o hot cond ntinued exercis g in e and itions) Gastroin te dysfuncti stinal (GI) tract o sounds, n, including min n im or loose o manure being al gut stools passed, Anxiety a n or, in sev d muscle twitch in e respons re cases, a lack g iveness of Synchro n flutters (c ous diaphragma ti “thumps ommonly called c ,” resemble which in some re hiccups) spects Tying-up Kidney d ysfunctio n.
So how can we protect against the debilitating effects of dehydration and heat exhaustion? Water – little and often Offer cool, but not overly chilled, water Offer him a drink before travel, and when you arrive. Have a fresh bucket of water available whenever he is at the truck or float – and make sure he can reach it. Some horses are less reluctant to drink if you hold the bucket for them! Adding apple (apple juice, apple sauce, or floating pieces of apple) or molasses to water can encourage him to drink; as can adding salt to his feed. Keep him cool Stand him in the shade and where there is a breeze, if possible. If he has a haynet, feed soaked hay.
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Wash him down Many venues have wash-down facilities. If you have water available, hose your horse off well with copious amounts of water, paying particular attention to the areas where the veins are close to the surface – the legs, neck, belly and between the hind legs. Don’t hose the large muscle areas first (shoulders, back and hindquarters) as shock can occur if the horse is cooled too quickly. Repeat several times and slick him off between each time, so that the water on his skin doesn’t have a chance to warm up. Some horses think it’s fun to play with the hose and will drink directly from it!
ELECTROLYTES
Make sure ucts on the market. te replacement prod ed dose. oly nd ctr me ele om of ay rec d arr an st There is a va give the correct d an y, ull ref ca s on te the day you read the instructi Give an oral electroly on ati dr hy so that he is n de tio ke eti ma l mp before a co Electrolytes wil so – ter wa rts. h sta wit hydrated before he worse if not followed le and the ab ail av be ST water MU competitions, At lunch time during horse MUST drink. done so, give if you haven’t already ys da dose of few ed a nd for me tes om the daily rec Giving electroly rse ho the ts ge electrolytes. before a competition nistering mi used to them. Try ad ctrolytes, so Horses can’t store ele a salt block in horse at home s electrolytes to your ha o als ow he kn t u yo tha t so tha ensure after heavy exercise stable. C or k oc dd pa the m. he will accept the
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HEALTH
JOINT PAIN IN RIDERS
EVEN THOUGH A GOOD RIDER CREATES THE ILLUSION OF BEING STILL IN THE SADDLE, THEIR BODY ACTUALLY NEEDS TO MAKE AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF SMALL MOVEMENTS TO ACHIEVE THIS. BUT THESE MOVEMENTS CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR RIDERS EXPERIENCING JOINT PAIN. WORDS Nicola Smtih
J
oint pain in riders is often felt in the knees, hips and lower back, but can be experienced in any joint. When you are riding, your body is absorbing and transferring your horse’s movement through your body, with your joints and muscles acting as shock absorbers. But when riders hold tension in their bodies, whether from nerves, poor flexibility or misalignment, the wrong muscles are activated and the absorption of the horse’s movement is inhibited. This could be a short-term issue due to recent injury, or a problem that has been lingering for years.
UNDERSTANDING JOINT PAIN
Riding requires a combination of both strength and suppleness, which can be described as ‘fluid elastic strength’. It requires the right muscles to switch on in order to stabilise the body in balance
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and create correct alignment, and for other muscles to let go and behave as shock absorbers. If you switch off the wrong muscles and create tension in others, you are then asking the wrong muscles and ligaments to absorb movements that they may not be designed for. For example, if your correct abdominals aren’t switched on and your hips are, you are asking your hips to stay still and your torso to flop around, which will cause your back and hips to receive more of the force, and is ultimately a recipe for soreness in these areas. Joint pain can be either acute or chronic, and is often felt through either swelling or tenderness in a specific area. In order to allow a joint to move correctly with the right range of motion, the muscles around it need to support the joint in that position. When a joint is stable and correctly aligned, it can move freely and fluidly to absorb the horse’s movement, creating an elasticity in your body and the illusion of stillness.
CREATING CORRECT ALIGNMENT
Riders can prevent undue wear and tear on their bodies by correctly activating their core and allowing their hips to open and close with their horse’s movement. As a rider you will have heard the term ‘independent seat’ used, and when you create the feeling of a deep seat and ‘plugged-in’ seat bones with open and free hips, you will truly experience what this term means – especially in sitting trot. Yet in order for this to happen, your abdominals, back muscles, shoulder muscles, quads, hamstrings and even calves all need to be working correctly. If a rider lacks flexibility in any of these muscle groups, it can create a blockage that will cause them to either have trouble staying balanced in the saddle, or have problems absorbing the horse’s movement and create wear and tear in the wrong places. If riders don’t switch on the correct muscles and loosen others, they can’t correctly align their body and this creates a cycle of tension that can cause them to bounce, feel unstable and uncomfortable, and lose confidence when riding. Riders struggling with these issues tend to tense the wrong muscles, which causes other muscles to shorten further; all of which has a negative impact on the horse, who will respond with tension of his own as this cycle doesn’t allow the rider’s tendons, ligaments and muscles to remain supple enough to move with their horse’s rhythm. It’s important to understand how stress responds in the body. When a rider is fearful or stressed, this can cause certain muscles to
activate automatically – in particular the psoas muscle, which naturally shortens when we are tense, nervous or anxious. The activation of this muscle can create a rigid and tense rider, while at the same time shortening their hip flexors. So learning to create softness and having the ability to ‘let go’ in certain areas, even when you are nervous, can really help to improve your riding.
