Equestrienne Magazine - Summer 2022/23

EQ U ESTR I AN LU X E & LI FEST YLE DESIRE. AUTHENTICITY. SNOWY MOUNTAIN BRUMBIES. FREE RIDING. RED DIRT. QUARTER HORSES. JOURNEYS NOT DESTINATIONS. GOAL SETTING.

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MAGIC MILLIONS YEARLING SALE - DAY 5

Hello,

In September last year I saw a photography workshop advertised in Jundah. My first thought was, ‘where the f*ck is Jundah’? A quick search dropped the pin in Central Queensland, about 1300ks from home. Could I do that? Could I drive all that way to ‘The Outback’ by myself? I tentatively mentioned it to my family. I wasn’t asking whether or not I should go, I was pretty sure I was going anyway, I just wanted to know how crazy the idea was?! To my surprise, not only did I have everyone’s support, they actually encouraged me to go.

Remember when you were young, when you had to leave the house you would literally just leave? Grab your keys and cigarettes and be out the door. Then you grow up, have kids, acquire animals (in my case both) and there’s a long mental checklist with between two and ten contingency plans to revisit every time you try to go anywhere?! When I left for Jundah, I didn’t overthink it, I just wanted to go, so I went.

It made me realise how long it had been since I had done something spontaneous like that.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of freedom in my everyday life which I am so grateful for, but it was mental freedom that I was lacking. Sometimes I feel like we are so bound in our every-day lives, that we just don’t feel very alive anymore. I was certainly at that point late last year.

Photo on right by Nadeen Davis

I’d already been trying to make a start on the magazine for about 6 months but just couldn’t seem to gain any momentum. I’m not a very disciplined person and I started to feel like maybe I just couldn’t do it. ‘I have no idea what I was thinking; don’t you ‘normally’ work your way up to a job like this? Or at least come at it with some sort of experience...?’ Clearly, I was just looking for an excuse to try to find my way out of actually doing something that was, as it turned out, pretty hard!

At the Jundah Workshop hosted by Lisa Alexander & Stephen Mowbray.

When I arrived at Jundah Hotel I almost immediately found Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ on the bookshelf. One of my favourite quotes of his is “BE BRAVE. TAKE RISKS.

NOTHING CAN SUBSTITUTE EXPERINCE” If I could do this, maybe

I could do the other thing. When I drove to Jundah, I remembered how to be brave. At a time in my life when I felt so very drained, that experience was incredibly giving to me. Just being out there in that indescribable vastness is an amazing feeling. I can’t tell you, you just need to go and experience it for yourself, so if you’ve never been out to the red dirt, if you take one thing from this issue, I suggest you get out there! I made new friends, drank wine under the stars and came home feeling full of lust for life again. It’s even more special to me now to feature the work of one of the photographers I met out there, Danielle O’Brien and to have her photo from Jundah on the cover of this issue.

I’m so glad I went, that trip gave me so much more than I ever could have expected or imagined it would. I don’t consider myself a risk-taker but you do just have to

trust your instincts and back yourself sometimes.

We started the magazine with a section called ‘Destinations’. This issue I changed that to ‘Journeys’ after I read this line in Kate’s article about her life in the Pilbara, “It’s definitely about being present in every part of the journey, and not the destination.” This really spoke to me.

It was true of my trip to Jundah, life with my horses, creating this magazine and most things, really. I know that the challenges you overcome will one day be the best parts of your story. It’s certainly not been boring so far, and this has really helped me to put all the set-backs and hard times in perspective.

I feel incredibly humbled to have the support of the best equestrian sport photographer in the world, Helen Cruden. Helen embraced the concept from the first random message I sent and has been a huge support to me over the last year. Her world class photography brings so much to Equestrienne Magazine, and I am very proud and excited to showcase her skill and art. My friend Lek Young has been my sounding board and voice of reason through the whole process from the very beginning – thank you for always finding beauty and clarity in the chaos of my creative process! I couldn’t have done it without you. My darling husband Jérôme for absolutely supporting me, telling me to visualise when I didn’t know what to do and to keep pushing when it was hard and I felt like giving up (at least once per issue!). To everyone who has contributed to, connected with and believed in this project, I truly appreciate you.

Enjoy the ride. Stay connected. Be Brave.

Sam x

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F E AT U R E S

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LUXLI F E Danielle O’Brien The photographer from Blackall brings us all the red dirt and pink ribbons from the Jundah Spring Fling.

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SNOWY BRU MBI ES Fight for survival Over the years Ian and Michelle Brown have travelled huge distances all over Kosciusko National Park on foot to photograph and document the brumbies.

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BARCELONA NATI ONS CU P F I NAL H el en Crud en Grand prix Showjumping at the prestigious Barcelona polo Club through the lens of our favourite International Equestrienne.

FRONT C OVE R

‘ N ICKSY BOY ’ JUN DAH SPRIN G FL IN G. PHOTO BY DAN IE L L E O’ BRIE N

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J OU R NEYS The West Coast

“I was known as ‘Karratha Kate,’ the girl from all the way up north who trained her horse over the only two logs in the northwest.”

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BEHI ND THE BRAND

Sam Mizzi//Inspired Design Combining her passion for horses and design by offering logo and graphic design services to the equine industry.

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F R EE R I DI NG Ella McBain Beginning to ride with no bridle terrified me, and transformed me.

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Q & A AOR Ellyn Parker

S TA B L E

“I am proud to be an example that you don’t need to buy a 30 plus thousand dollar, purpose bred horse to do well.”

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AU THENTI CI T Y Helen Huie Developing your identity will impact you as a horse person.

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GLOBE-TROTTI NG Helen Cruden Action and emotion from the Argentina Polo season 2022.

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R I CI NDA RANCH Quarter Horses The horses we breed are beautiful inside and out, no matter what colour they are!

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ESSENTIALS

MAR E TALES Impreza van de Hondshoeve Nadeen Davis travelled the world to find her heart horse, a model Friesian mare.

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R I DE F I T Anne-Marie Lasserre Mindset of an athlete: An Obsession with Winning vs Doing Something You Love.

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STABLE WRAPS Saskia Hind 4* event rider & groom.

“Love the process.”

STAY CONNEC TED

100% Australian owned, designed & printed.

All content is Copyright ©Equestrienne Magazine 2022.

All rights reserved. Unauthorised use or reproduction of any content is strictly prohibited. The opinions expressed are not neccessarily those of the editor.

All photos are ©Flash Pony//Sam Cavallo unless otherwise stated.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this publication is created & read. We pay our respects to Elders past, present & emerging.

A d ve r tis in g E n qu ir ie s he l lo @e qu e s tr ie n n e magazin e . co m 7

GIFT G U ID E

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AOR Q&A

Ellyn Parker

My name is Ellyn Parker. I am 30, the wife of a returned army veteran who sadly did not come back the same man from his deployment to Afghanistan in 2012. I am his legal full-time carer. I am also a mother of 2 young children Loki (8) and Lily (4.5). I am a rural based Amateur Owner Rider (AAOR) in Hervey Bay competing at FEI Small Tour level. I am an incredibly dedicated and goal driven rider. I started riding at home when I was 7 years old and competed through pony club in many disciplines very successfully at local, zone and state levels until I aged out at 26. Just over 3 years ago I decided to focus purely on dressage which is when I met Danielle Keogh. Under her guidance I have grown from an unofficial novice rider to competing official EA at FEI level.

My competition mare “My Rosalee” is an 11 year old 16.1hh Cleveland Bay Sport Horse cross Friesian Warmblood. She was bred and raised on a cattle farm in Queensland until I purchased her at 18 months old for a mere $2000. I’m very proud to have broken in and trained Rosalee myself to FEI level dressage. We stepped up to small tour in July 2021 and are currently being coached and trained in grand prix movements- piaffe, passage and one tempi changes.

I have two older horses, 24, Rosette is a grey Percheron Thoroughbred warmblood who I’ve owned since a green broken 4 year old, and Renaud a red bay Percheron Thoroughbred Warmblood who I’ve owned since a green broken 2 year old. Both these horses I trained myself in pony club disciplines up to elementary, 90cm combined training and 105 pre-novice eventing.

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Both horses have won many state, zone and local championships in dressage, combined training, eventing and equitation show jumping. Renaud is mostly retired to trail riding now but Rosette is still in full work, training piaffe and canter pirouettes at home.

I love my mares.

I wouldn’t buy a gelding for myself (or stallion as I have no interest in the breeding side). I find I click really well with mares. They are very relatable, their personalities, their heart and the effort they put in, their willingness to understand yet their ability to express their likes and dislikes. Once you click with a mare the “negotiation” becomes team work, working together to benefit each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Geldings I’ve always found a little “bland”. Even Renaud who was cut late and so had some opinions to himself as a younger horse, I just never felt that same connection and effort in the saddle as I have with my mares.

I have 2 coaches- Danielle Keogh and Matthew Dowsley. I’ve been training with Dani for 3.5 years. Prior to Dani, I had never ridden past a few club mediums on my grey. Flying changes were just a guess. I really wasn’t familiar with the expectations above elementary level so when Rosalee and I started with changes, that was when I met Dani. She is very helpful even from a distance, able to review videos and answering my how-to questions. Dani introduced me to Matthew and I’ve trained with him for about a year and half now at Dani’s property. I manage 1 or 2 lessons a month with either Dani or Matthew as it’s a 5 hour return trip for a 45 minute lesson.

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“I am proud to be an example that you don’t need to buy a 30 plus thousand dollar, purpose bred horse to do well.

Hard work and dedication go a long way. ”

ELLYN PARKER

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70 AOR Q& A

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Your biggest achievements to date? My biggest achievement to date besides training Rosalee myself would be winning the 2021 QLD State Open Advanced Freestyle Championship by a substantial margin against some stellar competition. In the 3 years I’ve competed under EA we have come away with reserve champion medium AAOR 2020, reserve champion advanced AAOR 2021, reserve champion prix st george AAOR 2021, and reserve champion small tour AAOR 2022 combination at the QLD State Championships/Brisbane CDI. All 3 years we have placed 1st and 2nd being reserve champion on a count-back. In 2021 we were a top 5 Advanced combination in the state, a finalist for the Emerging FEI rider of the year, a finalist for FEI Small Tour AAOR Horse of the year, a finalist for Open Advanced horse of the year and we won the 2021 AAOR Advanced Horse of the year.

How did you start riding? We were a city, “go 4WD-ing on the beach on the weekends”, kind of family until my older sister wanted a horse. Mum and Dad sent her away to a local riding school camp in the Gap at the time thinking she wouldn’t want to do the dirty work. She came home more determined than ever so we sold our house in the Gap and moved out to Samford when I was half way through grade one. As it goes, we all got into horses, my sister, my brother, my mum, my grandad and myself. Even my dad would have a yeehaw every now and then.

I started with a 35-year-old white pony called Kelly.

We achieved our first trophy for 100% muster attendance at Samford Pony Club in 2000. Everyone else eventually gave up but here I am, still into horses, thanks entirely to my mother Lorna for always supporting me and hauling me around every weekend when I was younger!

How do you balance home life with training a high-level dressage horse? I used to work 6 days a

week, ride, look after the property and care for my husband who’s a mentally and physically injured army veteran. That was up until I was pregnant with our second child. When I became pregnant with Lily I resigned from office work to become a full-time carer for my husband as well as a stay at home mum for our kids. At times in the past it was really challenging when my husband had surgeries or changed his medication. Things go a little up in the air. But I firmly believe that if you want it, you make it work- marriage, family, sport. Besides the increased bickering, lol, it does get easier the older the kids get, to juggle the house, property and the horses as they’ve developed a bit of independence. I’m also extremely lucky that my mum often comes to stay if I have to travel to competitions. She helps feed the animals and with the kids so my husband can still follow his passion of athletics coaching, while I’m away.

