Show Circuit Magazine - October / November 22

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WELCOME

Look at us, going all international!

FROM MY DESK

We have been glued to our screens supporting our World Champs teams. How proud are we of the Kiwi eventers, achieving a team Bronze medal, with Tim Price also taking an individual Bronze on the ever-stunning Falco. It is brilliant to see such cohesive teams within our sport. Well done.

We have also been visiting some of our New Zealand riders and grooms based in Europe, with Nicola Franks heading out with her camera to photograph them.

We feature Sarah Wilkinson on our cover - she is a familiar face on the dressage scene to many and has begun to stamp her place on the international circuit with some promising wins. Make sure you check out the article on page 14.

Brea Walker is someone we admire; her upbeat positivity is just contagious! She is presently grooming for Laura Collett, and the learnings are vast. Packing up here in New Zealand and having to sell her horses to learn her craft from one of the best in the industry is a credit to her determination.

Tayla Mason is cutting it with the best in the UK, starting off being with Tim and Jonelle Price and moving on to her own yard. We learned what it has taken to hone her craft, build her team, and step out independently.

That brings us to Vicky Brown-Cole, whom I have admired for years. You could not meet a more down-to-earth lovely person if you tried. She is placed in Clarke Johnstone's yard in the UK at stunning Aston Farm, owned by Zara Tindall. Vicky recounts a typical 24 hours in her life.

Melody Matheson also allowed us a sneak peek into her day. While Christine Cornege was on her way to Herning, she spent a day with Melody. It's no surprise that Melody left New Zealand after the devastating loss of Graffiti and has since focused on new journeys.

Back home on NZ soil, we caught up with Jasmine Robertson, and this is a must-read. Jasmine has carved out a niche market in videography and marketing in the racing world.

We all know that Cam Robertson loves a challenge with mini-trampolining - if not with horses! The parallel between the two sports interests me, with the mental and physical attributes they have in common. While Jock Paget identified Cam's raw talent while riding for him, Cam's decision to move home to Rangiora was just the recipe for life. Go over and read his interview on page 68.

Other features in this issue include busy mum of two, Tanya Hansen, whose passion is keeping a team of showjumpers in action and giving back to the community. She was recently named the ESNZ Jumping Volunteer of the Year 21/22, so check this article out to be inspired.

Now and then, we are told about young up-and-coming riders. Samantha Megchelse piqued our interest because she is an all-around rider, heading to the Pony Club Eventing Champs an impressive six times! She is now focusing on show jumping. Sam lost her beloved pony Utu at Foxton, but she is not one to be kept down, and she is now focused on her new mount Rata Mill Eclipse. Denise Flay again captured these two with beautiful images.

We have put together our favourite World Champs images from Christine Cornege and Tomas Holcbecher covering dressage, show jumping and eventing. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

We cover Tetanus in our health feature. Remember, it is easy to avoid this horrendous killer by vaccination. Elise Cacace spoke to two leading vets to get the low-down. Don't forget to check out our lovely line-up of stallions in this issue!

Sheryll Davies - Publisher

COVER IMAGE:

Sarah Wilkinson and KOKO II

Breeder: P. Oosterbosch

Breeding: DESPERADOS (sire) x BRIOLIETA O ( dam), J OHNSON (sire of dam)

Image - Creative Play - Nicola Franks

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Show Circuit magazine is published bi-monthly. The articles reflect the personal opinion of the author and not necessarily the view of Waiata Publishing Ltd. This publication cannot be reproduced in whole or in part in any way without the publisher’s express written permission. All contributions are submitted at the sender’s risk. Waiata Publishing Ltd accepts no responsibility for loss or damage.

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JASMINE

THE CENTRELINE for life

From inheriting her family’s love of horses, Sarah Wilkinson has been quietly working her way up the dressage levels in Europe. Now with a Young Horse Grand Prix under her belt and gorgeous young horses coming through the ranks, the world really is her oyster.

Growing up in Kaukapakapa in an incredibly horsey family, it was inevitable that Sarah would begin riding from a young age. Her mum, Helen, was a track-work rider in her early years before moving to eventing and, finally, dressage, where she won the Novice Horse of the Year title at Karaka in 1996. Meanwhile, Sarah’s grandfather (her dad Clayton’s father) owned the mighty Bonecrusher.

Sarah began riding at five years old with a wonderful little 12hh pony called Greenlee Falkor.

“My entire family is involved in horses one way or another. When I was young, Mum used to put me in the paddock in a pushchair while she rode,” she laughs. “When I started riding, I mainly did showing, but when I moved onto My Little Gentleman (who had predominantly been a jumping pony), I started doing some Pony dressage, and I was hooked!”

At 11 years old, Sarah moved on to her first hack, Greendowns Laredo, a Stationbred who had initially been

WE KNEW ABSOLUTELY NO ONE HORSEY WHEN WE ARRIVED, SO IT WAS TOUGH TO FIND A STABLE TO BASE THE HORSES AT AND A HOUSE TO LIVE IN – NOT TO MENTION THAT WE ARRIVED EIGHT DAYS BEFORE THE COUNTRY WENT INTO A COVID LOCKDOWN.

a trekking horse but had then been trained through to Prix St George level by Andrea Raves. Larry, as he was known at home, was a horse known for expressing his opinion. Still, together he and Sarah clicked perfectly, going on to win multiple Young Rider titles, North Island championships, Regional championships and two FEI World Dressage Challenges.

“Larry was amazing. Some of my favourite horse memories have come from riding him. He could be a tricky little guy at times, but if you rode him correctly and kindly, he would give you the world; he certainly told you when you weren’t riding properly, though! I learnt to do all the movements on him, as I had only ridden Novice when I got him. We had six awesome years together before he went on to another young rider to teach them all the tricks before retiring.”

In 2005 at the age of 12, Sarah had her first taste of competing on the world stage when she qualified to compete in the final of the World Dressage Challenge in Germany.