PREVENTING JOINT PAIN
In order to prevent and improve joint pain, the key is to strengthen the correct muscles in order to create proper alignment. This allows joints to move within their correct range of motion, and creates flexibility and mobility that helps to protect joints from wear and tear as the force of the horse’s movement is transferred through them. For example, your knee is a hinge joint – it doesn’t move sideways, just forwards and backwards – but if the muscles don’t support it to prevent any sideways action, undue stress can occur in the knee from continual aggravation in a range that it’s not supposed to move in. One of the best places to start is by improving the muscles that help to stabilise your pelvis, along with both abduction and adduction exercises to improve your core stability and posture. When you strengthen the base of your core (pelvis), you will improve your alignment and prevent unnecessary wear and tear. Correct riding is about having a strong foundation first, then combining that with flexibility and mobility in certain areas to help you keep that nice balanced, supple position.
equine dental care
HERE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE EXERCISES TO HELP YOU IMPROVE YOUR PELVIC STABILITY. DO EACH EXERCISE AS A CIRCUIT AND REPEAT FOR TEN REPS.
CROSS CRAWL
BRIDGES
SIDE LEG LIFTS
TOE TAPS
CLAMS
OBLIQUE LIFTS
Lie on your back and brace your abdominals, then extend your leg and opposite arm. Extend it as far as you can while maintaining a still back. Keep your leg higher to make it easier.
Lie on your back and brace your middle. Lift both legs into tabletop, so that your knees are over your hips and your shins are parallel to the floor. Then tap one foot at a time to the ground while maintaining a still spine.
Lie on your back and pull your feet in close to your bottom, then lift your hips up while pushing evenly through both heels.
Lie on your side and stack your knees and feet together, then lift your top knee up while keeping your feet joined. Aim to keep your upper body very still while the knee opens and closes.
Lie on your side and make your body long and straight, then lift your top leg up and lower it back down. Aim to keep your upper body as still as possible.
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Place your elbow under your shoulder and bend your knees behind you so that your body is straight, then lift your hips off the ground, thinking of lifting your ribs to the sky. Lower down and repeat. To make it harder, lift your top leg also.
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RECIPE
ROAST VEGETABLE SALAD THIS SIMPLE SALAD IS SURE TO PLEASE THE MASSES AND IS EASY ENOUGH TO WHIP UP IN THE TRUCK AFTER A LONG DAY AT A SHOW Prep time: 20 minutes Bake time: 25-30 minutes Serves: 6-8 people Ingredients:
Pine nuts Pumpkin seeds Feta Spring onions Capsicum Red onions Red potatoes
Kumara Pumpkin Bag of baby rocket 5-7 cloves of peeled garlic Cherry tomatoes Mushrooms Coarse salt
Method: 1. 2.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Preheat oven to 220°C and line two oven trays. Dice kumara, pumpkin and potatoes, place on one oven tray with olive oil, whole cloves of garlic and coarse salt and bake for 20 minutes. Chop capsicum, red onions and mushrooms, and place on the other oven tray to bake for 10 minutes. In a hot frying pan on the stove top, toss pine nuts and pumpkin seeds until brown, then put aside. Lightly toss baby tomatoes for a few minutes in the pan, then also set aside. Dice feta and slice spring onions. Mix baked vegetables together and bake for another 5 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool. Mix in baby rocket, cherry tomatoes, feta and spring onions Drizzle with dressing, and voila! Salad for six or side salad for eight people.