How did you find returning to riding after having your children? I rode throughout my entire first pregnancy up to 41.1weeks! I rode up until the day before I went into labour. It was quite a sight!

Unfortunately, Loki was a large baby and I am only small so labour was hard and I lost a substantial amount of blood. It took me a couple of weeks to be able to physically get back in the saddle due to the blood loss. Second time around, I rode consistently up until 22 weeks when I started to develop interesting medical issues. I went to the Invictus Games in Toronto with my husband and was really sick when we arrived. When I got home, a week and a half later, I ended up having a blocked kidney.

I was emergency flown to Brisbane for surgery, developed a placenta lake about 28 weeks and then finally ended up in hospital being treated for both viral and bacterial meningitis over New Year’s at about 32 weeks, which is where I decided to just lunge the horses for the last 2 months. Lily was also a big baby with a hard labour but I didn’t have the bleeding out and was back in the saddle a week later. The hardest thing about returning to ride with a newborn, despite fatigue, was having to double maximum sports bra myself! Going from a C cup to an E cup breastfeeding was challenging!

ELLYN PARKER

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How do you define success? This has changed over the years as I’ve matured. I grew up with a father who believed if you weren’t first you were last. For a long time success was coming 1st and if I came 2nd, I’d failed. I write this because I think it’s important for other young people to understand that winning does not define success! Success to me is reaching riding goals that I have set out to achieve with a happy, sound, willing horse. I have goals relating to general riding and training - learning movements, developing better quality etc and then goals that relate to competition. Never are these competition goals to win. Should I win, this to me now is seen as a luxury and an additional reward to my hard work. Competition goals are attending new venues (like Sydney, Willinga, Tamworth), reaching a certain % in a test, getting a certain mark range for specific movements, earning a DQ performance medal, or earning a place on a performance squad. My goals for 2022 were: ride 15 consecutive 1-time tempi changes…I’ve ridden 30; earn a gold performance pin, check; earn enough qualifiers for a place on the DQ performance squad for 2023, check; get accepted for nationals, check.

What motivates you? This is a hard one to answer. I’ve always been one to just get up and get it done because no one else is going to do it for me. That’s just my mindset.

Ever since I watched Blu Hors Matine’s 2006 WEG freestyle (we all know the one I’m talking about) I’ve had a passion for dressage and a dream to be able to dance on a horse like that. I’ve been successful in many horse disciplines- eventing, showjumping, sporting, tent pegging, but I always come back to “just” dressage. It’s where my passion and desire are.

What do you love most about riding & competing? I absolutely LOVE training. Training is my happy place. Having those moments of breakthrough, achieving movements for the first time or when suddenly the quality of the movement comes is amazing. Competing for me is a little bit of a love/hate relationship. When you get those 8’s or really positive thoughtful feedback, that’s what I love the most. It’s not really about the place for me but the score. Those competitions where we have been against imported horses or exceptionally bred dressage horses and riders with so much more experience and have kept up with them or even passed them on the score board have left me with an amazing, slightly shocked feeling.

I d’ say Im’ motivated by desire.

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What challenges you most about riding and competing? My own expectations of myself. I can be unrealistically hard on myself- not my horse, but my own riding. I sometimes need reminding that I’ve trained a horse, who’s not necessarily built to do these movements never having experienced them myself prior and she does them with quality. At a recent Matthew Dowsley lesson training the piaffe and passage, he said, people would kill to have a horse do what Rosalee does to the quality she does it.

How do you come back from a bad ride or test? Discipline! Motivation comes and goes. It is the drive to achieve something and if that drive is damaged from a bad ride or bad test that’s when discipline comes in. It is the ability to keep pushing in the right direction even if you no longer have motivation doing it for you. Its ok to have a day off, stay in bed, have a cry, eat a whole heap of junk food but then it’s time to pick yourself up and carry on because dreams don’t work unless you do! If it’s a bad ride, start back at the basics- transitions! If it’s a bad test, review the feedback from the judges and discuss these with your coach so you can create a riding plan to improve in these areas. I always look to the quote from Kristin Carpenter,

“You can trot and cry at the same time, and if you can’t, this isn’t the sport for you” Best advice you’ve been given? The best advice I’ve received in relation

to my own riding would have to be from of all people, my non-horsey brother. My brother is a 3 x Performer of the Year winner and Hall of Fame inductee. He mixes all my freestyle music for me. After I received some (to me) negative comments on my music choice he told me “It’s all just personal opinions. At the end of the day you simply have to do it because you love it. Stop putting your value in their hands, it’s not”

I know you have recently bought another foal, what sort of criteria do you consider when buying a horse? Having a young family, my number

1 criteria is Cost. No. 2. Filly. No. 3. Temperament. “Purpose breeding” is never really a factor for me as Rosalee’s sire was used to breed buck jumpers for rodeos and look at her! To me it’s about the training you put in. We just don’t have the funds for “purpose bred” horses. I am fortunate enough to have kept in contact with Rosalee’s breeder who is so thrilled with what Rosalee and I have accomplished, that together we have tried to breed a half sibling to Rosalee as an affordable next horse. Unfortunately, due to weather related breeding issues it hasn’t happened however I stumbled across an ad for a warmblood filly. I always call Rosalee my ‘country bargain’ and I’ve just found another, this time dressage bred!

Giselle is rsing one out of a Signature mare by a Jive Magic stallion and is colour tested true black.

What are you goals for the future? Rosalee has already allowed me to achieve so many goals that I could only dream about. On New Year’s day 2021 we did our first ever 3x one tempi changes and I have since ridden 30 consecutive one tempi changes. My goals for the future for Rosalee and I are to reach the almighty Grand Prix. In 2021 we had our first interstate trip to Sydney CDLite. In 2022 we again travelled to Sydney CDI and I will be travelling to Sydney in October for AAOR Nationals. My aim for the end of the 2022 year is to have a medium tour start looking towards big tour for 2023. I would also love to travel down to Willinga Park for their Dressage by the Sea. I’m also looking forward to doing this journey again with Giselle!

Words to live by?

DREAMS DON’T WORK UNLESS YOU DO. EM

You can follow Ellyn’s AOR journey @parker_dressage All photos kindly supplied by Averil Crebbin, Picture the Moment Equine Photography

@picture.the.moment

ELLYN PARKER

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I am Danielle O’Brien, 32 years old, photography, horse and dog crazy…

I live in Blackall in Central Queensland which is roughly 1200clicks from Brisbane. I also manage the local tyre service and have done for 8 years.

I have two dogs, two cats and three horses; two thoroughbred race mares and the other is a quarter horse. I am a thoroughbred trainer with Queensland Racing. I do it all by myself. I ride all my own trackwork. In my spare time I try to either barrel race, camp draft or team pen and throw in some photography to mix it all up a little.

I always loved photography and always wanted to buy a flash camera but I was always too broke to afford a decent one. Until my Dad gave me a little track riding bonus and said, “Buy a camera”. So, I bought a Nikon D7500.

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LUXLIFE

That was just over two years ago. I shoot mostly with my Nikon Z6 and my 70-200m Z Lens now. I love all horse event photography but also love photographing people. Especially at an event where the people are just

living and not posing…

I’m a morning person so I also absolutely love getting up early for that sunrise, packing my camera, coffee and my dog and finding things to photograph. I also really love shooting brolgas and wildflowers when I get the chance. After shooting at Jundah’s Barcoo Spring Fling, I am also a huge fan of the red dirt. It brings out so much colour and the red dust is just awesome, except when it’s all over your camera and camera bag.

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Emma Bell riding Northern Water to win race 1

DANIELLE O’BRIEN

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Life in Blackall is quiet but it can also be full on. Sometimes we wonder why we live so far away from anything, but we make do. To give you a rough estimate, its 3.5 hours to the closest KFC and Maccas. Blackall is a tight knit community where everybody knows everybody and if they don’t, they know a relative or a friend. It is one of those towns where all the locals get behind something. If its grand final footy season you can bet nearly every shop is decorated in the mighty black and white, or if it’s a festival you will even find our local police in a billy cart rolling down the main street.

My life with horses has been a long one really. I was practically born into them, I guess. My dad was heavily into racehorses and I don’t think I remember a time where the stables were empty when I was kid. We always had one or two.

I always used to get the slow racehorses to ride when I was a kid and Dad would say, “They are real quiet”.

Until you’d see us bolting back to the stables!

I guess it taught me to hang on.

I only started riding trackwork properly about 12 years ago underneath my father’s trainer’s license. Sadly, my dad passed away in 2020 after a bit of a battle with cancer, so I took on his horses and acquired my own trainer’s license. I had a great year in 2021 with a couple of wins and quite a few placings but have had a bit of a slower year this year with horse injuries and rain!!

Outback racing is something else. It’s the people to be honest. If you need help with anything you will have 20 other country people to help you. It is its own community really. Everyone looks forward to each meet. Country racing means a lot for communities as it brings people together. We have local caterers, local bar staff and everyone loves a good catch up over a cold beer at the racecourse. I mean there really is nothing better. Country racing is different to metro I believe because we have a lot of the same horses going around each week. You get to know their story on a more personal level, and you know the trainers and the owners. Especially if it’s a country cups horse and you can follow the journey from track to track.

Left. Amy Graham riding ‘Bubble Bath’ Right. Jockeys on the home stretch of race 5.

Won by Emma Bell on Dubai Moon (outside).

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DANIELLE O’BRIEN

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Above. Charlie Prow from Blackall plays wth her puppy.

Right. Fashions on the Field winners Sarah & Tyler Morgan.

Far right. Charlotte Brand riding ‘Kate’ in the sprint race.

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Not quite as far as Birdsville but probably a lot further than anywhere else you’ve ever been, Jundah sits on the banks of the Thompson River in heart of the Channel Country in outback Queensland. The town’s name comes from the traditional indigenous language word for woman. Directions are simple; drive west for about 15 hours from the coast, turn onto the Thompson Developmental Road and you’ll find it there between Windorah and Longreach.

The Jundah Race club only have one race meeting of the year, but it’s worth going the extra country mile for. Club treasurer Maree Pitman said the addition of barrel racing and the sprint race to the ‘Jundah Spring Fling’ program makes for a full weekend of competition and entertainment.

The event is vital to keeping the club going and bringing visitors to the town but also seeks to raise money and awareness about two issue which directly impact the local communities – breast cancer & mental health.

Maree explains, “Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Our goal is not only to support the charities, but also to promote what the charities do and how people in remote communities can access the support and services they need. The club is very passionate about this.

We want to give back to the community.”

The addition of the sprint races has proved to be a big drawcard for the event, with competitors travelling from Rockhampton, Warwick, Normanton and even as far south as Victoria to attend. The weekend also hosts a leg of the Outback Barrel Horse circuit. Marie says her husband, Jundah race club president Dan Pitman has tried to ‘think outside the box’ and has grand plans for the event and what it can bring to the Barcoo Shire. He has been working hard to improve the infrastructure at the grounds, starting with building more stables so people don’t have to worry about setting up tape yards after a long trip. “We want people to think, yes, we had to travel a long way to get there, but it was really good prize money and good facilities on offer. We hope that will make it more appealing to competitors.”

The Jundah Spring Fling is an annual event which takes place on the first weekend of October. For your dose of red dirt, outback adventure and authentic bush hospitality, you won’t find a better occasion to wear your favourite pink dress! Kick up a bit of dust, support a great club and a good cause while you’re at it.

Definitely one for the Bucket List.

DANIELLE O’BRIEN

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The Outback Barrel Horse Circuit is an Australian Barrel Horse Association affiliated club that was founded in 2014 back when the West was suffering from the devastating impacts of drought. With many Rodeos and Campdrafts cancelled due to stock shortages etc, but people still wanting to compete with their horses, the club was formed. The club has been a vital recreational club for Outback Queensland communities for over 8 years, holding events right across Western Queensland in communities like Cunnamulla, Longreach, Jundah, Augathella, Blackall and Charleville. Horse-minded people of all ages from 2 years to 70 years of age compete at our events. It's a great family-friendly, inclusive club!

