09/12/09
Yeah - I'm on holidays!
Bella went off to her new home on Saturday and I have just about finished moving all the training horses out to my spelling paddocks. Just our horses left in town now and they will go out after this week untill the 26/27th Dec. It seems so strange not to have a program of training everyday. I should just be getting out and riding for the fun of it but have been as sick as a dog and have been catching up on work at home.
Talking about catching up - I have just finished filling in the Kalimbah Horses pages for all our horses. That pretty much means the new website is finally finished!
I won't be starting any horses untill mid January and will kick of the 2010 Rider Training sessions on the 9/10th January. These courses look like being very popular next year and I am looking forward to getting to work with lots of new riders.
This time off is going to be good to do some riding with the kids and, if we are lucky, with Craig. Tom and Craig did a big ATHRA ride last weekend so they are legged up for some longer rides over the holidays. Tom is just going from strength to strength on Buster - it is wonderful to see. Justin is itching to get back on the trails with Max - I have been giving him lessons on Haylee lately to work on his position. Funny - I think he feels better on the chunky 15 hander than on the 10hh pony! Georgia is going really well on Haylee as well, and I don't know how they are going to keep Miss Caitlin on the lead when we get back to RDA next year.
Coming back in January I will have Bling, Sally, Babe and Cooper in for training first up. Here is Sally - eager to get to work!
Don't forget that I will still be around over the break and am happy to have visitors if you are travelling through and want to drop in and say hello!
From all of us at Kalimbah I would just like to wish you a safe and happy Christmas, lots of good times with your family and friends and a great start to 2010.
Thank you so much for your support this year and for all your feedback. It is amazing to look at the site activity reports and see over 1000 visitors per month from locations all around the world.
Go the Standies - and on to bigger and better things in 2010!
27/11/09
So we have survived the heat wave of the past week, I think I carted at least 400 litres a day around my various paddocks. Not really looking forward to the heat we seem destined for this summer but am always grateful for the wonderful river we have access to. My 2 big spelling paddocks still have heaps of feed but the smaller ones closer to the village are looking a bit bare. We had some lovely rain last night - lets hope we continue to get the occasional shower to settle the dust.
Red is off to Canberra today to his new home with Andrea and to share a paddock with fellow Kalimbah graduate, Sunny. Bella is coming on well, with a combination of massage, lunging and light riding she is moving a lot more freely and is back to her sweet, happy self.
I tried some ridden work with Big Bad but the poor boy is really struggling with those stifles and gets quite upset. I have decided to put him out untill next year when I will have him operated on to fix them problem.
Bling arrived this week - she is a stunner. Such a fine little girl and such a striking colour! She has lovely movement and is going to look amazing under saddle. My first grey!
Talking about milestones - while I was transferring information from the old website to here I started to count up all the horses I have trained over the past 4 years. I was absolutely amazed to realise it was 60! All of these horses have had at least the basic training done with them, most of them have left with full ground and saddle trail and arena training. This does not include an additional list of horses that I have homed as companions, broodmares or helped place in a new home directly from the trainer or breeder.
So many wonderful horses and so many great people! I have learnt so much from all of them and look forward to keep on learning in the years to come!
16/11/09
Eleven days to catch up on so I will try and start at the beginning.
Last Saturday the boys and I headed off to the harness racing at Canberra and had a great night as always. Tom in particular was chuffed to meet Nick's maternal half brother, a gelding called Wild Oates. Their mother really stamped her look on both of them as they are very similar in size and shape and are both true blacks. It was also great to see Wild Oates go on to win his race, leading from the start and powering down the finishing straight. That is were the brotherly similarity finishes as Nicky never had a win!
Sunday I had a group for a Practical Trail session and the weather was perfect for riding and picnicing on the river.
I have had a lot of enquiries about the Practical Trail and Starter sessions and am thinking next year I will nominate one weekend a month that people can book in for these courses.