Dressing: (it will last for months) or purchase a Krispkut Italian Style White Wine Vinaigrette from your local supermarket 1 medium red onion, rough chopped 1 glove garlic, minced ½ cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper 3 teaspoons dijon mustard ¼ cup balsamic vinegar ¼ cup white wine vinegar ¾ cup oil (vegetable or olive oil) C
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AGISTMENT & PRE - TRAINING ABDERRY EQUINE SERVICES LTD 540 Glenbrook Road, RD 4, Pukekohe 2679 , New Zealand Tel: 09 2363 867 Fax: 09 2363 015 Email: info@abderry.co.nz Web: www.abderry.co.nz
ARENA GROOMING KIWI ARENA RAKE From $1950 + GST Nigel McCoard 1181 Lorne Dacre Road Invercargill Tel: 03 2304 032 Mob: 027 273 1760 Email: enquires@kiwiarenarake. co.nz www.kiwiarenarake.co.nz
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CANTERBURY EQUESTRIAN Christchurch Store: 823 Main South Road Templeton T: 03 349 6241 E: canterbury.equestrian@xtra. co.nz Auckland Store: T: 09 414 1111 Dunedin Store: T: 03 4892299 www.canterburyequestrian.co.nz HORSESPORTS SADDLERY AND EQUESTRIAN Unit 2, 84 Spartan Road Takanini, Auckland Tel: 09 269 6518 Email: info@horsesports.co.nz www.horsesports.co.nz MADDOX EQUESTRIAN Phil and Bryn Maddox 58 Burns Lane, RD 2, Kumeu Auckland T: 09 412 2326 E: maddoxnz@xtra.co.nz W: www.maddoxequestrian.co.nz
SADDLERY WAREHOUSE New Zealand’s Saddlery Super Store 13 stores Nationwide OUTPOST BUILDINGS Tel: 0508 467 734 Horse stables, stalls & paddock shelters. Permanent or relocatable For store locations: www.saddlerywarehouse.co.nz options available. Mail Order Nationwide Tel: 0800 688 767 Email: marketing@ SOUTH CANTERBURY SADDLERY outpostbuildings.co.nz 300 Hilton Highway www.outpostbuildings.co.nz Washdyke, Timaru T: 03 688 2555 BREED SOCIETIES M: 027 688 2556 E: sales@scsaddlery.co.nz NEW ZEALAND ARAB HORSE W: www.scsaddlery.co.nz BREEDERS’ SOCIETY (INC.) National Secretary: STIRRUPS EQUESTRIAN Fiona McLachlan 6 Railway Street, PO Box 80 Newmarket, Auckland, New Cust 7444, North Canterbury Zealand. Tel: 03 312 5998 Tel: 09 266 6616 Email: arabnewzealand@xtra.co.nz Fax: 09 529 0563 Web: www.newzealandarabs.com Email: info@stirrups.co.nz www.stirrupsnz.com THE NEW ZEALAND WEATHERBEETA HANOVERIAN SOCIETY INC. Tel: 09 274 6574 www.nzhanoverian.com For Nearest Stockists Studbook keeper: Robin Potter, www.weatherbeeta.com Tel:09 411 5123 Email: potterfamily1@vodofone. ZILCO NEW ZEALAND co.nz Available at all good retailers www.nzhanoverian.com To see the range visit: www.zilco.co.nz GVHSNZ PRESIDENT AND REGISTRAR EDUCATION & TRAINING Jessie McLean 838 Valley Road EQUINE BOWEN THERAPY NZ Hastings Learn this amazing hands on jjbhmc@hotmail.com therapy. 06 8749434 E: cath.nzequinebowentherapy@ gmail.com RETAIL STORES Mob. 021 02361099 Find a therapist near you at: AMS SADDLERY www.nzequinebowentherapy.nz 198A Great South Road, Takanini, South Auckland 2112 EQUINE DENTISTS Tel: 09 298 7094 Email: sales@amssaddlery.co.nz GEORGIA WORTH www.amssaddlery.co.nz Tel: 021 152 9044 E: georgia@equinedentalcare.co.nz www.equinedentalcare.co.nz
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HORSE RUGS BIRTWICK PARK EQUINE 878 Salisbury Road RD 24, Stratford Tel: +64 6 762 8734 Mob: +64 21 410 900 Email: Gillian.Todd@stos.co.nz www.birtwick.co.nz CANTERBURY EQUESTRIAN Christchurch Store: T: 03 349 6241 E: canterbury.equestrian@xtra.co.nz Auckland Store: T: 09 414 1111 Dunedin Store: T: 03 4892299 www.canterburyequestrian.co.nz SADDLERY WAREHOUSE New Zealand’s Saddlery Super Store Tel: 0508 467 734 For store locations: www.saddlerywarehouse.co.nz WEATHERBEETA Tel: 09 274 6574 For Nearest stockists www.weatherbeeta.com ZILCO NEW ZEALAND Tel: 03 381 0270 Email: sales@zilco.co.nz www. zilco.com.au
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TRAINERS & INSTRUCTORS CHESKI BROWN BHSII Abderry Equine Services Ltd 540 Glenbrook Road RD 4, Pukekohe 2679 New Zealand Tel: 09 2363 867 Fax: 09 2363 015 Email: info@abderry.co.nz Web: www.abderry.co.nz CATH GARDEN Instructor & coach North Canterbury M: 021 02361099 www.equineinspiration.net NATIONAL TRADE ACADEMY Careers in the Equine Industry & Learning to Ride Tel: 03 360 2192 Fax: 03 360 2193 Postal: P.O. Box 39069, Harewood, Christchurch 8545 Email: admin@nta.co.nz www.nta.co.nz
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