Knowing full well just how expensive horses are, Sarah began working full-time at a finance company straight out of school, while completing a degree in Communications at the

Auckland University of Technology. During this time, she purchased a Diamond Hit/ Gruenhorn Du Trichon mare, Diamondior, on whom she competed to Medium level.

In March 2016, however, the opportunity arose for Sarah to move to Germany to work for Australian Ben Conn in Dusseldorf. It was an opportunity too good to miss, so Diamondior was put on the market, and Sarah and her boyfriend Jack bought one-way tickets to Germany.

“Moving from New Zealand to Germany was a real gamble. I sold my horse, car and everything else, left my job, packed a bag and put everything into setting up in Germany. I didn’t really think about it potentially not working out - I was determined it would! I spent just under three years with Ben before getting offered a job with German trainers Ellen Schulten-Baumer and Tom Berg.

“I learnt a considerable amount in both stables, but after four years in Germany, I decided I didn’t want to be there long-term. While it’s fantastic for learning and training, it’s also a completely different culture to New Zealand, and Jack and I couldn’t see ourselves living there long-term. We did really try to make it our home, but the reality was we found it very different and quite isolating. So, in the end, we decided the best option for us was the United Kingdom; it’s still great for equestrians and is also a lot more similar to New Zealand.

“Moving to the UK was much more problematic than to Germany, however, as we had two horses and a cat to move over. We knew absolutely no one horsey when we arrived, so it was tough to find a stable to base the horses at and a house to live in – not to mention that we arrived eight days before the country went into a Covid lockdown. It was a pretty interesting and entertaining time; definitely one of

those situations where you had to laugh, or you’d cry!”

Now based near Cirencester in Wiltshire, Sarah has put together a team of gorgeous horses that would have many a dressage rider in New Zealand drooling. Her oldest team member is the 10-year-old mare Horacia (Hello D’Ottie), a KWPN by Jazz, out of Uni D’Ottie (Sandro Hit), currently competing at Small Tour level. Together, they competed at the World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo and also reached the final of the Pavo Cup. Next is Missy, a five-year-old Sarah

producing at Novice, and Red, an eightyear-old recently purchased who hasn’t had much experience. The last of Sarah’s own horses, and arguably the most successful member of her team, is Koko II, another KWPN mare, this time by Desperados and out of Briolieta O (Johnson).

“Koko is my seven-year-old who’s currently training at Small Tour. I found her at Kirsten Becker’s yard three years ago when I went to look at a different horse who turned out to be too little for me. They had another mare for sale, so out came Koko, and, even though she had only been in work for a few weeks,

she really wowed me – especially after I had a ride and realised how great her attitude was. She’s been pretty successful so far; we won the Elementary Silver title at the Winter Championships and then Champion Elementary Gold and Reserve Medium Gold at Nationals.

“I’m also lucky enough to ride the gorgeous four-year-old Nicolaas B for his owner Lucie Stokoe. He’s by Ibiza and was purchased in Holland as a two-yearold. He’s quite a big unit at 17.2hh, which I was very aware of when I backed him because at his size, if he’d decided to be challenging, it would have been quite

difficult! He didn’t have a name when he arrived, but we settled on Ed pretty quickly because we decided that he looked like Ed Sheeran with his ginger forelock,” Sarah laughs. “He’s been very successful so far and topped the season off nicely in September at the National Championships where he won the Prelim Gold final.”

Since being based in the UK, Sarah has had the good fortune to train with World Championship Silver medal winner and recently crowned Grand Prix National Champion Gareth Hughes.

“Gareth is a truly fantastic coach; he’s got a great training style which has given me a huge amount of confidence to improve any issues the horses and I are having. The riding style in the UK suits me better than the German in terms of how the horses are driven forward and up, so I feel like the horses have improved so much in the two years we’ve been here and training with Gareth.

“I also do a lot of work with Dee So’oialo, who focuses on biomechanics and rider position. She has been invaluable in my training and is always so open-minded about trying new ideas to improve our performance. We’ve spent a lot of time incorporating her band system into our training, which has been a great way to improve my core and keep my hands light and soft.”

Sarah has lofty goals for the future. Still, with the vast talent she has shown from an early age and her unrivalled drive and determination, she is setting herself on the best possible path to success.

“The big goal is to get to the Paris Olympics and the major championships that follow. Next year I plan to compete Hello and Koko at some more shows abroad to start building up their international experience. In the meantime, though, I’m quite enjoying producing my young horses up the grades at national shows here in the UK. Their shows have awesome set-ups, and they have some fantastic venues to compete at, so it really is just living the dream!” n

BREA WALKER

IS GROOMING FOR GOLD

Her mission to learn as much as possible has landed Brea Walker on the teams of some of the world’s best eventers. Grooming for legendary eventers

Sir Mark Todd and William Fox-Pitt might be enough for most of us, but Brea’s latest move, basing herself with 2022 Badminton champion Laura Collett MBE, is taking her learning to a whole new level.

At 22 years old, Brea isn’t afraid to pivot and chase an opportunity, even if it means a total change of direction, continent, and lifestyle.

Returning home from the UK in 2019 after grooming for Sir Mark Todd and a stint of work experience for William Fox-Pitt, she put her international experience into practice, establishing her schooling and coaching yard in New Zealand. “Dipping my toe into running my own business has taught me so much. I made many mistakes and learned the hard way, but I loved every minute of it.”

Making an impression during her work experience at William Fox-Pitt’s yard, Brea gained a permanent job offer and intended to return to the UK to take up the role in the winter of 2020. Then Covid-19 hit, and that plan became impossible. Instead, she continued to establish her schooling and coaching business which had gained a lot of momentum before Covid.

Two years of lockdowns and restrictions made Brea re-evaluate her situation. “Being based in

Auckland, where case numbers were high, we couldn’t compete, take horses out, or even coach, which really threw me. With a business based around coaching, schooling and competing horses, I couldn’t do any of that effectively - I felt totally lost and wasn’t sure what the next step should be.”