Tuesday was a "health professionals day" with our Chiro, Megan Williams, and Horse Dentist, Craig Edwards, coming to treat our horses.Red had a few lingering baby teeth removed, Nicky had some sharp edges and Craig was really pleased with our dear Irish's dentals. Megan gave Red and Babe a general treatment to make sure they were balanced and happy. Bella required special attention - as I suspected her off side shoulder is very sore with the muscles down the front restricting her movement and resulting in her inability to sustain a quality trot. I will now be doing lots of liberty work with her to help free up the muscles and help her learn that the trot is not going to hurt.
Waiting for the Vet
I have had some concerns about Big Bad for some time now, starting in Feb this year with his inability to canter 20m circles in the arena. His reaction to this went beyond any laziness he could be accused of and was a definate pain reaction. A chiro treatment showed his patella out of place and once adjusted he seemed a lot better.
He had a fair bit of time off over winter and since returning had developed some reoccuring problems. First was a stamping action, like there was somthing on his hock and then the odd sensation of having his back end "disappear" while riding. He has also become more and more agitated about going down hill and has pigrooted several times on rides lately (far too much effort for him ususally!). After seeing him display these behaviours with someone else riding him (it gave me a chance to really see what was going on) I did some internet research and decided to investigate the possibility that he had locking stifles.
Locking stifle is a condition caused by injury, conformation or sometimes predisposed in some bloodlines. It occurs in all breeds. Basically it is caused by the ligagment that allows the horse to lock it's patella (knee cap) to be able to sleep upright. The ligament makes the patella stick, preventing the knee from bending. Have a look HERE if you's like to know a bit more. We went to Cooma to see the vet and like any car you take to the mechanic with a strange noise he was perfectly sound for the exam. The vet was however able to manipulate the patella and "lock it up" so was able to give me a diagnosis of Locking Stifle or "upward fixation of the patella". At this stage I have decided to try and improve his muscle tone with lots of long, sloping hill trotting & good collected work while avoiding any circle work or deep sand work. The ultimate treatment is to cut the ligament that is sticking and I was really pleased to talk to a local Stock Horse breeder/trainer who has had my vet treat 2 of his horses with locking stifle by surgery with excellent results.
Blossom's last blog - it has been a difficult week with Blossom's breeders and I having to come to a very hard decision. Despite almost 2 months of intensive handling Blossom is not really any easier to catch than she was when she arrived. Let me just make it clear that we are not talking about a horse that is a bit difficult but a horse that can take up to 40 minutes to catch in a confined area. There is no way you can catch this mare in an area bigger than a round yard. Yes, we have tried everything from food to the most gentle natural methods and then just straight forward force. Our local natural guru and I both feel she is not in any way frightened or damaged but is now making a concious decision not to be caught. So this leaves us with no options for Blossom. She is not suitable as a broodmare or companion because of her behaviour. I do have a spelling paddock I could put her in but without being able to catch her that means not being able to give her any hoof care or worming, let alone being able to treat any injuries she could sustain. Therefore we have come to the decision that the best thing for her welfare is to be put down. I have contacted the National Capital Zoo and they will be coming out this week to humanely destroy Blossom on a local property and process her carcass for use in the large cats feeding program at the zoo. I think this is the best outcome as it means little to no stress for Blossom & puts her to good use once the deed is done.
I know a lot of you will find this decision and the details of this process a bit upsetting but this is the reality of the responsibility of horse ownership. Everything I do is trying to ensure a secure future for the horses I recieve, giving them the skills to have a long, happy life with the correct care. I am also mindful of the safety of anyone who may handle or ride one of my horses and the importance of producing a safe horse.
If this is not an outcome I can achieve I would rather make that hard call than consign a horse to a risky, uncertain future.
On a happier note... Caitie's new "pony"
Some of you have met our Caitie - she is 7, has Down's Syndrome and is a real "go-getter". Caitie loves riding but my problem has been that we only have one pony so tantrums result when the 2 girls want to ride. Well Caitie has a new "pony" and has claimed Irish as her own. This lovely old lady is so patient doing walk work in the roundyard and is so soft that Caitie can stop and turn her in a head collar.