With the club's success continuing to grow, the Outback Barrel Horse this year was able to hold two of the biggest paying Divisional Barrel Races in Australia. Back in March 2022 The Outback Stars Barrel Racing Spectacular was held at the iconic Longreach Australian Stockmen's Hall of Fame Undercover Arena and just recently - The Barcoo Spring Fling West N Breast Classic Event, held in the heart of the channel Country in Jundah.

The Barcoo Spring Fling West N Breast Classic posted $15,000 added prizemoney to the purse making it THE Richest Divisional Barrel Race held in Australia. Over 100 competitors travelled to Jundah for a jam-packed program of fast horse sports including Barrel Racing, Bush Sprint Racing, and the Jundah Cup Country Race Meet with the weekend raising awareness and funds for the regional cancer organisation West N Breast Cancer Support Group. It is the 7th year Outback Barrel Horse Circuit has run a West N Breast Classic and the 2nd time it has been included in the Jundah Barcoo Spring Fling Event. There was fantastic horsemanship on display and something for everyone and we look forward to another successful event on the 1st Weekend of October 2023.

Outback Barrel Horse Circuit has raised over $15000 for West N Breast Cancer Support Group over the past 7 years through our special Classic Event. We also pride ourselves on making sure our rural women have awareness about breast cancer, self care, support and networks to support them or their loved ones out here in the bush. We were motivated to create this event 7 years ago when an Aunt and another young lady on our committee were diagnosed with Breast Cancer.

Raelene Milson from Dalby, Qld riding Jezzabelle Lena.

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The Barcoo Spring Fling West N Breast Classic posted $15,000 added prizemoney to the purse making it

THE RICHEST DIVISIONAL BARREL RACE held in Australia.

DANIELLE O’BRIEN

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Raelene Milson & Tigerlily.

DANIELLE O’BRIEN

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‘Kiandra Greys’.

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SURVIVORS T he Snowy Mountain Brumbies

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My journey in photography started about 8 years ago when I visited Northern Kosciusko National Park with my dad and a small handheld camera to photograph the brumbies. My dad had told me a story of coming over the mountains which he called the top of the world with brumbies standing on the sides of the road in their respective mobs.

Wild horses in Kosciusko National Park both northern and southern ends are managed by NPWS and their passive trapping and removal programme. Many brumbies that we have gotten to know have been removed by NPWS, some have been rehomed and some have met a terrible fate.

I am now based in Cooma NSW, the gateway to the Snowy Mountains and the brumbies. In June of 2014 I met my soul mate Ian, an amateur photographer and avid bushwalker. When I met him, he lived in Victoria and he reached out to me via a message through my Facebook page with a video he created of the Bago and Margle state forest brumbies. I instantly fell in love with the clip. We married in January 2019.

In the last 4 years there has been a lot of debate on the number of horses that reside in sensitive areas of Kosciusko National Park. The wild horse population number reported by the anti-brumby groups is 14,000 plus. Over the years we have emailed, also invited many politicians and scientists to come on a walk with us so that we can show them the truth. In truth it really is lovely up there. The waterways run pristine, the roos, the reptiles, the birdlife etc and the brumbies all live in harmony.

Over the years Ian and I have travelled huge distances all over Kosciusko National Park on foot to photograph and document the Snowy Mountain brumbies

and their fight for survival.

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‘Kiandra Greys’.

Our Snowy brumbies and their descendants have been wild and free in that landscape for over 180 years. The environment has adapted to them and is ecologically balanced. The catastrophic Dunn’s Rd summer bushfires decimated almost all of northern Kosciusko and left a trail of dead horses and other animals in its wake, not to mention the beautiful huts and the historic Kiandra courthouse.

I will never forget hiking out post fires and finding countless burnt dead brumbies. They were all lying facing away from the direction in which the inferno came. It truly was heart wrenching to see. The survivors had taken the fire front head on and leapt through the wall of flames to escape.

MICHELLE & IAN BROWN

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We know many brumby mobs and they know us. They know our smell, they know our voices. They will look up at us to see who we are and when I speak to them, they will instantly go back to grazing as if to gesture to one another “Oh, it’s only them.” I find that spending time with our wild horses up in the bush far away from any roads, far away from the hustle and bustle really is soul soothing. We call it our medicine and after a hectic week at work we head up the mountain to be with the brumbies.

I t is serene and beautiful.

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We document it all, from the pristine waterways to the reptile populations and everything in between. Our images are seen by thousands of people and I think the fact that we are honest about everything is why we have such a large following. Over the years we have gotten to know many mobs and the individuals that make up those mobs. We have watched foals grow up into the most beautiful mares and stallions and in turn have their own mobs /family groups.

.

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‘Zeus’ Leader of the Kiandra Greys

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One thing that will always amaze is how close and tightly knit the bonds are between the brumbies within a mob. For example, a stallion that we call Joey and a mare that we call The Pali mare have been together for over 8 years now. Joey the stallion protects her with his life. Joey is missing an ear and has recently had one side of his bottom lip torn away in a fight with another stallion that tried to take his mare. We have been observing their behaviours for years now and it really is amazing to watch them. Every visit we experience something different and learn something new regarding the interactions the brumbies have with one another.

Left - Frosty.

We follow on a regular basis probably 6 different mobs. We also follow several bachelors and lone older stallions such as Frosty. We have our favourite mobs that we like to visit. They know us and let us into their circle. Sometimes it takes years to gain their trust and sometimes just months but in saying that,

we always give them space and

the respect they deserve.

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Ares was his name.

Shot dead 2 months ago by NPWS.

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‘GG’

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One of the first brumbies we started to follow and photograph on a regular basis was a chestnut roan stallion whose name was Nugget. He got his name from a friend of ours, simply because he was so well built, a stallion in prime with muscles bulging everywhere. He truly was a magnificent animal. Nugget was a smart brumby. He lived in an area where the NPWS were forever trapping and removing brumbies. But not our wily Nugget. I think he knew to stay away from those metal fences as they meant harm.

We haven’t seen Nugget for about 12 months now. I do hope he is ok and is way back country hiding from trap yards.

Another brumby I have watched grow over the years is a stallion called Thor. I remember in early 2017 photographing this young bachelor. He really caught my eye as he was simply stunning. A tall bay bachelor, he was about 3 years old hanging out with 3 other bachelors at the time. I could see that Thor was going to be something special in years to come and fast forward 5 years Thor (in our book) is the new king of the mountain.

Thor has a beautiful mob that he calls his own. He has risen up through the brumby ranks from a young bachelor hanging with his mates to the most magnificent stallion up the mountain. He truly is stunning. Many brumbies/bachelors over the years have tried to challenge Thor, tried to overpower him and steal his mob but none so far have ever succeeded.

I have watched many a bachelor and lone stallion get chased away by Thor. Thor has them all on the back foot but in saying that he still has to sleep with one eye open as there will often be a lone brumby or a small mob of bachelors lurking and watching.

Most mobs do have territories which are an area that roughly ranges about 6km square. Within this area several different mobs can always be found. Most mobs respect each other and pass on by one another peacefully. The stallions are always on alert when another mob comes on the scene but seldom does it ever end in a fight. All the brumbies in these areas know one another as they are forever crossing paths. They truly do respect one another and their mobs it’s only the bachelors and lone stallions that cause a ruckus.

Another beautiful stallion in his prime is Brutus. Brutus got his name for being powerful. He is a very well-built bay roan stallion with a beautiful mob. One day we were watching Brutus and his mob when a group of bachelors decided to move in on his mob. Brutus being Brutus, had them all running for their lives within a minute. He is such a tank. Such a strong and dominant stallion.

‘Thor’, the new king of the mountain.

MICHELLE & IAN BROWN

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Above - Nevea & her foal GG. Left - ‘Arrowboy, gone but not forgotten.

MICHELLE & IAN BROWN

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It really is sad to see our brumbies being shot for “apparently” destroying the landscape and waterways while projects such as Snowy 2.0 continue to expand into the National Park habitat of native species. So many animals have been either killed or driven out of their homes by construction. In one area where we visit, we would often see lyre birds and only in that area. Snowy 2.0 came along and turned the whole area inside out. We no longer see the lyre birds Our Snowy Brumby Photography Adventures with Michelle and Ian Facebook page has over 74,000 followers. We document everything that we see on our adventures, showing the world how it is up where the brumbies live through our images. Ian and I explore every aspect of the thriving environment up where we visit our brumbies hoping that people can see what we have seen over the years regarding the environment up there and perhaps change some opinions about the value of the brumbies.

Please donate and support any rehomer. Because of them the brumbies have a life after removal from the wild.

White Alpine Equine Indigo Brumby Clearview Brumbies Victorian Brumby Association Hoofs Inc Save a wild one and gain a best friend for life.

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MICHELLE & IAN BROWN

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BARCELONA NATIONS CUP FINAL 2022 Helen Cruden

Above. Team Belgium Left. Wilma Hellstrom and Cicci BJN

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The Nations Cup Final is held at the prestigious Barcelona Polo Club which hosted the equestrian events at the Summer Olympics in 1992. Throughout the year, countries compete for their place in the finals and every September the most elite show jumping teams travel to Spain to contest the Nations Cup. The prize was even more coveted this year as it was a qualifying event for the Olympics. This was of great importance to those teams who had missed out on qualifications at the World Championships.

On the first day all the teams compete together on the same playing field. The ones who finish out of the top 8 then go into the Challenge Cup which takes place the night before the Nations Cup final. Although this is a ‘consolation prize’, there’s still huge esteem in taking the title, which this year was won by Mexico. Both the Grand Prix and the Challenge Cup are held at night under lights which is adds to the excitement and atmosphere of the event.

The Nations Cup isn’t like a normal class. It’s Grand Prix but they have to jump it twice, so it really does test the chef d’Equipe’s choice of horse and rider combinations, as well as the horsemanship of each combination. It’s a real test of skill, stamina, understanding, teamwork and level headedness.

Belgium presented their A string including Quel Homme de Hus who was vice world champion in the individual competition at Herning. The bay Holstein stallion jumped three clear rounds over the Nations Cup Final with zero time penalties proving what an incredible athlete he is, expertly ridden by Jérôme Guery, taking the win in Barcelona and securing the Belgium team their position in the Olympics.

The comradery between all the Belgium team mates and grooms was incredible to witness. They are one of the most competitive nations in horse sports so they definitely deserve their place there. Roll on Paris 2024!

HELEN CRUDEN

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Left. Kasanova de la Pomme & groom, Alexandre Le Gac Jérôme Guery and Quel Homme de Hus. Koen Vereecken and Kasanova de la Pomme Right. Quel Homme de Hus & groom, Brianna Lobreau Andrew Bourns and Sea TopBlue Koen Vereecken and Kasanova de la Pomme Gilles Thomas and Feromas Van Beek Z

HELEN CRUDEN

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Simon Delestre and Cayman Jolly Jumper

HELEN CRUDEN

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BARC 34 E LO N A N AT IO N S CUP F INA L

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MY PILBARA EQUESTRIAN LIFE

K’arratha Kate ‘

Gantheaume Point, Broome.

My name is Kate Redmond and I have lived in Karratha my whole life. We are located in the north west Pilbara region of Western Australia. I am a hairdresser, initially working in a family-run business and for myself, but living in a mining and resources town has allowed me to experience many different industries away from my trade. I spent 7 years as a metallurgical operator in the iron ore industry and have been a trade assistant in oil and gas. I’m also a part time bare foot trimmer.