In mid-January 2022, just as Brea was hitting the crux of her situation, she spotted that Laura Collett was advertising for a groom to join the team at her UK-based yard. Thanks to the waiting game of Covid, Brea’s Youth Mobility Visa had already run out. Still, she sidelined that concern for the time being and leapt into action, spending a day writing up her CV and cover letter to apply for the job, all while on a family holiday. Less than 48 hours after hitting ‘send’, Brea had a job offer on the table. Thanks to her family’s UK ancestry, she sorted a visa (“Thanks, Grandad!”), and one month later, she was on UK soil.

In a whirlwind start to her job, just two months into her new role Laura Collett and her mount London 52 became Badminton Champions. “It was so

I FELT PRETTY WEIRD ABOUT WEARING MY PYJAMAS AROUND MY IDOL AT FIRST, BUT I’M USED TO IT NOW. IT’S REALLY COOL; WE ALL HANG OUT IN THE EVENINGS AND SOMETIMES GET TAKEAWAYS OR HAVE BARBEQUES IN THE SUMMER. IT’S A GREAT VIBE.

Brea has tremendous respect for Laura; her attitude and work ethic to the sport is something to be greatly admired.

Daily duties include cleaning tack and ensuring everything is meticulous.

overwhelming. We’ve all watched the replays over and over again, and we’re all still pinching ourselves that it happened! Laura was favoured to win, and we knew she could do it, but we all know that with eventing, the smallest thing can go wrong, and you’re out. Laura handled the pressure so well; she was incredible.”

Brea has a massive amount of respect for Laura and admits to being still a bit in awe of her, but she also loves how down-to-earth she is. Three grooms and Laura all share a house on-site at Penhill Farm in the UK Cotswolds, so they’re a close-knit team who live and work together.

“I felt pretty weird about wearing my pyjamas around my idol at first, but I’m used to it now. It’s really cool; we all hang out in the evenings and sometimes get takeaways or have barbeques in the summer. It’s a great vibe.”

After basing with three of the world’s top riders, Brea has gained insights into the different ways people operate. “Everyone has their unique formula and style that they’ve created over years of experience and through trial and error. There’s no one way of doing things; people work out what works for them, and that becomes their system whether that be their turn-out routine, what bits they use, or how the yard runs.”

Brea quickly learned that Lauras’ signature style is about systems, processes, and structure. “When I walked in on my first day, everything was so organised. There are labels on everythingstables, gear, even the horses. There’s a system for everything in the yard, which also translates to how Laura trains her horses.”

Laura’s finely tuned young horse training philosophy has

Tacking up Ozzy (OUTBACK II) to ride under the watchful eye of Laura Collet MBE.

While Brea’s role as a groom includes the day-to-day running of the yard - which is exactly what she wanted - she also rides two to four horses each day.

Imagine having your girth tightened by Laura Collett MBE! Brea saw the humour in that.

TO HOW LAURA TRAINS

HER HORSES.

particularly inspired Brea. “She has an amazing regime of what she would expect horses to be able to do at each age bracket. It’s not ‘cookie cutter’ in that it doesn’t refer to the heights they’re supposed to jump, but it’s more about how they’re going. She treats them all as individuals but has a clear model that she follows, and she’s incredible at producing young horses.”

From that first day in the yard, Brea knew she was exactly where she needed to be and is not taking anything for granted. “I come in every night after work and write down everything I’ve learned. I’ve got so many notes, diagrams of jumping exercises, and business plan ideas documented now.”

As a yard-based groom, Brea’s role is to manage the day-to-day running of the yard rather than grooming or attending shows, and that’s exactly how she likes it. “With one of my future goals being to run my own yard, I think it’s essential I’m learning as much as possible about the inner workings of the yard.”

“The day-to-day running of the yard is the process that creates the results once you get to the show, so you’ve got to get that right first.”

Brea dreams of producing and competing with her own team of horses to 4* in New Zealand. She admits her dream is to make it in the 5* league overseas as well but is realistic about how tough that can be.

Since she was young, Brea has had a real passion for horse management. She is equally goal-setting to create

WHEN I WALKED IN ON MY FIRST DAY, EVERYTHING WAS SO ORGANISED. THERE ARE LABELS ON EVERYTHING - STABLES, GEAR, EVEN THE HORSES. THERE’S A SYSTEM FOR EVERYTHING IN THE YARD, WHICH ALSO TRANSLATES

a unique and sustainable business that holistically focuses on coaching and mentoring. “Riding is just one part of what’s involved with making it to the top in this sport. I dream of building a business that teaches the whole picturehorse management, mindset, and business. That’s the ultimate goal.”

Brea feels she’s in the perfect spot to soak up the lessons she needs to progress her development, riding, and career.

Although she doesn’t have her own horse at the yard, she has the opportunity to ride every day. She has regular lessons with both Laura and Laura’s coach Yogi Breisner, the former Team GB coach. “My riding has improved, and my style has changed so much, I almost don’t even recognise myself in old videos now. I ride between two and four horses a day and work everything from young horses to those at 4* level.”

While her riding has improved out of sight, and her horsemanship and management skills are being honed daily, Brea believes some of her biggest lessons have been more personal. “I’ve grown a lot as a person from my overseas experiences. You really have to grow up pretty quickly to make it over here - you’ve got to be independent, organised, and efficient. I feel like the selfdevelopment I’ve gained from these experiences will take me much further with my business. It’s not all just about riding in this game; you’ve got to be able to make connections and to communicate with sponsors and owners - sitting on the horse is just one part of it.”

While Brea’s rise to the top of the grooming world may seem seamless to some and could mistakenly be chalked up to luck, she has put in the hard yards to get where she is. While still at school, Brea started working for local New Zealand eventer Sam Mynott who needed someone to step in while she was injured. “Sam recommended me to Mark Todd, so that’s how I got the call up to his yard, and then Mark recommended me to William Fox-Pitt. All

MY RIDING HAS IMPROVED, AND MY STYLE HAS CHANGED SO MUCH, I ALMOST DON’T EVEN RECOGNISE MYSELF IN OLD VIDEOS NOW.

