TRIBUTE FOR MADONNA HEDBERG

Vale Madonna Hedberg

The horse community around Australia was in mourning earlier this month with the passing of horse breeder, businesswoman and generous equestrian supporter Madonna Hedberg.

According to the late Madonna Hedberg’s husband, Lars Hedberg, his wife quickly learned about branding and weed spraying when she left behind her city life to run a cattle property outside Warwick in Queensland in the late nineties. The move to the country allowed Madonna, with Lars, to follow her passion for horses, and to become involved in many different ways with the Australian horse community, who are in shock from her sudden death.

Madonna, who was born Madonna Haughtey in Brisbane on December 14, 1956, went to school at St. Margaret’s Anglican Girls School. After she left school, she worked for 23 years as a Qantas hostess.

It was while she was working with Qantas that she met her future husband, businessman Lars Hedberg, with the couple marrying on September 12, 1998.

After a stint on the cattle farm the couple moved to Gympie in 2000 to take over the McDonald franchise in the town, later spreading their ownership to include Hungry Jacks and Saddleworld.

But for Madonna, her passion was always her horses. The couple used their involvement with Saddleworld to become proud sponsors of the Brisbane CDI and numerous other competitions. They were well known for their support of riders throughout the equestrian community.

The Hedbergs were also the owners of Arnage Warmblood Stud, located in the Mary Valley of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The stud has been operating since 1999, breeding from a select group of mares with bloodlines from stallions such as Rotspon, Sandro Hit, Alabaster (GER), Koyuna Genesis and now Dancier, Royal Classic, Fürstenball and Desperados.

The Hedbergs were rightly proud of their stud and the condition of the property, which allows pregnant mares to graze in large pasture improved paddocks. As a stud owner and breeder Madonna Hedberg took her duties very seriously, the foals being handled from birth, taught to lead, float and pick up their feet for the farrier.

Lars Hedberg last saw his wife alive on the morning she died. He had left her to sleep in, but later that morning when she did not answer a call from him, he asked a friend to check on her, where she was sadly found already dead.

Lars Hedberg has said that the response from everyone has been “overwhelming”.

Madonna was the daughter of Fred and Wanda Haughtey, sister and sister-in-law of Carol-Anne and Geoff Greensill and aunt to Samantha Greensill.