The first 5 years of my life were spent on a mine site out at Dampier Salt where my dad worked. We were in one of the company’s 9 site houses where only 9 other families also lived. It was a short walk across the shimmery white salt flats to Dad’s work. We would regularly meet him there half way home after finishing his shift or at the on-site pub! It was a fun and unique way to spend my early childhood years but we moved closer to town not long after I started school and I have pretty much lived here ever since.

50 JOURNEYS

Mum says my obsession with horses started from the day I could communicate. All I ever spoke about or wanted was horses. I had no interest in toys unless they were in the form of a horse. My parents don’t know where the obsession came from as although both Mum and Dad are avid animal lovers there wasn’t a single horse enthusiast or owner in our immediate family and I had never even seen a real horse.

My dad’s family history though, does have an interesting horse tale which I like to think is where my genetic love for horses stems.

My 6 x great grandmother is Mary Reibey who is on the Australian $20 note. “She is one of the most famous early convict women in the colony of New South Wales. A convicted horse thief, Mary went on to run an extensive importing and mercantile business and there are numerous references to her business dealings, liquor licences, land grants and purchases throughout the state archives. There are two published books on her life.” (Wikipedia)

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My family tells the story of her being a 13 year old girl who would watch the squire ride the most magical cob through the town of Stafford. She would dream of riding that horse daily and one day, no longer able to resist the temptation, took it for a joy ride around town before apparently returning it to where it had been tied. She was charged with theft of a horse which was a hangable crime back then! Luckily, she was sent to Oz instead. I definitely feel my obsession is as strong as hers and I would have done the exact same thing! She ended up quite wealthy although her fortune dwindled off to nothing, lost by her children who spent the entire fortune on race horses!

In Karratha, a small, isolated mining town with no rural land available for public purchase, the likelihood of a non-horsey family getting into horses was slim to none,

but some things are meant to be

and for me it was inevitable.

I was fortunate that when I was 6, my mum went back to work part time, doing night shift to fit in with Dad’s work schedule. We needed a babysitter for the changeover times when dad would go to work at the salt mine and mum would still be at work, so the oldest daughter of a work colleague of my dad’s ended up being our sitter for quite some years. She owned horses just out of town so would take us on her daily morning feed runs. This is where I learnt to ride and care for horses.

The years went on and my parents, realising that the obsession wasn’t going anywhere, purchased a block of land at the equestrian centre (the only place you can keep horses in town). My first horse, Dakota, was a bay mare from one of the stations out of town that were de stocking their mustering horses. They were going to bikes and buggies instead.

Hearsons Cove, my local beach.

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She got me through most of my pony club years. We really had a go at everything… dressage, games, show jumping, hacking etc. I own her to this day. She is currently living her best life in retirement in the south west at the ripe old age of 35. I retired her at 17 after purchasing the horse that I would continue my pony club years on, a black three year old thoroughbred mare named Chanel. She became my life for the next 18 years. We got into eventing after her being rather opinionated about not loving flat work unless a jump was involved. Because I didn’t want to be bucked off daily, I learnt very quickly to work within her requirements!

We competed throughout WA as often as possible. The distances we had to travel made it hard to get to competitions as regularly as I’d have liked (3200km round trip to get to a comp was just a normal drive down the road for us). I’m so grateful for all the years we represented our small town and pony club in eventing. It’s something our club couldn’t offer as we didn’t even have a cross country course to train on!

I think people took pity on me for what we had to endure to get to a comp. I didn’t know any different but it did create friendships with some beautiful and generous horse people who would open up their homes and stables to me and my horses for a place to stay while we were away from home.

Chanel was a super special mare,

tricky, talented

the most

beautiful creature you have ever seen.

She taught me everything I ever needed to learn about any horse I would interact with after her. I really do believe certain horses come with lessons you need to learn and she taught me not only everything I needed to know about future horses but also everything I had to learn about myself.

I wouldn’t be who I am today if I had never had her.

I was known as ‘Karratha Kate,’ the girl from all the way up north who trained

her horse over the only two logs in the northwest.

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and

Cable Beach, Broome

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I approach everything from a holistic point of view and in a very natural sense because of her. She really made me connect to my natural instincts, considering how our relationships interact with nature and everything else around us.

I devastatingly lost her last year to a freak broken leg at the age of 21. She was as sound and magnificent up until that point as the day I brought her home as a three year old.

To lose her when she was in such good health was really hard to live with and had me questioning what horses were really about. If it wasn’t for having three other beautiful horses I think I would have quit right then.

But when you have to go on you just do.

I now treasure even more the everyday moments with my horses.

I have four horses now. I still own my very first horse Dakota, who is now 35 years old. I also have my other ex-eventer Prada, who is 22 now and other than being herd leader at the beach is retired from ridden work.

Veuve is a 10 year old thoroughbred mare I got off the track up here. I hoped to event her but it’s been a big journey trying to fix her up. I’m currently rehabbing her after a surgery for kissing spine. Fingers crossed she will be back under saddle next year. Danika, my 8 year old Hanoverian mare was purchased as a foal and is my only “real” riding horse right now.

She’s such a great little mare who has been to so many beautiful destinations just for fun. She’s a typical super sensitive warmblood mare but at the same time so reliable when we are out exploring. She loves to jump and I would really love to get her out eventing eventually. She’s had a super slow start to competition life as I really wanted her to have the time to grow and mature at the rate she needed. I feel like she’s almost there now. As well as playing around in the bush and lower level competitions I have used her for mustering cattle, which she actually loves so much.

She even takes the chopper only meters from our head all in her stride!

Yaburara Heritage Trail, not far from my stables.

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Hearsons Cove, at low tied, walking through the mangroves.

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Schooling and competition are at the bottom of my priorities. I am still competitive by nature but I don’t ever want to regret not cherishing each moment of joy that horses really do bring to your life. From watching them eat and finish their dinner, just hanging out as a herd with them in the sun to bush rides with no purpose other than to enjoy their presence and the scenery. These are the best bits, perfect, like spending hours just wading through the water at the beach.

Being so much more mindful of all the small things horses bring to us has given me a bigger appreciation of the unique environment we live in. This is what I try to share through my Instagram and YouTube videos. I want people to be able to see the beauty in just owning and enjoying their horses.

THE

EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS

ARE JUST AS SPECIAL AS WINNING A COMPETITION YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINING YEARS FOR. IT’S DEFINITELY ABOUT

BEING PRESENT IN EVERY

PART OF THE JOURNEY

AND NOT THE DESTINATION.

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56 JOURNEYS

Large granite rock formation.

Karratha Station.

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I don’t think there is anywhere else that presents such varied challenges to owning horses due to the isolation, distance and lack of or non-existent equine services but this also provides so many opportunities that wouldn’t be possible elsewhere.

We have thousands and thousands of kms to freely ride through. Such dramatic and unique scenery from mountainous, rugged garnet hills with contrasting flat dusty red plains to some of the most beautiful unpopulated and unregulated beaches. I can ride and swim in isolation where THE SAND IS SO WHITE AND THE WATER SO CRYSTAL CLEAR it doesn’t look real.

I’m so lucky to have all of it within 40mins of my stables. I don’t believe you can get that experience anywhere else and I know exploring this landscape keeps my horses so fit, interested and happy in the life they live here.

Being so far away from our capital city makes everything else seem close that probably really isn’t! We will drive to Broome for a weekend away with the horses just to ride on the beach. We think nothing of it because it’s “just down the road” (8 hours away). Exmouth is even closer at only 6 hours drive south for a total change in riding scenery.

The equine community in the northwest is small but passionate. Owning horses here isn’t for the fainthearted so those that do are usually extremely dedicated and committed. We have a small pony club (Karratha and King Bay Horse and Pony Club) that has been here since the ‘80s (I think)!

We also have an adult riding club that was formed around the time I was no longer at an age where you could be a pony club member. The club caters for all different equine disciplines and competitions from dressage, show horse and show jumping to camp drafting, barrel racing and games.

To get horses exposed to a competition environment living here means you literally have to have a go at everything or they just don’t get a chance to be in any kind of atmosphere. Obviously, this is important if you are travelling so far away to compete and it makes for a very versatile horse in the end. I have done almost everything you can on a horse because of it.

Hearsons Cove.

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There are unique challenges in living here. Number one is

the distance and the lack of equine services.

When driving south 1600kms is planned for a competition, it’s not that big of a deal to someone that lives here, but in the event of an emergency you may as well be on the other side of the world to the closest vet.

This for me means being absolutely anal about how the horses are kept so that their health is never compromised to the point where we have to be in a reactive situation.

The second biggest challenge would be

the heat in the summer months.

Our winters are so beautiful (think tropical mild paradise) but our summers are excruciatingly hot and long. It can be above 45 degrees Celsius for weeks on end, not getting below 38- 40 for 4 or more months. I have two horses that don’t cope well in the heat which means they just cannot stay here for the full duration of it. So we travel 1700kms south every year for them to have a three-month summer holiday in the cool green pastures of the southwest. I try to spend a couple of those months down there with them so that they don’t get too out of shape and also for my own sanity as I just can’t go 4 months without them!

This also allows me to explore and experience more of our beautiful state and what it has to offer in the way of riding. The terrain is so different in the south. We ride through old forests and on equally as beautiful beaches where

On this day at Forrest Beach I had a whole pod of dolphins follow us up and down the beach for over an hour, it was the most amazing experience!

They were interacting with Danika like she was one of them and she had no fear of them.

You can ride to the local breweries and tie the horses up out the front while you stop for a drink. I really feel like we get the absolute best of both worlds because of the challenge the heat presents us.

Number three is we don’t have a local farrier.

Some years ago this problem made me become my horses’ sole hoof care provider and then somehow that turned into a part time job for friends and other horses owners who were struggling with finding a reliable hoof care service also. This is something that I’m actually really grateful for now (not at the time!) because I couldn’t imagine not being the person responsible for such an important part of my horses’ care.

Number four is distance (again) and rain fall!

We get very little rain.

which means little to no feed in the way of pasture. The horses are fed hay all year round as their main source of intake which equals a big expense due to transport costs. I always say horses are my only hobby / entertainment/ life because owning them here is so expensive you can’t afford to feed them properly and be able do anything else!

I swim t he horses wit h dolphins so tame you would t hink t hey had been trained to follow you.

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The equine community in the northwest is small but passionate. Owning horses here isn’t for the fainthearted so those that do are usually extremely dedicated and committed. We have a small pony club (Karratha and King Bay Horse and Pony Club) that has been here since the ‘80s (I think)!

We also have an adult riding club that was formed around the time I was no longer at an age where you could be a pony club member. The club caters for all different equine disciplines and competitions from dressage, show horse and show jumping to camp drafting, barrel racing and games.

To get horses exposed to a competition environment living here means you literally have to have a go at everything or they just don’t get a chance to be in any kind of atmosphere. Obviously, this is important if you are travelling so far away to compete and it makes for a very versatile horse in the end. I have done almost everything you can on a horse because of it.

WA as a riding destination is a huge state with so much to offer! I may be a biased because I live here, but I really do believe we have the best beaches in Australia and one of the reasons they are the best is because they are so unpopulated. They are clean and unpolluted,

You can spend the whole day at a beach here

and see not a single other person.

We have such amazing weather here in WA. It is warm almost all year round in the north and our winters even in the southwest are not overly long (not that I spend much time south in winter). Our roads are in good condition and not overly busy like on the east coast which makes travelling with horses so much easier on them and less stressful for the driver.

I don’t have any fear of driving 4 horses over 3000kms on my own here but I don’t think I would be nearly as confident in any other state!

You can follow Kate’s journey in the Pilbara ‘My Pilbara Equestrian Life’ on Facebook & Instagram & on her YouTube channel.

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HELEN HUIE Let’s talk...