I RIDE BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR HORSES A DAY AND WORK EVERYTHING FROM YOUNG HORSES TO THOSE AT 4* LEVEL.

that experience allowed me to apply for Laura’s role and to ‘fit the bill’ when I did.”

Brea firmly believes that anyone can create similar opportunities for themselves if they put in the hard work and have a good work ethic. “You have to be realistic that you’re going to start at the bottom; you can’t expect to go in for your first grooming job working for Laura Collett. You also have to be willing to put in some seriously hard work, but if you’ve got a good attitude, you can do anything.”

Her dream job hasn’t come without some serious sacrifices. The move to the other side of the world meant she had to sell her two talented young horses back in New Zealand. “That was insanely tough; I can’t even describe it. There have been a fair few tears shed about that.” Being so far from her family has also been challenging for Brea.

Grooming isn’t for the faint-hearted; it’s a job that comes with long days and hard physical work. The beauty of this being Brea’s second UK grooming stint is that she’s ‘clued up’ and has been able to do things a bit differently this time. “As soon as I arrived,

Brea can’t wait to bring all the knowledge she has learned back to New Zealand to start her own yard, but at this stage, she concedes that might be a while away.

I bought a car and got it insured. I play netball once a week, and I’m good friends with some of the other Kiwi riders and grooms in the area, so sometimes we organise social events. The car means I can be more independent and can make the most of the whole experience.”

Brea says there’s a great feel around the ‘Kiwi camp’ in the UK. “It’s quite cool to see so many Kiwis coming together over here. Whenever I see someone from New Zealand, I know they will be welcoming. We’re all away from home, so we all stick together.”

Heading to the UK for experience has been pivotal for Brea’s development, and she’s now a big advocate for young riders to gain experience overseas. “It’s a whole different world over here - the horsemanship is top class, and the pool of riders is just so much bigger; there’s so much to learn. I honestly think everyone should come here and get experience - you don’t have to base over here for two years or anything, you could just do a short stint, and you’d still gain so much.”

“If you’re open to learning and you’re trainable, the world is your oyster. Take the opportunities, run with them, and just make sure you enjoy the experience along the way.”

Brea’s goal for this phase is to learn as much as she can. “I want to sponge everything up and take it all in. When I feel I want to put it all into practice with my own team, then I’ll think about heading home, but I don’t know when that will be.”

When that time comes, Brea will have another big job on her hands. She’ll be rebuilding her own team of horses from scratch while also setting up her business and settling into her new base. “My parents have just bought a 35-acre block of land in Kinloch, so I’ll base from there whenever I end up back in NZ.”

Brea says she’s had fantastic support from those close to her. “I’ve had so many amazing and encouraging messages from people, and they all mean so much. My sponsors, in particular, have been so supportive in this journey which is amazing, and my parents are my rocks.”

Brea would like to thank her sponsors - Oro Equestrian Limited, Precision Saddle Fit NZ, Julia Murch Photography, EquineCare Probiotic and Worm-Ed. n

IF YOU’RE OPEN TO LEARNING AND YOU’RE TRAINABLE, THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER. TAKE THE OPPORTUNITIES, RUN WITH THEM, AND JUST MAKE SURE YOU ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE ALONG THE WAY.

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A PRICE LESS

Tayla Mason has become accustomed to taking big leaps. Three years on from taking up a riding role with legendary eventers Tim and Jonelle Price, Tayla has ‘flown the nest’ once again, this time to start her own yard. Although it’s a daunting move, this gutsy 28-year-old is firmly under the wings and watchful eyes of her mentors, the Prices, and is taking it all in her stride.

Things don’t often go according to plan, especially when horses are involved. Still, Tayla must be doing something right, as her game plan is playing out quite nicely.

It was 2019 when Tayla got the fateful message from Jonelle and Tim Price, offering her a riding role at their UK-based yard. Even during those initial conversations, Jonelle made it clear that this job was a strategic piece in the larger puzzle of Tayla’s riding career. “Jonelle said I’d ride and work for them for a few years, during which time they’d train me up so I would be able to go out on my own when I was ready. She explained that realistically it would take two to three years to get to the point where I was good enough, and people (owners) were starting to get to know my name.”

Tayla has been an integral part of the Prices’ yard for the past three years. Her role has been as the ‘second rider’, meaning she has schooled, trained and competed

the Prices’ horses alongside them.

With roughly 37 horses in work, she has had plenty of opportunities to hone both her riding and horse management skills. While Tayla had the chance to compete a few of the Prices’ horses, she also brought her own horses over from New Zealand when she joined the team. “I was allowed two of my own horses at the yard. This number has always been limited just because of the size of the yard and team.”

At the start of 2022, three years on from when she started, Tayla sat down with Tim and Jonelle, and they collectively decided the time was right for Tayla to look at building her own team. “The Prices recognised how far I’d come with my riding and told me it was time to focus on growing my business by getting more horses and owners of my own.”

The pieces quickly fell into place, with the new vision clearly set. “It was great timing; Tim and Jonelle actually

found the yard for me, and it’s less than 10 minutes down the road, which worked out perfectly for everyone.”

Tayla was able to move her horses to the new yard and increase the size of her team, all while still working for the Prices. “My normal routine is to go to the Prices yard in the morning and ride for them for five hours before heading back to ride my own horses.

It’s amazing to be going out on my own but also knowing that I have the security of them (Tim and Jonelle Price); they’re pushing me to grow but are still looking after me, holding my hand, and giving me a job.”

Tayla shares her new yard with a Canadian event rider, Rebecca Howard. The relationship works well as they share both the facilities and staff. “We’ve got an amazing setup; there are 25 boxes and 100 acres of land. It’s a big place.”

It’s a perfect base for Tayla’s current phase, which is about building her horse team. She currently has seven horses in work; three are her own, while four are livery horses she’s paid to ride and compete for other people. “The goal is to have between ten

I’VE BEEN RIDING THE HORSES MUM HAS BRED FOR ME MY WHOLE LIFE. AT 14, I BROKE MY FIRST HORSE IN AND HAVE BEEN DOING IT SINCE.

and fifteen horses at the yard who are all quality and can make it to the top.”