Here they are just as we headed off on a trail ride on Sunday.
STOP, LOOK & LISTEN... you never know what your horse will tell you.
We have all had those times when things just aren't going like you want with your horse. You seem to have hit a wall or some strange new behaviour seems to be blocking your way. This is the time to walk away, have a cuppa and let go of all those feelings of frustration and disappointment, take a deep breath and then come back and try and see your horse with fresh eyes, feel your horse with soft hands and listen carefully to what they may be trying to tell you.
Bella has always been an absolute delight to work and handle. She started her saddle work with the same sweet disposition and impressed myself and her owner with her calmness and generous nature. Slowly she began to change slighty, became bit harder to catch and lead, still did everything she had to under saddle but was obviously not happy. At first I put this down to her being in season but was then concerned as she started to really resent any trot work on the trail and was not able to maintain a quality trot. During her liberty work I was able to see a definite stiffness and soreness in her off side shoulder, causing her to tranter or lope rather than stretch forward into the trot. The chiro confirmed this and then it becomes clear that her change in demenour was not seasonal but due to increasing pain as her saddle sessions became longer and more demanding. Now we just need to take her back and work to loosen the muscles and allow her the experience of trotting and riding without and associated pain.
I sent Big Bad off for training in Feb this year to complete his education. He has had a lot of riding but the trainer was struggling to get him to canter in the arena, in fact he seemed to resent any of the arena work he had to do. Out on the trail he was fine so they decided he was just being lazy and continued to increase the pressure on him to do correct circle work. I was shocked to see his behaviour - ears back, pigrooting and kicking out, I thought there must be something wrong and a chiro treatment when I got him home showed his patella out of place and although he improved somewhat he was still having problems. 8 months later after accepting that maybe it was just laziness I now have a diagnosis of Locking Stifle and research shows that this condition is most likely to occur when a horse is started in harder work after a break with continuous circle work in sand being one of the worst things for it.
So, every so often take the time to sit back, give your horse your full attention and be quiet enough to hear what they are saying - you never know, they may be trying to tell you something important!
Psstt! Watch the website in the next few weeks - I have a filly arriving that will really knock your socks off, we are talking serious BLING!
05/11/09
Another busy week with Lloyd finally heading off to his new home, Red getting his ground work down pat and Babe impressing me with her great work ethic.
New photos and info in Life After Racing and Available horses.
Bella has been a bit out of sorts while in season but has still shown she can do the job at hand, even if it is with a curled lip! Anna and Fynn came out to ride her again - this time with Anna riding her on the trail, and while Fynn was unimpressed with Max's bad grazing habit Anna was quite pleased with how Bella went.
Andrea came out for her first Kalimbah ride with Judy (Sunny's owner) and we managed a good, if very windy, ride on the river. Judy rode Irish just in a rope headcollar (as she does Sunny) and it was wonderful to see my old lady travel so calmly and softly. She does have the habit of champing the bit when out but she is so responsive to ride this seems to be the best option for her.
Irish and Judy go natural
Liberty Work -
This week I have had Belle, Babe and Big Bad doing liberty work in the round yard.
Because my lunging style relies on very little rope control and mostly body cues I find the horses make the transition to liberty work quite easily. It is very satisfying to see them respond acurately to your signals completely bare in the roundyard and to have that strong sense of really communicating with
Big Bad at liberty them through the simplest of gestures. This exercise reinforces the confidence of the horse and rider in each other, helping to establish a clear leadership in the team and giving that pure joy that we all experience when we and our horse just "get it". It has also been nice to have Big Bad back in proper work and to see how much he has matured over the past 6 months.
The recent rain has ment the wide roadsides in the village are hip high with grass. Never one to waste such a valuable resource I have had the boys and girls out in electric day yards to do thier civic duty and mow it down a bit!
27/10/09
The most productive week I have had for ages!
Bella is going well and had 2 rides in the village and 1 in the arena last week - then I threw her in the deep end and she went out on our Standardbreds Unharnessed ride with 9 other strange horses on Sunday, but more about that later.