Authenticity I come from a long line of horse people. My grandmother was a renowned horsewoman and could ride the pants off almost anyone in the outback. My grandfather was a horse breaker. He made the most beautiful horseshoes and saddlery. My great-aunt was a thoroughbred trainer and breeder. My great-grandfather was a famous horse breaker, so on and so on…you get the picture. Whilst I have been fortunate to grow up in a horsey family, it hasn’t automatically qualified me for any ‘horse whisperer’ awards. In fact, with all those centuries of horse people in my DNA, there has probably been a lot of ‘unlearning’ I’ve needed to do to be the type of horseperson I want to be.

I have never subscribed to any one method of working with horses.

I’ve always just followed my nose with whatever seemed relevant at that moment or ‘spoke my language’ in the ways I wanted to connect with my horses. While I was meandering along my own horse journey, at times I got lost, moving away from my values to meet short term goals. In my younger years I think I tried every fad supplement, training aid and gadget to get my horses to perform in the way that was popular. I chose the word ‘perform’ consciously – because in hindsight that’s what it was. Me getting my horses to fulfil an unmet need in me. The aim was to win, or to act or look a certain way that ultimately gave me a nice little boost to my ego. I ended up in a chaotic cycle of ups and downs in riding and my equine relationships.

I craved consistency but didn’t know how to achieve it.

My grandmother once told me “A good horseman doesn’t sit their mood in the saddle.”. As a child who grew up in a chaotic home where emotional intelligence wasn’t something that I knew a lot about, I was easily dysregulated, overwhelmed and fickle in my approach to horses in my younger years. Fortunately for me, life led me down a path where I was able to develop the skills and knowledge to grow my emotional intelligence, which has in turn had a profound impact on my relationship with my horses. Although there is a growing movement of conscious and compassionate horsemanship and training, I’m not sure the concepts would have resonated with me without first having developed an awareness of who I am, who I want to be, what I’m not,

Pictures of my grandmother, Elizabeth Blakeway.

the kind of horsewoman I want to be and

the way I want to feel when I’m with my horses.

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I was recently at a horse event, in the marshalling ring with a young horse. My goal at the show was to give my young horse a positive experience by helping him feel safe, and calm in a competition environment. Whilst my team and I stayed focused on emotionally regulating ourselves, and offering coregulation to our horse, quite a few competitors got pretty stressed-out, trying to make their stressed-out youngsters perform. Once upon a time I would have just dismissed this as ‘normal’ and looked the other way. Instead, it sat heavily with me, and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on how this could be different for people and their horses. Whilst there is a lot of amazing information out there on everything from compassionate horsemanship through to how to unlock your inner Zen master, I feel like there are some fundamental steps that should be considered before we clip the lead rope on. Let’s talk authenticity.

The sports people we often admire aren’t the temperamental type, but the cool calm and self-assured ones. Think Charlotte Dujardin.

There is no pretence, no drama, just a deep sense of inner calm and focus that comes from self-assurance. These are people strongly connected and committed to their sense of self. Authentic is defined as “true to one’s own personality, spirit or character”. This is our starting point. Think back to the moment you fell in love with horses.

Reconnecting with this feeling, this intent, is a starting point to find your way back to your values with your horse relationships and riding.

Taking the time to understand our values – what is important to us?

Why are we riding? Why do we have a horse? Why are we competing – what need are we fulfilling?

Getting curious about our true desires, our true loves and separating that from the persona we often create to fit in, feel in control etc., can offer us insight into

how authentic we are.

Often, we don’t even realise how far we have strayed from what truly makes us happy. When we include pressures from social media, it’s easier than ever to lose sight of who we are. The human quest for authenticity isn’t new - in 300-200 BC ‘Know thyself’ was inscribed in the wall of the forecourt at the temple in Delphi, Ancient Greece and continues to be a goal post for a happy life.

Developing your identity will impact you as a horse person. In reconnecting and ‘coming home’ to the way we want to be as horse people, everything becomes much clearer. Not many people come into horses wishing to be “a person who gets angry at my horse when I’m not coping, using verbal or physical abuse when I’m overwhelmed, or denying my horse’s basic needs because I’m focused on my own needs, ignoring my horse’s communication, even when they are scared or in pain because I want to achieve something”. Once we develop a really strong sense of who we are, then we can work on establishing boundaries with ourselves and others to align our beliefs with our actions. We develop self-awareness and can more readily access ways to support ourselves to make choices aligned with our values, including emotional regulation strategies for times when we are triggered or feeling overwhelmed. Developing a strong sense of self has also been associated with improvements in self-confidence, satisfaction in life and success. Before you stop reading, thinking, “What rubbish…no one can survive in the competitive horse world without putting on a bit of pretence,” you’re right! Masks can be an important way to keep us feeling safe. What I’m suggesting here is once you have developed a strong sense of self, then even when you put on different ‘masks’, you won’t get lost in the persona you’re trying to portray. You don’t lose yourself.

My grandmother would tell me, “If you don’t know yourself, you’re like a tumbleweed – you’ll just roll along with whatever breeze blows your way. Knowing who you are gives you roots – no matter how hard the wind blows, you won’t fall.” When we start applying these concepts of who we are - our values, beliefs, goals, personality, sense of family, gender, spirituality etc. to our human-horse relationships, it won’t matter what training methods you follow, what your friends are doing or even if you are winning your class or not, your integrity in who you are and what you stand for are less likely to change. It may also lead you to seek out different ways to support yourself or your horse to reflect who you want to be, and how you want to feel in your human and horse relationships.

Helen runs The Stables Counselling & Equine Assisted Therapy If this article has brought up any difficult feelings, questions, or concerns, please reach out to your mental health practitioner, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or contact me at www.thestablescounselling.com.au

HELEN HUIE

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Helen Cruden

The Argentine polo association, Pilar.

Worldwide Equestrian Sports Photographer | Reportage | Bespoke Photography @hcruden

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Top left - Poroto Cambiaso for La Dolfina. Top right - Adolfo Cambiaso aboard Cuartetera Clon B05, for La Dolfina. Middle - Creollo ponies part of the 100 year anniversary celebration for the Argentine Polo Association. Middle right - Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso. Bottom - La Dolfina polo team with Trenque Lauquen Polo Club kids team.

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GLOBE TROTTING

Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso

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Hilario Ulloa

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GLOBE TROTTING

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Above - Toly and Polito Ulloa - father and son, when La Hache won the qualifier for Palermo 2022.

Left - Toly with his best playing pony, Lituania.

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GLOBE TROTTING

Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso, Father and son, winning the Hurlingham Open for La Dolfina

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16 year old Poroto Cambiaso, winning the Hurlingham final.

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S T U D F E AT U R E

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Ricinda Ranch Q UARTE R H O R S ES

I grew up on a dairy cattle and pig farm. I loved all animals and spent most of my time rearing youngsters of many different farmyard varieties. My grandfather and great grandfather were both soldier settlers after the world wars and in the Light Horse Brigade. Although I wasn’t around horses much in the early years, I was always aware of my deep fascination with them. I got my first pony as a 10-year-old after nagging my dad for 9 years. My parents were very busy people so I was pretty much left to my own devices when it came to learning how to ride. My very green broken grey pony meant some challenging times in the early years but also some wonderful times riding the hills of the mountain country in Victoria.

I had a very mixed experience with horses over the years. Eventing and dressage as an older teenager, a bit of western riding for a couple of years, then 10 years just trail riding.

I have ridden in some pretty steep and crazy places and been very blessed to have had some wonderful fearless horses to ride.

The trust and willingness of horses continues to amazed me.

More recently I have started ranch riding, western dressage and working equitation. I am finding that these pursuits really suit my horses and my own style of riding. I get a bit bored doing the same thing and like variety so I find ranch and working equitation fit in well. They also challenge and stretch my level of riding so that I’m always learning and growing.

My love of Quarter Horses and western riding happened by chance after the tragic loss of my horse. I wasn’t looking specifically for a QH and didn’t know much about them. I bought one in 1986 and have only had QH’s ever since. His name was Monark Night Rider. Soon after, I bought my first 2 broodmares and began breeding.

My dream of having a QH stud though was put on hold while I had 3 children and a very busy professional career in healthcare. The dream became a reality many years later when my partner and I purchased our current property.

We bought the property in 2009 and spent the first few years building all the stud facilities, fences, yards and the stable complex. We had to do this on top of both working long hours in professional jobs. I have many memories of being out late at night in the dark building and working on the property. The place was very run down with just one 50-acre paddock full of weeds. We focused on improving the pasture as we wanted our horses to run in a safe herd environment. All my mares and foals now live in a herd environment and I feel it’s an essential part of having healthy well-adjusted horses. One of the great things about our place is that it is excellent for raising foals because it is pretty hilly so it really makes them sure footed, building early muscle memory, strength and balance. I have noticed over the years a big difference riding our home bred foals raised in the hills in comparison to horses we bought who were raised in flat country.

Linda & ‘Silver Big Stretch’.

Photo by Equinox Images//Katie O’Brien

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My memories of old fashioned versatile QH’s that I could do everything with really stand out for me and is reflective of the type of horse we aim to breed. I want to breed horses that are well connected to people with a sensible trainable temperament first and foremost. I like the working lines with sound conformation including great bone, hips and hooves and a horse that is comfortable to ride in all paces. Even though I breed horses with fancy colours, it’s actually the last thing on my list. No matter how fancy the colour is, if the horse doesn’t have all the other factors I want, you won’t see them in my paddock. This is something I won’t compromise on.

In the first few years of our stud we bred our mares to top stallions that we felt met the criteria we were looking for. We retained any top fillies as future ridden and broodmare prospects. We now have a very select herd of high-quality broodmares from top lines that are consistently producing high quality foals in some pretty special colours. The next focus for us was finding the right stallions which would suit our program perfectly. It took quite a few years and a worldwide search to purchase the well credentialed reining stallion Hollywood Groover and to import the stallions Silver Big Stretch and Silver N Dun. I’m a bit of a fanatic about colour and genetic disorder genetics. I think it’s due to my professional human health background. I find colour genetics fascinating. Once you get the hang of colour genetics it is pretty easy really and there are some great resources out there now to help those wanting to learn more. The first foal I ever bred over 30 years ago was a golden palomino colt from a jet black mare which took me completely by surprise. This experience sent me on the journey of wanting horses that were different, something that stood out from the crowd.

I have a particular interest in the rare silver QH lines and have spent many years researching the Australian QH lines in an attempt to preserve them as at one point there were very few left. We have some world first colour with the arrival a few years ago of our silver champagne mare Ricinda Miss Trix and are very excited this year to have a smoky silver black colt from the Sunday Strutin silver QH lines. There hasn’t been a silver black colt from these lines to date so there is hope that we can keep those silver lines going. Now our herd has quite a broad range of colours: dun, silver, cream, champagne, roans and more recently some added bling with the introduction of the SW2 gene.

I know many people are drawn initially to the horses we breed due to their colour however

the horses we breed are

inside and out

beautiful

no matter what colour they are.

Part of this journey for me and in many ways the most challenging has been ensuring that the quality of the Quarter Horses we breed is never compromised to get colour. When deciding which mare & stallion cross I think will work best, I commit to this by taking the colour component out. Our horses need to have a trainable, smart mind, good conformation, an easy-going temperament and be athletic.

Ricinda Miss Trix, silver classic champagne mare 73

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I always worked off the farm in a busy job and had to float my horses into our local equine vet practice. As the stud grew I was floating mares & foals in for scans then regularly needing to do a second two hour round trip with stallions on the same day. It became impossible so I developed the skills and qualifications to do the job myself. Years later, we have fully equipped breeding facilities. I get a lot of joy working with people to make their dream of having their own foal become a reality.