Two of Tayla’s three current horses are home-bred geldings bred by Tayla’s mum Sonya. Sonya has been breeding for as long as Tayla can remember. “It’s a passion of hers, and she’s great at it. She’s always looking into what bloodlines are doing well in the world and checks in with me to see what I like, too.”

Sonya Mason was herself a successful eventer before discovering her passion for breeding when Tayla was young. Tayla has had a constant stream of home-bred mounts over the years. “I’ve been riding the horses Mum has bred for me my whole life. At 14, I broke my first horse in and have been doing it since.”

The bloodlines of the Masons’ previous top mounts are continued in their horses today. Tayla’s current 5* horse Centennial (Made you look x ES Centavos) owned by Tayla, Sonya Mason, and Sue Rutter, is from the same dam lines as her mum’s successful eventer, Alice. “It’s really special. Now we’ve also got to the stage where I’m riding horses bred out of my old horses as well - Joopiter’s dam was my very good Young Rider horse, Just Joop.”

The seven-year-old gelding Joopiter (Just Joop x ES Centavos) owned by Tayla, Sonya Mason, Therese Miller, and Katherine Corich) was flown from New Zealand to join Tayla’s team earlier this year. Tayla started him as a four-year-old before she moved to

IT WAS GREAT TIMING; TIM AND JONELLE ACTUALLY FOUND THE YARD FOR ME, AND IT’S LESS THAN 10 MINUTES DOWN THE ROAD, WHICH WORKED OUT PERFECTLY FOR EVERYONE.

the UK. “He’s been show jumping successfully in New Zealand with Sophie Scott up until now. I had a bit of a gap in my team, so we thought we’d bring him over and see how he likes eventing.”

Interestingly, Centennial and Joopiter both share the same sire, Eurosport Centavos. Sonya reportedly loves that her breeding progeny (horses and daughter!) are now having success in the UK but does miss them all. Tayla adds with a laugh, “I think she misses the horses more than she misses me, though!”

While Tayla has had extensive experience riding and running a high-performing team of horses on the UK eventing circuit, there has still been a lot to learn in going out on her own. “I know how to ride and train horses now, but adjusting to organising everything for my team has been huge. Managing my day so I can fit everything in is tough.

You’ve got to have the ability to manage the riding, do the admin and run the business while keeping a clear vision of where you’re heading.”

Tayla’s vision is still crystal clear. “The goal is to represent New Zealand at the Olympics and World Equestrian Games.”

This latest move is an essential step on the journey towards her goals and the next evolution in her career. “It’s a big, scary step, but I know it’s something that I have to do to move forward. I’m looking forward to continuing my growth and hopefully my success too!”

Tayla would like to thank her sponsors, owners and especially her mum for their ongoing support:

Georgie Dormer - Devoucoux NZ, Hinterland Equestrian, Keyflow Feeds, Flex-on, Protex in Equine, 4D Flexi Sport and Neeta Patch.

She would also like to thank her owners who have come on board to make her dreams possible: Sonya Mason, Sue Rutter, Therese Miller, Katherine Corich, Kara McDonald, and Diane Hopson. n

YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO MANAGE THE RIDING, DO THE ADMIN AND RUN THE BUSINESS WHILE KEEPING A CLEAR VISION OF WHERE YOU’RE HEADING.

VICKY BROWNE-COLE 24 HOURS WITH

Having spent her teenage years touring the New Zealand Eventing scene, Vicky worked her way up through the grades and has established herself as a talented rider with a heart of gold and a determination to succeed.

Achieving consistent results with her team of eventers in New Zealand for the past three years, Vicky knew she wanted to join the big league in the UK to learn and become established. Earlier this year, Vicky sold up her team of six

horses, put one on a plane, and shifted her life to the UK. She has joined fellow Kiwi eventer Clarke Johnstone at his yard on Aston Farm as his working pupil, adding her horse Delilah to the team. It’s early days, but Vicky is truly finding her feet on UK soil.

We caught up with Vicky while she was still in the throes of settling into her new life and explored what a day in her life looks like right now.

MORNING

5.30 AM - WAKE UP

For breakfast, I like to have muesli, yoghurt, and fruit. As it’s summer, there’s so much fruit at the supermarket, which I love! Coffee is a must in the mornings with brekkie.

My partner Bradley moved to the UK with me, and we now live in a studio flat which is a 20-25 minute commute to the yard. It’s a bit further than we wanted, but before this, we were staying with Bradley’s Mum, based an hour and a half from the yard. Anything is great compared to that commute!

At about 6.30 am, I say goodbye to Bradley and jump in the car to drive to the yard.

Naturally every day begins with mixing feeds and mucking out, it is pretty much universal, no matter who’s yard it is.

SWAPPING BRIDLES FOR BAKING:

I really enjoy baking! On my days off, I love to bake and make healthy treats for the rest of the week. My sister introduced me to a Kiwi cookbook called Two Raw Sisters, which has fantastic recipes for nutritious, raw, sweet treats. If I make a bunch on my day off, I’ve got something healthy to snack on during the day, which keeps my sweet tooth at bay and gives me an energy boost while I’m busy, too.

7.00 AM - YARD TIME

I meet Marcus (Clarke’s head groom) at the yard, and the first thing we do is bring the horses inside for the day as it’s summer here, so they spend the nights in paddocks and days inside the barn.

This routine is for two reasons - it’s so hot during the days, and the horse flies are a huge problem. The flies start biting as soon as it gets warm and the sun’s out. They’re horrible, and from personal experience, I can tell you that it hurts when they bite, so the horses come in early to prevent that. We feed the horses, muck the paddocks out, do their water, and get our morning jobs done so we’re ready for the day.

Our team is six horses, so it’s small, which is nice. Clarke has five, and I’ve got Delilah, whom I brought over from New Zealand. She’s fitted into the team nicely.

8.30 AM - START RIDING

Clarke makes a daily plan for each horse, depending on what’s happening that week. Each day is different, but we usually start riding at 8.30 am to avoid the heat.