Red has started his groundwork and is just an absolute delight to work with. He is keen, willing and has picked everything up quickly - I will probably ride him later this week and get him out on trails asap. Lucky boy is going to a wonderful home with Andrea and will share a paddock with Sunny, another Kalimbah graduate.
The swelling in Llyod's leg has come down enough that I will ride him again this week. I think the injury was from a kick rather than a gate accident as Caroline thought but it is coming on well and hopefully he will be off to his new home this weekend.
Our boys had the shock of their lives when we actually RODE them! It would have to be at least 3 months since Max, Billy or Nick had been ridden but this is all about to change with Big Bad taking up residence in the trainers paddock and the boys keen to ride Max and Buster a few times a week.
This week was the first time we had ridden Buster since he returned to Kalimbah and it is good to have him home. He was so sore when I picked him up that you could hardly touch his back :( He had no topline and still has the white scars on his legs from the too tight boots he must have been wearing a lot of the time. 2 Chiro visits and lots of massage sesssions later and he finally started to relax over the back. I rode him on Saturday before Tom and although there were some tense moments when I could feel him waiting to be smacked in the mouth with the bit or kicked in the guts we worked though it and you could almost feel his sigh of relief. Tom rode him out on the Saturday and the connection between them is just wonderful! From a (literally) moaning nervous Nellie he transformed into a much more confident rider, discovering the delights of being able to move his horse around without even touching the reins (yes Tom - legs are not just for kicking but for guiding and supporting!) and then reassuring Buster when a tethered pony jumped out of some bushes at us. He is still a way from being a horseman but it is amazing what the right horse can do for someones confidence :) Given all the friction between us lately it is also wonderful to have something that he and I can enjoy together :D
So - Sunday was our Standies Unharnessed club ride. The rain held off and we had 10 riders out for 3 hours on the river. We are so lucky to have access to these beautiful trails and it is always nice to share them. Nick and Craig did a good job of Lead Rider, Tom had a great ride on Buster and Justin did a very good job of staying on Max when he decided to go for a "springy" canter! Mr Max has filled out over winter and is in need of a service on his brakes and steering for Justin. He didn't actually do anything wrong but definately had the feeling of being the driver while Justin was the passenger. Big Bad also had his "moment" with a wonderful little springy, pigrooting thing. I could feel it coming on, he told me quite clearly it was about to happen, we got it over with and then he was back to his reliable self :P Our group included 3 other Kalimbah horses - Bella, Jenna and Sunny.
Caroline rode Bella and although it was a big ask though to do 3 hours with 9 strange horses and she handled it well. She did have a few "moments" - she decided she did not like the horse behind her and had a kick out, then she dropped right to the back of the group and dawdled along (I think this was the "I've had enough I want to go home" stage) and then got a bit lively at one stage where 2 or 3 horses decided to play up and have a pigroot (my Big Bad was one of them!!).She did tie up quietly for morning tea and whatever happened along the way Caroline was easily able to steady her with the one rein stop. All together a very good effort for a young horse still early in her training.
Michelle's first group ride on Jenna went well - their only real argument happening on the way home when Jenna recognised the more direct route back across the river - smart girl!
It was great to see Judy and Sunny out here, he has grown into such a nice horse and the bond between he and Judy is lovely to see.
Our "townie" visitors - Rachel & Lucky, Roger & Sammy, Elyssa & Bosco, did themselves proud coping with the river crossings, wooly dragons and some stalking cattle. It was a great day out and we are looking forward to showing them all a bit more of our backyard next time they come out. Photos are in the Out & About section.
21/10/09
Yeah! the mornings are back to rush, rush and the kids are back to school!
Been a busy week with 2 new horses arriving - Babe and Ollie. The photos on her page really do not do justice to Babe. Along with the name she has the eyelashes and curves of a 40's pinup doll! She is a bit "marey" in the paddock but seems to handle well so should come on fine. Ollie is another super quality 3yo who has some growing to do but should make a very versatile riding horse by his confirmation.