Watching the journey of life from conception and then seeing them be born through to seeing the foals grow into well-adjusted, happy, ridden horses gives such satisfaction. To me my horses are like my own children, brought up carefully with mutual respect and trust. ‘Where the magic begins’ is my stud mantra. I really resonate so much with the magic of what each new life brings. I love watching foals explore the world for the first time. Their brains are so developed that what they know and feel right from the start is staggering and I know this extends to the in-utero time before birth. I do a lot of bonding with them even before they are born by chatting to them while I groom their mums.

I have had foals whinny at me as soon as they are born and know the

connection is there already.

I really try and make sure that the early time spent with my foals is focused on connecting with them in a horse communication way to build trust rather than in a human way with ropes and halters. A couple of years ago, one of my 3 month old fillies had broken her leg, requiring surgery and IM/ IV antibiotics. She wasn’t halter broken in the traditional sense however I was able to give her medications on my own with no fuss whatsoever and with no restraints. She knew and trusted me.

I’m one of those people who loves to learn about everything.

Over the years I became a qualified bare foot trimmer, AI technician in equine reproduction and a now psychotherapist working in equine assisted therapy. During the years of studying to become a psychotherapist, I learnt so much about myself. This has had quite a profound impact on my connection with horses both ridden and on the ground. We often talk about shut down in horses however trauma in my life personally (DV) and professionally (working as an Emergency nurse) had caused me to disconnect from my body and feelings. This was a barrier to communication on a deeper level with my horses that I was pretty much oblivious to before I started the psychotherapy training. I really recommend that people wanting deeper connections in their work with horses do some personal exploration work. I wish I had done it years ago. We always seem to focus on the horse when I think the first place we need to start is with ourselves. In this way and so many others, my horses helped me flourish.

Follow Ricinda Ranch Quarter Horses on Facebook for updates.

Quality youngstock available to approved homes. Visitors welcome by appointment.

You can also find more information on their website ricindaranch.com

Top - Trix N Freckles silver bay mare and foal by Silver Big Stretch.

Right - ‘Indigo’ silver blue roan filly by Silver Big Stretch.

RICINDA RANCH

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MARE TALES Impreza van de Hondshoeve Foreword by Lek Young. Story & photos by Nadeen Davis.

Time and again, Friesian horses are awarded the title of the most beautiful breed. Images of these Dutch stunners gallop across our screens, black mane and feathers flying and filling our little-girl horsey dreams with their majesty. Friesian breeding is a rabbit-hole of many layers, though. Clearly such perfection on legs is no accident. There is a lot to learn, but it seems a lot of the priority in the breeding and assessment of these horses goes to the mares. The keuring process is largely about grading the mares.

Australian breeders now have some mares that rate really well against the best in the world. Photographer and Friesian breeder, Nadeen Davis has such a mare. This is a horse that doesn’t touch the ground when it explodes into action. Everybody freezes to watch her move. Jaws drop and hearts stop. The ultimate Barbie dream horse and bold warrior rolled into one. ‘Such stuff as dreams were made on’. It is an honour to know such a horse. Nadeen travelled the world to find her. This is the story of Impreza.

Grace and power combined,

SHE IS A QUEEN.

I was born and raised on the rugged, beautiful west coast of Tasmania. Our hometown was a mining town and before the introduction of excavators and dozers, my grandfather had a team of draft horses that he would use to pull big timber out of the rainforest for the mine. Not an ideal place for horses with the high rainfall, but true to their ability to adapt, they coped. My mum and her sisters had riding horses and of course they were part of our lives as we grew up.

I now live on a small farm about half an hour from Devonport, Tasmania with my husband, Lee. We have owned our farm since 1998, the year we were married. It was a very run-down cropping property then and definitely not horse safe. We spent the first two years cleaning up the rubbish and rebuilding the house. That year we also purchased a high percentage Friesian filly, Reimke. At that time, I could not afford a pure bred, so she was the next best choice. Years later, our farm is now a horse friendly home with safe fencing, spacious paddocks, and green grass.

We share it with three beautiful miniature schnauzers and our treasured horses. The property was originally called ‘Wallbrook’ so we inherited the name we now use as our stud prefix.

I have adored the Friesian horse since, as a young girl, I watched the movie Lady Hawke – seeing this magnificent black Friesian stallion on the screen was mesmerising. I knew I needed to have one of those horses! Little did I know how challenging that dream would be. Years later, I attended a Friesian Horse seminar in South Australia where two well respected Friesian horse trainers came from the Netherlands to help educate Australian Friesian horse owners to prepare their horses for a keuring. A keuring is basically a quality evaluation assessed by international judges. There was an incredible amount to learn, from the grading process, bloodlines, movement, and conformation. During my quest for knowledge, I attended keurings held in Victoria and helped prepare horses. Visiting many studs around Australia, I looked at as many Friesians as I could. In my time searching I became good friends with the owner of Black Minx Stud who had several Friesians. One mare in particular, was absolutely spectacular. Her name was Ulrika. She was an imported ster mare from the Netherlands and she was pregnant via frozen semen to an outstanding stallion.

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Sadly, not long after our beautiful filly was born, we lost her due to a catastrophic injury. Heartbroken, my search continued. Another stud had imported a ster mare from the Netherlands that was also in foal. My husband and I flew up to NSW to visit Lynn and Dick Jenkin who had established Tashkent stud. A filly called Kestrel TK was born and was destined to come to Tasmania.

We were fortunate enough to be the first to introduce the Friesian horse to Tasmania. We leased Ulrika, the mare I initially fell in love with and brought her over from Victoria. We took the opportunity to show her and take her to breed displays to allow horse enthusiasts to see what a high-quality Friesian mare looks like. We also assisted in organising the first Friesian Horse keuring for Tasmanian based Friesian horses in 2006.

The Australian Friesian Horse Society organised with the Dutch studbook “Het Friesch Paarden-Stamboek” for a jury to come to Australia and assess the quality of our horses. The KFPS are the oldest studbook in the Netherlands and has been registering Friesian horses since it was founded in 1897. The KFPS has at least 12000 members of which half are now located outside of the Netherlands and can be found in every continent and in more than seventy countries. The interest in the Friesian horse has exploded over recent decades, and as a result the breed now has a population of over 70,000 registered horses.

During that inspection, our Kestrel was awarded a second premium, the ster predicate and day champion. We were elated. For those that don’t know what the predicates mean, I will try to explain it, hopefully without confusing you too much. As a three-year-old, a Friesian mare is eligible for inspection and inclusion into the adult studbook. A horse is assessed on its type (how Friesian it looks), its conformation and its movement.

An average Friesian horse will generally be admitted into the studbook but without a premium. One that is a little better than average can be awarded a third premium, as it displays more desired attributes. A mare that exhibits above average scores in exterior and movement is awarded a second premium and ster predicate. If the mare is of exceptional quality, she can be awarded a first premium and ster. These mares are rare, and only make up less than 15% of the breed. First premium mares that exhibit extreme quality can be upgraded to Provisional Crown and if they pass a ridden assessment of over 77 they are awarded the Crown predicate. Then there are model mares.

THESE ARE R are

gems ,

LESS THAN 2% OF THE MARE POPULATION AND ARE EXAMPLES OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. THEY ARE CONSIDERED THE BEST OF THE BREED.

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I remember saying to my husband, who has been incredibly supportive of my “Friesian addiction/condition” for years, and has always genuinely been there for me with all our decisions and purchases…..

Impreza had a beautiful filly foal later that year and the filly she had in the Netherlands went to Sweden (and was awarded the ster predicate as a three-year-old).

‘I just want one, that’s all…….just one!’

In 2016 we decided to prepare Impreza for our next Tasmanian keuring in early 2017. She had her above-mentioned foal at foot, but that was no problem for Impreza. She was happy to leave her baby for training sessions and her baby was happy to watch her mum from the yard doing her work out. Such a cool, level-headed mare and her temperament has clearly been inherited by her offspring. At keuring time, her foal, Celieka van Wallbrook was presented and awarded a first premium. Then it was Impreza’s turn, and she was again given a first premium and asked back to be presented for consideration for the Model predicate. That day is something that will stay with me forever. This mare is so with you when you need her to be, calm and sensible and thinking. Then when you need her to give it everything, she does and its like you just flick a switch.

But these are the type of horses where you just can’t stop at one.

Our first pure bred Friesian foal was born at Wallbrook on the 1st of January 2008. And so, it began, my addiction became obsessive. They are an incredible breed that capture your heart and are so engaged with their people, they become addictive. My dear friend Monique Thornley and I headed off to the Netherlands on our first trip. It was very exciting, my first ever overseas trip and no sooner had we arrived, we spotted a beautiful team of Friesians being driven down the road from where we were staying. The next day we jumped on the train and headed to Friesland to watch the annual mare show. All the mares were there by invitation only and the best of the best were being graded for provisional crown, crown or model. We looked at so many, group after group, but what did become apparent was that those special mares stood out. We got a feel for what mare was going to be upgraded. It was an incredible learning experience.

Having since had several trips to the Netherlands to watch the annual stallion show held in January, others to attend judging courses and also to select mares and stallions, part of what I love to do now is help others find their Friesian horse. To help and support good choices for the Australian gene pool, I have established and made some wonderful contacts and friends in the Netherlands that allow me to secure good horses from trustworthy people. I have also been involved in helping buyers select top stallions that meet the tough criteria to be issued with a breeding permit to come to Australia. We have imported for our stud a ster mare and a Crown + Sport mare. The Crown mare, Tieke van’t Lansink was purchased in conjunction with a dear friend, Nicole who I had met many years before when she purchased a young mare from me. I can honestly say Friesians have been involved with bringing some amazing people into our lives.

Those that we sell foals to become forever friends and we like to stay in touch, following their progress and successes.

It was through one of my contacts in the Netherlands that I found my absolute heart horse, Impreza van de Hondshoeve. From the first image I had seen of her I thought, there has to be a catch. Why would anyone want to sell such an exquisite mare? She was, at the time a Crown mare, and had just had a foal. With no hesitation, we started on making sure she was eligible to import to Australia. After she had passed all the blood testing she was rebred and once her foal was old enough to be weaned, she went into quarantine for export. At that time, she was the third mare we had imported for ourselves. The minute she walked off the truck at Wallbrook she made her presence felt.

She took my breath away.

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SHE TURNS INTO THIS HUGE,

FIRE BREATHING DRAGON

LOOKING AND MOVING LIKE SOMETHING

OUT OF A DREAM.

That day she was awarded the prestigious Model predicate and day champion. Her daughter was awarded Reserve Champion. At the conclusion of all the Australian and New Zealand Keurings she was awarded Overall National Champion of Australia and New Zealand.

I continue to immerse myself in learning. Any opportunity to see my beloved Friesian horse I will take. We have travelled to Mexico and South Africa, and made sure we went to meet breeders and studs. From breeding, foaling down, genetics, nutrition, training, etc I continue to research and share my experiences and knowledge. I am currently a board member of the Australian Friesian Horse Society, as well as the editor of our quarterly magazine and a representative for international members with the KFPS. We only breed a few foals each year as our focus is 100% on quality not quantity and we put a lot of handling on the foals, so they are at a good solid level before leaving home.

In 2019 at our next keuring we presented her colt foal who went on to be awarded a first premium and Reserve Champion of the day. We presented another colt that we bred, and he was also awarded a first premium.

My dear friend Monique now owned and presented Celieka. To our absolute delight she was awarded a second premium ster. So now Impreza has two ster offspring. My dream for this magnificent mare is to try and allow her to achieve another great milestone. If a mare can produce four offspring that get awarded a ster predicate or better, then their dam will become a preferent mare. Our next keuring tour is in 2023 and here she will have two of her adult offspring presented. Grandus van Wallbrook is a beautiful stallion who resides in South Australia, and I have retained her last two daughters. One of which, Lagonda van Wallbrook will be old enough to be presented in 2023.