As a working pupil, my role is quite varied. Generally, I’ll help Clarke by hacking or galloping his horses with him on the days when that is scheduled. When Clarke is away at shows, I stay at the yard and exercise the remaining horses for him, so it works well.

When I’m not riding, Marcus and I work together to tack Clarke’s horses up and down, do poles (adjust jump heights) if he’s jumping, and often film how the horses are going while he’s riding. Watching Clarke train while I’m working means I can learn a lot on the job; I love it.

Clarke is so helpful and incredibly generous; I’m lucky to get a lot of lessons from him on Delilah. It’s so beneficial to be around someone knowledgeable and to have their input daily. I’ll generally jump Delilah while Clarke is jumping one of his horses, which means I can watch and learn from him, and he can give me feedback on how I’m riding.

Delilah is a 10-year-old TB mare by Guillotine, owned by me (but if anyone wants to jump on board as an owner, get in touch!). She has settled into the UK much better than I expected; I think she’s meant to be an English horse! She can be a bit of a hot potato sometimes, but it feels like she has grown up a lot since being here and seems very calm and happy. Our first competitions over here have gone well, and our goal is to get established at 4* this season. I want to finish this season at Blenheim with a 4* long run, and next season (2023), I’d love to aim for Luhmühlen or Pau for our first 5*.

The New Zealand flag that Vicky wears with pride on her jacket.

SO THANKFUL FOR THE SUPPORT I HAVE BEEN SHOWN AND I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT IT!

AFTERNOON ROUGHLY 1 PM

Around this time I finish work at Clarke’s yard and my afternoon shift starts.

I’m currently doing five half-days and one full day per week working with Clarke. Since we’ve only got a small team at Clarke’s, we usually finish in the early afternoon. We settle the horses for the afternoon by topping up their hay bags and mucking out.

Lunch is a sandwich or pita on the go, which I make the night before and bring to the yard with me.

Aston Farm, where we’re based, is a fantastic facility that Zara Tindall owns. There are three separate yards on the same farm here. I’ve managed to pick up some work at one of the neighbouring yards, so I sometimes go next door and work for Caroline Harris in the afternoons. Caroline is an evening rider with about 24 horses in work, so they’re pretty busy. I help out by doing groundwork, hacking or galloping horses. There are purpose-built gallop tracks on the property with an incredible surface; we’re fortunate. This extra afternoon work helps to pay the bills, as

I am fortunate enough to exercise DELIAH when Clarke is riding one of his horses. To have this level of expertise around me is a blessing.

everything is so expensive over here! It’s also a neat way to be able to meet new people since I’ve just moved over. It’s still early days, but I hope to pick up more work over time.

AFTER WORK

IT IS EXERCISE TIME

I think it’s essential to stay fit in this job, so I try to make time for daily exercise. When I get busy and don’t make time for it, I feel weaker than usual. I want to make sure I feel as good as possible, so I’m trying to prioritise it.

I’ll go for a run, head to the gym, or get my yoga mat out. I enjoy yoga; it helps put you in a good zone, is good for mental health, and since I’m not that flexible, it helps with that too!

EVENING ROUTINES

Once I’m home, I make time to catch up with Bradley. Even if we’re busy, we will sit down and have tea and a biscuit to debrief our days. It’s a nice routine to unwind.

MY GO-TO IS A SANDWICH OR PITA POCKET THAT I MAKE THE NIGHT BEFORE.

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THE SUPPORT I HAVE BEEN SHOWN AND I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT IT!

I cook dinner, as Bradley isn’t much of a chef! At the moment, because it’s so hot, we love simple and fresh dinners. Our go-to’s are Mexican - fajitas, tacos and enchiladas - or things like chicken salads or wraps. We generally try to eat healthy and nutritious food. We both have a strong sweet tooth, so chocolate is a favourite in our household, too. I haven’t managed to find Whittakers here yet and would love to; nothing beats it!

I’ll also get any admin done in the evenings. There’s been a lot of admin in moving to the UK and getting to know the systems over here - I’ve been very confused by the UK event entry system, but I think I’m just starting to get on top of it now.

We just bought an X-box, so we enjoy playing that in the evenings, even though I’m not very good yet. Otherwise, we enjoy tucking into a good Netflix series - we recently watched Peaky Blinders, which hit different since we’re living so close to Birmingham now.

To prepare for the next day, I make my lunch before bed at around 10 pm.

Once home, I try to fit in some additional exercise then it is time for Bradley and I to debrief on our day, do some administration work and prepare dinner.

VICKY’S DAILY RITUALS:

1 I speak to my mum daily - either by messaging or calling. It’s hard being such a long way away from family, and I really miss everyone, so I like staying in touch to stay close.

2. Exercise is so vital for physical and mental health - I make an effort to prioritise it daily.

3. Making time to sit down and catch up with Bradley is really important to me. This experience would be very different without him, and I’m so grateful he’s here.

4. Snapchat is awesome to be able to keep up to date with what everyone is doing, and neat to be able to share a bit of my experience too. n

TAKING

flight

Last year tragedy struck Melody Matheson’s life with the loss of her best friend and superstar mare Graffiti MH. When that happened, Melody knew it was now or never and made the brave decision to take her younger mount Enya MH across the world to base in Europe.

Currently, Melody is based at Pim Mulder’s stable in Ommen, Netherlands, working as a show jumping rider and riding around eight horses daily, including her own Enya MH. “I’ve been lucky to also compete a number of their horses at both national and international shows, sometimes with up to seven horses at one event!” she says. There are usually around 20-30 horses at the stables at any one time, some with their owners and some for sale.

It’s not unusual to hear Melody, always humble, credit her life with being lucky. “I am really lucky that I get to ride under the watchful eye of Pim most days, and he helps a lot with training all of the horses for flatwork and jumping,” she explains. “We usually go to a show within an hour’s drive every week, and every few weeks, we go to international level events. I was so fortunate to come across such a good situation, thanks

to Daniel Webb’s son Jack - a rider based just down the road at Hendrik Jan Schuttert’s.”