Old Brains in Young Bodies - that is how someone once decribed these young Standies to me and I really think it sticks. At 3, 4 and 5 they are still just babies with fun personalities and huge physical potential . What has to be remembered is that they have already had many hours of training on the ground and in harness which means their calmness and patience when being handled does not reflect their age. I have some lovely young horses in my paddocks at the moment and always look forward to getting to know these bright eyed yungns!
A perfect example of this is Bella. At 4 she has had a very short career as a harness horse ( she was not even prepped, just broken in) and has spent the rest of her time growing in our paddocks for the past 18 months. She has always been very calm and sweet to handle and this has continued in her saddle work. Take a look at the great photos on HER PAGEof Anna and Fynn's visit last Sunday.
Nipper and Jenna headed off to their new home with Michelle on Saturday. I just love the way Standies load so easily, I think once you have owned a hard to load horse it is something you always appreciate. Apparently Nipper went well on his first ride in his new area on Saturday - even stopped to chat to the Standies who live at the trainers next door! It was Jenna's turn on Sunday - I haven't heard from Michelle but I am sure they will do fine.
Lloyd seems to like his job as a paddock ornament and injured himself just as Caroline and I were about to take him out for a trail on Sunday. His leg is looking alot better now with some swelling left but no heat and no soreness. Caroline is hoping he will be better for our Standies Unharnessed ride here at Bredbo this Sunday.
I have to say we are all looking forward to this. Craig, Tom and Justin will all be riding, plus we think another 5 or 6 visitors. It is always nice to be able to show off our beautiful river trails - will make sure we have lots of photos to post after the weekend.
ps - I have noticed from the site activity that Blossom has quite a following now so I have moved her blog to the main menu for easy access
P:)
14/10/09
Week 2 of the school holidays and although I am enjoying mornings without the "Hurry up, hurry up or you will miss the bus" rush, I am looking forward to be able to get back into regular work next week.
Once again the weather Gods seem to be having some fun with us this week. Talk about 4 seasons in one day! Despite this I have managed some good rides on Jenna and Nipper, who are heading off home with Michelle this weekend, and a great first trail on Lloyd.
Back in for work this week after a "rain break" is Bella. I cannot belive how this lovely little filly has blossomed from the scrawny wretch that arrived over 12 months ago -
- into this gorgeous young mare -
Anna and Fynn are coming out on the weekend to check up on her progress and I am sure they will be as pleased with her as I am.
I have also bought Irish in to start working again and to give her a feed boost coming out of winter to regain those lovely curves. Although I have had a lot of people interested in buying her I think she will be a real asset to the rider training I am now offering as she is so light and smooth on the trail.
Next to start training will be Red. This boy is showing a heap of character and intelligence and I think is going to prove a lot of fun to work with. Interestingly he is from the same trainer as Scotty and shows the same confidence and "people orientation" as he did.
Also coming in to be assessed this week is Marty - 15'2hh 8yo solid gelding who has been off the track for over 2 1/2 years. Paddocked with Nifty all that time (who is also in my spelling paddock) he has become quite herdbound. I am hoping being seperated from his mate will improve his manners and abilty to concentrate on his handler.
Nipper has been thoroughly enjoying his Kohnke's Muscle XL and I have to say I am also pleased with the results.
He has definately started to build up over the topline. I do think the Muscle XL is a great suppliment plus I decided not to just give it as a paste but to make it up into a small high fat/protien feed that Nipper gets within 15-30min of his work session. I think this mix of suppliments/protiens/fats supplied to the horse while the specific muscles we are working on are hot and looking for replenishment is definaltely the way to acheive results. Lloyd has just started back onto the Muscle XL after his break so it will be good to see the same improvement in him. I am now thinking of applying this suppliment and feed regime to all the horses in training to give them that boost as they take on their new careers undersaddle.
I am also very pleased to report that we have made huge headway with Blossom! I have now started a special page for her so you can keep up with her progress at BLOSSOMS BLOG on the Available Horses page.