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The future for us is to continue to produce superior, international quality Friesian horses. To provide for them to the best of our ability and prepare their foals in a way that sets them up for life. My focus is and always has been, to select the best stallion for each individual mare to allow her to produce the best quality foal she can.

I believe that the mare plays a critical part and perhaps too much emphasis is sometimes put on the stallion. I’ve always said that our mares are the cake, and the stallion is the icing. Knowing your mare and her heritability is super important and I don’t choose a stallion based on his stud fee. He must compliment the mare, and hopefully improve where she needs some genetic influence in relation to her weaker areas to improve in the offspring. Playing with genetic influences isn’t always easy so that is where you need to do your research. We don’t own a stallion, we have a beautiful selection of mares that we are very proud of and I don’t want to limit their ability to produce excellent offspring by using just one stallion. I prefer to select the best stallion via chilled or frozen semen from different stallions in Australia and all around the world that can offer potentially, a different influence than has been documented in previous offspring.

It would be an absolute honour and the perfect tribute for this mare to have both of her offspring go ster so she can be made a preferent mare.

What an incredible achievement that would be, but in all honesty,

In early 2023 we will see our first keuring since 2019 and we are super excited. For those that are keen to see and learn more about Friesian horses this is a great opportunity to view them. There are keurings being conducted in nearly every state of Australia and if you are interested in attending please go to the AFHS website www.afhs.org.au for more details.

If you are ever in Tasmania and would like the opportunity to meet our beautiful girls, please contact us. Visitors are welcome by appointment. You can also follow updates on Facebook ‘Wallbrook Friesian horse stud’ or please visit our website at www.wallbrookfriesianhorses.com

she is completely worthy and deserves such an accolade.

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ORIGIN AL PERFORMA SIGN ORIGINAL SIGN..

P ERFORMA RIDE R IDE DE DESIGN

ASYMM ETRIC AL N ECK L INE. ASYMME TRICAL NE CK LIN INE.

PERFORMANCE BRIC. FAB RIC. PERFORMANC E FA BR IC.

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Sam Mizzi

INSPIRED DESIGN + PHOTOGRAPHY

Sam Mizzi was only 10 months old when she received what so many girls hope, pray, wish and beg for – a pony for Christmas. (It was a Shetland pony, but still…) From then on, horses were a big part of life. Mum rode and instructed so Sam learnt to ride at a young age and attended Whittlesea Pony Club. When she outgrew Mandy the Shetland she moved on to Tinka the bombproof appy, then Dolly, a gorgeous stock horse and finally onto Spider the stunning but eccentric off the track thoroughbred.

She had a 10 year break from horses after leaving school and furthering her education at university, when a casual job leading trail rides saw her back in the saddle. It didn’t take long for her to ‘claim’ her mum’s latest project, a 3 year old OTT Thoroughbred gelding named Gulliver, as her own.

“I haven’t looked back since! Gulliver (Raced as Rahy Light) and I competed in HRCAV dressage and worked our way up from level 4 to Advanced.

We reached our 100 point dressage award quite early in our career.

Gulliver has gorgeous movement and he was so fun to ride.

Teaching him flying changes is definitely an achievement I’m most proud of! It was not easy... He is a character and liked to make sure he always let me know I was never really in charge, which made for good spectator viewing during some of our tests! Now 16, he is currently living the life of retirement luxury.”

Photos of Sam & Gulliver by Jessica Atkins studio.

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BEHIND THE BRAND

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Sam worked in Real Estate marketing, graphic design and admin for the 15 years then when she returned to riding she bought a camera ‘on impulse’ to get some riding snaps, and soon after that, upgraded her camera and lenses and decided to start an equine photography business.

“That is when ‘Inspired’ was born. The first few years were predominantly event photography. After completing a Diploma in Graphic Design, I thought ‘wouldn’t it be great to combine my passion for horses and graphic design’ to offer logo and graphic design services to the equine industry.”

After spending a few months ‘practicing, practicing, practicing’, refining her skills, without the pressure of ‘is the client going to like it’, Sam started entering her logo designs into contests. After winning a few of them, she gained confidence to start offering the services as a part of her business

“You only get ONE CHANCE to make a FIRST IMPRESSION, so let s’ make it a good one.

As a business in a fast-paced marketplace you may only have a split-second to make an impact. You want to catch your audience’s eye instantly with an eye-catching logo, simultaneously giving them the impression that your business is professional, reputable and trustworthy while providing a quality product or service. Your audience will be left with a sense of trust in your brand and as your reputation grows, so will your client base.”

Sam believes hiring a qualified Graphic Designer that specialises in equestrian themed visual marketing ensures her clients stand out for the right reasons with professional, unique logos and branding. We have all seen those same old horse illustrations used over and over again in numerous equine business logos or viewed an outdated website that leads you to question the professionalism or credibility of a business.

Sam helped to recreate my photography logo and also brought my ideas for the Equestrienne Magazine logo to life. I think the fact she is a rider and horsewomen herself helped so much when explaining my ideas and what was important to me, she totally understood.

“My years of experience owning, riding and competing horses has given me a great understanding of everything equine. You can be 100% confident that I will understand what you mean if you use ‘horse terminology’ – different breeds, disciplines, movements, expressions, correct ways of going, saddlery for different disciplines or conformation.

This knowledge of horses,

combined with my graphic design qualification and experience uniquely benefits my

equestrian clients!

INSPIRED DESIGN + PHOTOGRAPHY

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Sam’s most recent creation is The Inspired Training Journal, a project she is extremely proud of, and for good reason. The planner/journal is designed to be used every time you ride, so it becomes a part of the routine. No more forgetting, no more veering off-track. Goals planned, step by step. Purposeful planned rides that get you tracking towards your daily, weekly, monthly or big goals. Competition journals, lesson journals, ‘ah ha! moments’ and so much more! It’s available in 3 fun/luxe colour combos and is the perfect way to keep yourself accountable, focused and of course, inspired!

“Whenever I had a lesson I would always make notes. If I didn’t, I would just end up veering off in a different direction and within a week forget what I had learned. I had a little notebook, then I was putting notes in my phone for a while, but both methods just didn’t really work for me. Unless I purposefully went looking for my notes, I would only be reminded the next time I had a lesson. My rides didn’t have much purpose - I would get on and just wing it. I would train, but I didn’t have a plan or any carefully thought out goals. I thought, there must be a another way, so I decided to make a better way! I’m so much more focused and excited for the future with Frankie now that I have started using my journal.I’ve received so much positive feedback from customers, I’m so thrilled to be able to provide horse riders like myself with a tool that is simple, but so effective and rewarding to use.”

Everton Fiderschön ‘Frankie’ is Sams’ 7-year-old Warmblood. She purchased him as a foal and has loved the journey from watching him grow up to becoming her teammate. Dressage is their main focus and the gelding is proving to be quite a talented dance partner which is very exciting for Sam, who is an active member of Whittlesea Adult Riders Inc and has been on the committee for the past 7 years as rally co-ordinator.

When asked where her riding inspiration comes from, Sam replied ‘I think the moments riding Frankie when I feel glimpses of his power and him getting stronger with each month of training is super exciting and inspires me to push myself to develop his talent to the best of my ability. Watching Simone (Pearce), Jayden (Brown), Lyndal (Oately) and other Aussies doing well overseas is also so inspiring. Whenever I’m riding and I want to remind myself to correct my position I think to myself ‘ride like Simone’ or ‘ride like Jayden’ and all of a sudden everything clicks into place and funnily enough, Frankie goes better!

What about your ‘Big Goals’? My current Big Goals are to place at the HRCAV Top Team Trophy Dressage and to train Frankie to do flying changes. Both are going to be a challenge, but we have a plan for both set out in my journal and we are slowly but surely ticking off our milestone goals.

My other Big Goal is to one day bite the bullet and make Inspired my full-time job. That is still a few years away, but that’s the dream! As a kid, I was always into drawing horses and tended to excel in Art and Graphic Design in school. I feel so blessed to be able to incorporate two of my passions - horses and art, into my own small business. The positive feedback I receive from my clients, the referrals and the repeat business definitely inspire me to keep pushing forward and evolve my business I love helping equine businesses with their branding. I really feel like I am a part of the puzzle in helping them get started, or grow their business.

Find Inspired Photography & Design by Sam on Facebook & Instagram or go to inspiredpd.com.au for more info 82

BEHIND THE BRAND

Top- Sam, Gulliver & Bella the Labrador. Jessica Atkins Studio.

Below - Sam & Frankie. Caitlyn Beer Photography.

The Inspired

E Q U E ST R I A N T RAINING JOURNAL Plan, ride, reflect and accomplish your goals!

An Equestrian Training Journal that has been thoughtfully designed by a like-minded equestrian to help you plan, stay motivated and achieve your equestrian goals.

Along the way, you can reflect on your training, lessons and shows, practice mindfulness, track your progress, and gain motivation from the tips and quotes throughout the journal.

F E AT U R E S • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

One year of journaling Undated - start journaling at any time!

52 Weekly training journals 260 Daily ride journals (5 per week) 52 Lesson journals 30 Competition/show journals Goal setting and tracking Lessons, shows & appointments planner Ah ha! Moments journal Farrier/Trimmer, body worker, worming, vet, vaccination & dentist notes Tips Motivational quotes Suitable for all disciplines Premium printing with gloss cover 214 pages - printed on paper that is FSC certified 7"x10" in size - large enough to be practical with enough room to write, small enough to fit in your handbag!

Spiral bound for ease of use. Lay flat or fold open to your current page Available in 3 different covers: Luxe, Original & Classic Navy

B U Y O N L I N E www.inspiredpd.com.au

HUNT SEAT PA P E R CO.

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Mindset of an Athlete: An Obsession with Winning vs Doing Something You Love.

RI D E FIT with Anne-Marie

It’s been a long day. You’re driving home from one hell of a day at work. Now you have to face traffic, stop off to get groceries and then deal with the wave of domestic responsibilities that define normal life…sound familiar? THEN when all is done, finally you are able to have time with your horses. What do you choose to do? Ride because you “have to” or “ride because you want to”, even though it’s cold or getting dark and the call of a warm shower and pinot may be calling.

The procrastination over what needs to be done v’s what drives you will always throw a curve ball into your training.

Your mindset as an amateur athlete opposed to an individual who makes a living as a professional rider will be driven by different priorities.

But have you ever really taken notice of a professional in any sport who performs without passion and participates due to contractual agreements in contrast to someone who absolutely thrives on the thought of pure participation and just floats across the court, field, track or arena.

It’s impossible not to admire the discipline, focus, willingness to sacrifice and grace under pressure exhibited by the top-level champions. Even so, there’s something about the relentless focus on winning — and more specifically, our shared reverence for “winners” — that leaves me feeling deeply uneasy. When does passion convert to obsession? Whatever your chosen equestrian discipline, there will be a measurement of accuracy to chart progress and to gauge a successful performance. How do we stop ourselves from over training and frying our four-legged partners? How do we keep ourselves in check to avoid making the pursuit for perfection a fixation?

BREAKING IT DOWN: Mind Mapping

1. Have a plan – a weekly goal/ monthly focus and allow time for

improvement. Use long-term goals to align the short-term ones to.

2. Chart progress – visually (record training) and assess with two lists (one of what was good and what needs more support).

3. Reward – reflect and congratulate

yourself and your equestrian friend on the progress!

There has to be a point to the focus that balances the struggles by reflecting on incremental achievements. Even if it only feels like a millimetre of movement, it’s still movement.

Being overly critical of oneself will have a negative effect on your training and take away the JOY in each ride. his is an easy trap to fall into even for the winners themselves. The pursuit of any challenging goal is usually long and difficult, whilst the 84 66

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pleasure of the victory tends to be fleeting. As any gambler knows, there is more pain in losing than there is pleasure in winning. I say this not only from interviewing high achievers for several decades, but also from some experience of my own.

Focus or Fixation?