After losing Graffiti, Melody knew it was time for her second mount, Enya, to shine, and she didn’t want to regret letting an opportunity to base in Europe pass her by.

“Enya has settled into European life pretty well! For the first two months, we went to some local and national level shows every week, starting in the 1.35m before moving up to 1.40 and a couple of 1.45s. We are looking forward to our first international start, hopefully in October at Leeuwarden 3*.”

Graffiti’s passing was a massive shock to everyone and led to the most challenging time of Melody’s career. She was at the top of her game, had a huge presence, and showed she had what it took for the big time. Together they won numerous World Cup qualifiers and gained their certificate of capability for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

I BELIEVE YOU NEED TO RESIST THE URGE TO BECOME IMPATIENT WITH THE HORSES, IN TERMS OF WELFARE, TRAINING AND YOUR RIDING IN THE COMPETITION RING.

“Losing Graffiti at the peak of her competition career was very hard. She was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of horse. She gave me so much mileage at the top level in New Zealand and Australia, which has helped make me the rider I am today,” Melody explains. “As a result, we ended up putting a lot of pressure and time into Enya this past season, which has been the best thing for her.”

Melody has been pleased with how well Enya has come on, particularly given that she wasn’t the easiest young horse initially. “She was challenging, and we faced many obstacles and attitudes along the way. When she was a young horse, at every show, I would get the feeling that falling off was a real possibility,” she laughs. “But now she has really stepped up and matured into a top horse.”

Patience in every way is something Melody values, and it shows in her horses. “I believe you need to resist the urge to become impatient with the horses in terms of welfare, training, and your riding in the competition ring. Success is winning, but winning doesn’t just mean coming first. I also consider it as winning when I am on a young horse, and all the hard work pays off and you make a good round. I am very competitive, though. When I want to win a class, I am not afraid to take some risks and back myself.”

In Europe, Melody stands out. “Coming from a country like New Zealand, it is more common to be a horseman, where you take care of every aspect of your horse’s life, rather than just riding them as most people do here,” she explains. “I have heard people say that New Zealand is like Europe was 50 years ago in that way.” Melody is pragmatic in her attitude to work. “No one owes you loyalty. You have to earn it,” she reflects. “You don’t have to win to prove to people that they should work

with you. More like, when you put in the hard work behind the scenes, your true supporters will see and recognise that. No one can always win, either, so if you use winning as your strategy, you are always replaceable.”

The big goal for Melody and Enya is to aim for the Paris Olympic Games. “First, we need to qualify a New Zealand team in the Group G qualifier, which will be held in Europe sometime in the middle of next year. So we will aim to prepare for the qualifier first and then see what success that brings and hopefully look forward to the following year!”

She is systematic in her training of the horses, and it doesn’t change when a big competition is looming. “Generally, in the competition season, the weekly plan is pretty standard, including dressage schooling in the arena for most of the week. In preparation for the show, we will have jump training earlier in the week to make sure everything is going as it should,” she explains.

At the moment, it is unknown how long Melody will stay in Europe due to Visa requirements. She hopes to be there for a couple of years, but she plans a trip home in December for a short visit to see family and, of course, the horses she left behind. “It would be dangerous to define an exact number of horses at home, but I will say we have more than ten, and they are mainly

COMING FROM A COUNTRY LIKE NEW ZEALAND, IT IS MORE COMMON TO BE A HORSEMAN, WHERE YOU TAKE CARE OF EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR HORSE’S LIFE, RATHER THAN JUST RIDING THEM AS MOST PEOPLE DO HERE.

young horses aged five years old and under,” she says. “All of them have been bred by Matthews Hanoverians or Angela (Miller), apart from one out of an MH mare. The breeder/ rider/ owner connection between the three of us has worked really well.”

Jesse Linton is currently taking over her ridden horses at home, including Graffiti’s three-quarter sister Graffiene MH, two five-year-olds, Grenadine MH and Danny Cool KV, and two other four-year-olds. “If it all works out when I am back, I might be able to sneak in a show or two on some of them!”

Melody has a few requirements when selecting a young horse. “I like a good purpose-bred jumping horse with natural capability and athleticism!” She explains. “When working with and training a horse that finds it natural, everything comes a lot easier, and because it’s easy, the horse has fun and develops a good competition attitude. A good temperament always helps!”

One of Melody’s biggest regrets has been not creating an opportunity to campaign overseas and pursue representing New Zealand with Graffiti while she had the time. She is certainly making up for that now with Enya, and she credits that to the support she has from co-owners Angela Miller and Judith Mathews in making that happen. An exciting time lies ahead for Melody and her team! n

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In the world of marketing, it’s all about standing out from the crowd. Jasmine Robertson has successfully carved out a niche for herself with her boutique agency, Ziba Creative, as the ‘go-to’ for equine marketing that dares to be different.

When the horse-mad youngster’s parents finally caved to her pleas for a pony, it was an off-the-track Thoroughbred gifted to Jasmine Robertson on her eighth birthday. It wasn’t the conventional introduction to horse ownership – but it sparked a lifelong love affair with the breed.

Racing has taken Jasmine around the world and given her incredible opportunities - from producing jumpers and competing at Young Rider level, to roles supervising foaling and yearlings while she was studying at Massey University, and then to the bright lights of Sydney working for Inglis, the Thoroughbred auction house.

In 2019, Jasmine took a leap of faith and founded her specialist equine

marketing agency, Ziba Creative. Her bespoke service has been in hot demand ever since.

Ziba offers an all-encompassing marketing service, particularly in the digital space, including videography, graphic design, and social media.

The hallmarks of a Ziba campaign are clean, sophisticated and a little edgy. It’s easy to tell when Jasmine’s hand has been involved – not only because every campaign is the same, but also for slick execution that hits the mark every time.

Ziba Creative has a diverse range of clients, including Thoroughbred and Standardbred studs, auction houses, trainers, bloodstock agents, equine tech companies, tack brands, and spelling and yearling preparation farms.