08/10/09
Back to work and I had a great week riding Nipper and Jenna. Nipper is really enjoying his trail work and as his balance and topline improve will only get better and better. Jenna is benefiting from reviewing her groundwork, I am making sure we get really accurate transitions and yields on the lunge before riding her now. Although she is doing well with her ridden work I am finding this extra groundwork means she is a lot more focused and willing to take direction when confronted by those scary things on the trail. Both of them have yet to be ridden with other horses so I have to say I am very impressed that they have managed river crossings, cattle and sheep, windy days and killer goats all on their own without the security of a more experienced horse in the lead.
Lloyd has recovered from his sore shoulder and I started him with hand walking and then lunge work. Good to see him sound again and I am looking forward to getting back on track with his ridden work.
Then the rain started to fall...
It started on Saturday 3rd and just kept falling...
Sunday was very wet and very, very windy.
By Monday we were still feeling grateful for the much needed water but were wondering if we missed the message about building the ark!
Tuesday we had a glimpse of blue sky but this was in the middle of the hail!
Wednesday we had snow on the hills around Bredbo whch lasted till the rain washed it away and we were totally over it.
Thursday is still overcast, bitterly cold but as yet NO RAIN!
Never happy are we - complain when it doesn't and then complain even louder when it does!
I am lucky that my arena has good drainage and I should be able to get back to working in it by Friday. Lloyd will need to go back to the start with his saddle work - Caroline is champing at the bit to get him home and we are aiming for him to be ready in 2 weeks.
If the rain holds off Nipper and Jenna will be back out on the trail as well - they are both going to be heading off to Yass with Michelle and will make a perfect pair of trail horses for her to work with.
In amongst the wild weather I have been continuing to work Blossom although gale force winds are not exactly conducive to a nervous horse and fine tuned body signals! I have to admit to have hitting a wall with her - although I could catch her with work I could not get over her reluctance to fully accept me. I am very fortunate to have John Shortt, our local saddler and excellent horseman, helping me out and I think we are about to turn a real corner with her. Like me, John can see a lot of potential in this little mare and I am sure we will be rewarded for our efforts with her.
24/09/09
Yes - we are still here!
My apologies for the absence and thanks to all those to contacted me to make sure everything was OK. We have been going through some tough family times lately with all my emotional, physical and mental energy going towards just keeping us moving forwards. Hopefully things are settling down now and the Spring weather always makes things seem brighter and easier to handle.
Talking about Spring weather - what about those dust storms! My silver Landcruiser is now a pinky, rust colour and every surface outside seems to have a coating of red. Jenna and I braved the wind and dust to get this photo of the Bredbo skyline and 2 whole ranges of hills missing from the horizon!
I have really enjoyed training this mare, she has such personality and warmth about her. Michelle is out on the weekend to ride her and then take her home to Yass.
Lloyd made a great start to his work under saddle but injured himself in the paddock last week and is still recovering. He was very sore in the shoulder and has been getting daily massages to loosen the muscles. I am hoping our Chiro can fit us in this week to check him over so I can start him on a gentle exercise program again.
Nipper is turning out to be one of those genuinely quiet horses that seem to take it all in their stride. He is just about to start his trail work and is going to be a real gem for someone who wants a reliable trail buddy.
Both Nipper and Lloyd have come into training in very fine condition with little to no topline. I have just bought some Konkhe's Muscle XL suppliment to start with these boys and see if it helps them build up through their training. You give XL over a 4 week period as a paste, everyday within 15 minutes of the horse being worked, it is formulated to directly target those developing muscles. It will be interesting to see how it goes as many of the horses I get off the track really lack in muscle over the hind and back so a suppliment that works in this area would be great. I will let you know how we go.