How can we redefine winning so there are more ways to do it, and it’s more satisfying? A few suggestions: Winners are individuals who consistently invest effort, persevere, and keep getting better at whatever it is they do regardless of whether they win anything. Winners have goals, which provide direction and motivation, but they recognize that ongoing satisfaction comes from the everyday experience of moving towards any given goal.

WINNERS ARE PEOPLE WHO

AREN’T AFRAID TO LOSE.

They learn and grow from losses, aiming for progress not just to be first over a finishing line. What winners recognize, above all, is that the

main goal is never to vanquish an opponent or to prove something to others, rather to realise their own potential and thrive on the

progress.

Why Do it? With all the stress that goes into a competition prep, why do we do it? How many times have you heard fellow riders make comments like, “Wow it took hours for me to get the car, float, horses, kids etc ready for this event, all to stand out in the rain, hail and mud, dripping with blood, sweat and tears. Don’t let me forget to mention the expense!”.

Yes all sports can stimulate physical activity and growth, improving physical and mental health. Healthy competition can push you out of your comfort zone and help you reach new heights. Simply participating in events can prevent depression and help to boost self-esteem and body image. People who take part in sports can also benefit socially, developing friendships with teammates, and building relationships as part of a group.

Children can learn positive skills, including accountability, leadership, and dedication through horse sports. Participation in sport is a key strategy to reduce stress because it releases good endorphins that you feel when you exercise. If however, you’re not enjoying the sacrifice it takes to compete at a high level, remember horses have a “therapeutic” value and enjoying their company in any way will serve your mind and body well, regardless of competition.

Discover a purpose that gives you passion. Develop a plan that makes you persistent. Design a preparation that motivates you to optimise your potential but

do it because you love it.

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Anne-Marie runs SASS by Lasserre @annemarielasserre

ANNE-MARIE LASSERRE

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FREE RIDING

Ella McBain

I’m Ella McBain. My family and I have 13 mostly retired horses, with everything from minis to thoroughbreds to Clydesdales. I have worked as a horsemanship coach for the past few years, and just this week finished my degree in psychological science. My background is mostly in dressage and English disciplines, but these days I ride without tack a lot more often than I ride with it.

With the neckrope I know without a doubt that my horse will stop when I ask, and I have more precise steering in case I need it. This is obviously important if we end up in a sticky situation that we wouldn’t encounter in the arena. But sometimes my mare and I push the boundaries and do small trail rides without even the neckrope. That is not something I ever thought I’d say (much less write in a magazine), but here I am.

There’s no manual on this stuff, but free riding usually refers to riding with no bridle or saddle. Often a neckrope is used to give the horse turn/stop cues, but you can also ride completely tackless.

No saddle, no bridle, no neckrope. When I ride tackless, I use primarily my seat and leg aids to communicate.

I’ve had horses my entire life, but never had the confidence that most horse-mad kids do. I had a beautiful Shetland and then a cheeky grey pony, but to be quite honest was always scared to do more than a slow trot. Until my mare Gypsy. She has been my whole world since I was about 12 years old. We did a lot of dressage and travelled the east coast of Australia together competing for most of my teenage years.

Dropping my weight means stop, and legs plus a hand touching the side of the neck means turn. My voice cues are really important too. At the start of every ride I make sure my horse stops quickly from both my voice cue alone, and my seat alone, and I highly recommend this for anyone giving it a try at home. I usually use a neckrope when I’m outside the arena or on trails.

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I was still a pretty nervous rider and always struggled with anxiety, but she took the absolute best care of me (and still does).

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Even still, I remember riding bareback for the first time at 15 years old (it really did take me that long to try it) and being absolutely terrified. That girl would have died to know we now ride with no tack at all.

I was introduced to free riding when Alycia Burton did a demonstration at my first interschool nationals. It was really one of the first times I saw the horse’s pride, freedom and confidence prioritised, even in such a huge atmosphere. That little seed of change stayed tucked away in the back of my mind for years, slowly growing. But I was still deep in the competitive world, and free riding my own horse seemed more like a dream than a goal.

Fast forward a few years and I’m told Gypsy will never get me where I want to go in dressage. Long story short, I get a new warmblood who ends up having a whole host of behavioural issues. I realise that my ‘ride him through it’ approach wasn’t working, and go through bit of a horsemanship awakening. I start using positive reinforcement, learning how horses learn, and playing around with liberty and tricks as a way of building our trust and relationship.

I got deeper and deeper into this new world of learning theory and behaviour shaping, and eventually stopped competing. My entire approach changed. I spent a lot more time playing around, feeling inspired and just being present with my horses, and a lot less time training mindlessly for competitions. I applied everything I’d learned on this journey to my relationship with Gypsy and found that her entire personality started to shift. She learned how to switch from plodder to sass queen, and became my safe place to explore teaching new and crazy things.

It was around this time that covid started, and my mental health took a hit. Gypsy had never been so important to me. I watched her realise how magnificent she was as we played at liberty, and I watched her pride mould her into a totally new horse. Eventually that pride rubbed off on me too.

SHE SHOWED ME HOW TO BE FIERCE

AND UNAPOLOGETIC. Photos by Rachel Vercoe Photography.

FREE RIDING

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We started taking the bridle off and riding in a saddle and neckrope.

Then a saddle and no neckrope. And eventually, no saddle or neckrope.

If you prepare a horse well, each step should feel easy. But there was still something so liberating about taking that next piece of tack off for the first time. Like a moment of weightlessness as you take that leap into the unknown. The whole process from riding with a bit and a saddle, to riding with nothing at all, has just been a years-long process of taking those small leaps.

I think one of the biggest things that working at liberty has taught me is that horses are so much more spectacular when their movement and energy is given from a place of intrinsic motivation. Meaning that they want to do it because it makes them feel good. Not because they’re scared of the consequence if they don’t, not because they feel they have no other option, and not simply for a reward either. The most spectacular moments exist when the horse is so full of pride that there is no way they could not look beautiful.

Beginning to ride with no bridle terrified me,

A very wise friend once said to me, I wish more people would arrive at the stables thinking, how can I make my horse proud today? That stuck with me. How can we try to capture the magnificence and pride that horses display naturally? Fighting in the wild, prancing around their paddock, playing with their herd? I definitely don’t have those answers, but I try to find them every day. My approach now is made up of bits and pieces that have resonated with me from lots of different trainers and theories, but always centres around creating a confident, proud equine partner. And this almost always comes back to feeling an unbridled sense of empowerment.

and transformed me.

High functioning anxiety had me keeping such a tight grip on life, but when I free rode, there were no reins to hold onto. And I realised I didn’t need them.

The relationship I had built with Gypsy gave me a safety net to relinquish control. To know things could go differently to how I planned, but trust that I’d be ok regardless. To take those leaps of faith, not knowing if the outcome would always be perfect. It changed me on so many different levels. One of my favourite sayings is ‘take off the bridle and you are left with the truth.’

The truth can be confronting. A control freak learning to give a 600kg animal some control was always going to be interesting. But through the process I learned to look at those hard truths with curiosity, rather than judgement. We were navigating a new dynamic, where the question moved away from how do I make her do what I ask? To, how can I help her to understand? Or, how can I create a relationship where she genuinely wants to follow my lead?

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So we dance at liberty

And we ride free.

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Stable Wraps

S a ski a Hind

My name is Saskia Hind, and I’m a 20 year old 4* event rider and groom.

I was born in Launceston, Tasmania but grew up in Brisbane, Queensland, and have been grooming since I graduated high school in 2018. From 2019 until early 2022 I was based at Rangeview Equestrian, and this year I made the move to the beautiful Southern Highlands to work for Sam and Nicky Lyle.

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE WORDS

Persistent. Adaptable. Passionate!

WHAT HAS THIS JOB TAUGHT YOU MOST? How to be tough, both emotionally and physically! WHAT CAREER

WHERE DID YOUR INTEREST IN HORSES BEGIN?

ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF? Keep going! If you’d have told my younger self I’d be

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A GROOM? I love the process.

Anywhere in Europe. The accessibility, the quality of horses, properties and events; it’s second to none! HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH WORK STRESS? I’m lucky that some of my best friends are also grooms, so I find talking to them always helps.

FAVOURITE SEASON? I used to think winter was my favourite, but since being down here I quickly realised that I love Queensland winters. So in saying that, I’m a summer girl.

DOG OR CAT? It’s impossible for me to choose! MUSIC OR PODCAST? Music for sure, I love all types but country is at the top. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE HORSE MOVIE?

I got into horses when I was around 7 by patting horses on the side of the road! (I lived in the middle of suburbia so I would make mum and dad drive the certain route to make sure I got to pat them!) WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE? A day typically starts with morning feed up and a general check over all the horses on the property. Once feed run is done, feeds are re-made and yards/ stables mucked out. We then get right into riding and working the horses, whether that’s flatting, jumping or fitness work. Each horse has its own training regime to get the best work out of them and keep them happy and enjoying their work. Majority of the days are obviously spent with the horses, so once they’re done it’s time for the general afternoon jobs, feed up and tidying up. Of course, this can change, especially when we have an event coming up that week.

Spending all day, every day with the horses you get to know their quirks and tendencies, and you also learn how to keep them happy and comfortable so they can perform and feel their best.

WHAT CHALLENGES YOU MOST ABOUT THE JOB? In the early days I used to struggle with the whole work /life balance, but now I am so determined to reach my goals, sacrificing a bit of social time isn’t a big deal anymore.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO SPEND A DAY OFF?

Not doing much! Although I do love getting a massage, it always makes you feel better. HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE? I’m a bit of a sweet tooth, so usually a caramel or vanilla latte. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU

READ? T

he World Class Grooming book .

I highly recommend it to every one with horses, not just grooms. So many handy tips and tricks in there!

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doing what I was doing now (competing 4* with a pretty cool horse, riding and working with horses as a career and travelling to the best events in Australia) I would have never believed you! Especially in my mid- teenage years when I wasn’t sure if horses were what I really wanted to do full-time but I’m so glad I persisted; I can’t see myself doing anything else now. IF YOU

COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE

DRINK OF CHOICE? Elderflower Gin. THE BEST GIFT YOU’VE EVER RECIEVED? I would have to

War Horse.

say my AirPods; I never knew how much I needed them until I

had a pair! FAVOURITE EVENT TO ATTEND? All of the major 3DE’s, especially Wallaby Hill and Adelaide.

ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO BECOME A GROOM? Do it. You learn so much when you

work for good people, which I have been lucky enough to do. It’s not easy and it’s not for everyone, but if you work hard you will

reap the rewards. ULTIMATE ‘MUST-HAVE’ ? The entire Hairy Pony Range. WHAT’S YOUR DEFINITION OF

SUCCESS? If you still love doing it. WORDS TO LIVE

BY?

T he horse always comes first .

It s’ simple, but is so important .

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Photos kindly supplied by Jedd Johnstone, The J’taime.

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SUMMER COCKTAIL

WHITE PEACH BELLINI This is my absolute favourite! Christmas morning at our place starts with ham on toast & a glass of this. The cocktail orginates from Harry’s Bar in Venice where bartender Giuseppe Cipriani first poured the delightful mix of prosecco & puree of white peaches from Moderna.

The recipe remians unchanged since 1948 - one sip & you’ll understand why! Light in alcohol content at 5.5%. The bottle is super pretty too! Joy, romace & summer in a glass. Tchin-tchin!

Image kindly supplied by Rocket Weijers @rocket_k 92

SUMMER COCKTAIL

We support and promote the responsible drinking of alcohol.

Be brave Image by Helen Cruden @hcuden

ARENA CONSTRUCTION & RESTORATION | SURFACE SOLUTIONS & MAINTENANCE | EQUESTRIAN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT T 0407 149 637 W equestrianlanddevelopments.com E info@equestrianlanddevelopments.com