With Spring here and the new racing season started I have quite a few new additions to my paddocks. In addition to the new horses I have listed I have 3 geldings I have to assess before deciding to go on with them, a nice mare I have had since June to bring in and handle plus another young mare that is going to need a lot of handling before I start her. Blossom is 4 and although very good to handle on the lead is very, very difficlut to catch. I think till now the catching process has been a highly stressful one and so I am trying to take her back to starters and introduce a much calmer approach. Despite this difficulty there is something about this filly I genuinely like and am happy to put in the extra work to get her started.
So - lots and lots to do and no time to sit around moping!
17/08/09
I hope you like the new website!
I thought you would like to catch up with the latest news and training photos so have "gone live" with this one a bit early. I am still completing the Kalimbah Horses, Life After Racing, Out & About and Day at the Races pages. These will be complete in the next week but can still be viewed at the old site.
All the good info is still here, plus some new features and lots of new photos. In particular have a look at the links page as I have added some great new resources. I have also added more information about the rider training servcies I offer here at Kalimbah. This part of my work is becoming just as important as the horse work with so many people interested in returning to riding and wanting to learn the basic skills to enjoy their horses in a wide range of situations. I hope these services will offer people the chance to freshen up and improve their skills before taking that big step back into horse ownership and then offering the opportunity to learn practical trail skills - something that seems to be really lacking in the horse industry at the moment. As stated, the cost of these courses is always deductable from the purchase price of one of our horses.
Looking through the Available Horses you will also see that I have a busy few months ahead of me. Sully, Wally and Plod should be finished their training in the next few weeks. Jenna and Lloyd are sold and just starting training. Bella is sold and Nipper has a few people very interested in him, they will start their training once the 3 big boys are finished.
I still have 3 horses I have yet to add to the website - Katie, a lovely 4yo bay mare and Steve and Pablo, rising 3yo geldings that are both very handsome boys. I will get them on in the coming weeks plus we may have a few other new arrivals on the way.
Make sure you have a look at Sully's page in Available Horses, it was great to have Phil & Julie there at his first ride to document the process (including the step ladder mount!) He is improving everytime I ride him and will develope into a great allrounder for Steve.
As always you can use the contact form if you have any questions about the horses on the site or about Standardbreds in general
P:)
Oh, an interesting detail I realised while transferring all the data to this new site - to date Kalimbah Standardbreds has trained and placed 52 horses in the past 4 years! This does not include the current group of horses in training or some of the horses we have organised homes for directly from the trainers. Now that puts a smile on my face :D
04/08/09
At least we are past the half way mark for winter now, though in Bredbo we can get frosts well into November.
The past few weeks have been hectic ones with school holidays putting my training behind. Thank heavens I have a 14yo who is always happy to baby sit for the odd hour in exchange for phone credit!
Well word about the Standardbred must be spreading as I am now booked out with horses to the end of September! It has been wonderful to see the reputation of this wonderful breed grow and have people start to recognise them as a valuable saddle horse.
Flash headed off to Cooma and his new home with Bev, Lucy finished her 2 weeks training and went back to do some riding with her owner before returning at a later date to progress them both to the next level.
Mr Plod and Wally have been sold to a great home - Phil and Julieanne will be taking the boys to do some trail riding and some low level showing in Canberra. They are both doing really well under saddle and have already done some great trails. Here is Phil on Plod and me on Wally, striding out on the trail. This was Wally's first ride out of the arena!
Sully the Warhorse is well into his ground training. He is a seriously BIG horse - all 17'3hh of him. He has some respect and leadership issues we have been working through but I am taking my step ladder to arena this week and planning to start his work under saddle (Shame no one will be there to capture the sight of me getting on him!).
Craig had last week off work and it was great to share some time in the saddle with him. We did a great ride on the weekend into the valley country over the river with Phil, Steve and Larissa, always nice to be able to share our wonderful trails with people.
This week sees Jenna come into work and also sees Harry off to his new home with Kenzie. Harry has delighted everyone who has met him with his easy nature. He has done some big trails with us, Kenzie has ridden him on the trail here and also taken him to a local riding group where he impressed everyone with his willingness and calmness. I am so pleased to see him go to such a lovely home and into a great partnership with Kenzie.