Jasmine says that, as a creative, you can’t force the process. “I enjoy the flexibility to work when I want and where I feel my creative energy is inspired. I have always had an innate drive to strive for excellence, so every career move and decision I have made has been 100% intentional, and the opportunities I have been afforded have resulted from sheer hard work.”

Jasmine grew up in Manakau, a small town near Levin, and was horsemad from a young age.

“Mum and Dad gave in and bought me a retired racehorse for my eighth birthday, with a bag of sweetfeed because they went to the local store and asked what to feed it - so it was off its head,” she recalls.

After doing the usual Pony Club activities, she headed to secondary school at Nga Tawa, which is wellknown for its equestrian programme.

She progressed through the show jumping ranks, jumping in Junior and Young Rider classes, without any notable

success. Her top mount was Belvedere Quality Star, a Thoroughbred she got as a young horse and produced herself. “I’d never say I was a very good rider, but I had lofty goals! Usually, I was stoked if I got around,” she laughs.

Despite always having Thoroughbreds, she had very little knowledge of the racing industry. “Thoroughbreds were what we could afford. In a way, I quite liked that they were challenging and rewarding - and probably quite disappointing at the same time. But to produce a horse off the track to compete at Horse of the Year was pretty cool.”

There was never any doubt in Jasmine’s mind that she wanted to do something with horses after leaving school. “I knew I was no superstar in the saddle and thought about what I could do next.”

She enrolled in a Bachelor of Agriscience with a major in Equine Science at Massey without any real idea of where it might take her. Her only plan was to get a degree and do something with horses.

I KNEW I WAS NO SUPERSTAR IN THE SADDLE AND THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT I COULD DO NEXT.

While at uni, she continued hunting and show jumping, bringing on young horses and flicking them for a bit of cash. Through Student Job Search she found a part-time job at nearby Wellfield Lodge. The role involved mornings riding babies and helping with breakers. Over the summer she did yearling prep.

“I was about 18, and it exposed me to a whole new world. I thought, ‘how frigging cool is this! I get to work with horses!’ I was completely hooked.”

She got a kick from working with young horses and seeing them produced as racehorses or sold as yearlings for big money.

“Yearling sales really opened my eyes. I realised there was a financial future in the racing industry in so many facets, from working on the ground with broodmares, yearlings, and racehorses through to bloodstock agents and trainers. It was something I didn’t know existed before.”

Initially, she thought becoming a yearling or broodmare manager was what she wanted to do. “I started from the bottom and wanted to be like the managers. We were climbing over each other to get those roles; there was real competition. I love something challenging and rewarding where you can move up the ladder.”

She became a foaling supervisor, working 60-hour weeks, all while

studying full-time, and then became an integral part of the yearling preparation team. Her goal was to become a stud manager.

“I absolutely thought that was the be-all and end-all. I was about 21, and I thought long and hard about it. My next step was to travel and see the world doing the horse thing. I looked around and saw 60-yearolds working the same hours as me, up in the middle of the night.”

This realisation forced a rethink. Jasmine wanted to create a lifestyle that allowed her to do what she loved, use her brain and have flexibility. In her penultimate year at uni, she took an elective paper in marketing. That got her thinking about marketing in the Thoroughbred industry and whether it could be a viable career.

She spotted an opportunity for the industry to up its game when it came to marketing and decided to undertake post-graduate study in marketing. “I wasn’t gung-ho about it, but I thought it would be good to have on my CV.”

EVERYTHING WE

On graduating, she took off overseas to the UK to work on a Thoroughbred stud. The plan was to then go to America. While there, a fantastic job came up at Inglis, the Thoroughbred auction house in Australia. It was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down, and that role played a pivotal role in shaping her career.

“They run as a corporate in the middle of Sydney, but it’s a family-owned business. It was an incredible environment, and they have an amazing mentoring programme. I have no regrets about cutting my travels short.”

Jasmine worked for Inglis from 2013 to 2015, and leaving was a hard decision, but ultimately living in the city wasn’t for her. She moved back to New Zealand, where she got a job as the business development manager for Lime Country Thoroughbreds. When they decided to move their operation to Australia, she went to work for Mapperley Stud in the same role.

While at Mapperley, Jasmine was shoulder-tapped by Waikato Stud to be their marketing manager.

“That was the ultimate role, the dream come true, and while there, I got to hone my marketing skills.”

Jasmine stayed at Waikato for two years, but the desire to have more flexibility in her life remained with the thought in the back of her mind that

she could go out on her own.

“In the creative space, it’s important that you work when you feel creative. I understand how my brain works, and 8am-5pm wasn’t where I was most tapping into my creative energy.”

In 2019 Jasmine made the terrifying decision to quit her secure job at one of the country’s best studs and go it alone.

“I thought, ‘I don’t have kids or a mortgage; what’s the worst that can happen?’ I just made the massive leap into the unknown and trusted that I had the skillset and knowledge people would follow.”

And follow they did. Jasmine has never approached anyone for work. She had people emailing even before she left Waikato Stud wanting to employ her services, and it snowballed from there.

Her first client, Armidale Stud in Tasmania, is still a client, and they have become good friends. Not long after launching Ziba, the largest stud in Australia, Arrowfield, rang her. Initially, she thought it was a prank call. Within six weeks, she had clients in four states in Australia. “That was the validation and confidence I needed to believe that maybe I am good at this! You become part of their team and family, follow their horses that are running, and are so invested in the relationship.”

Turning people away is one of the hardest parts of her job, and the biggest struggle is growing the business and recruiting staff with specialist equine marketing skills. She admits she likes to check everything carefully as it’s her name on the line, so she’s quite particular about who works for her.

She has had great staff in the past, but, currently, she’s a one-woman operation. “My ethos is that I’d rather do a really good job for a small number of people than spread myself too thin. We are a very boutique agency, and the businesses we work with are those that align completely with my interests. I feel I can give it 110% if I’m wholeheartedly invested in their business.

“Doing my due diligence to ensure our values align is one thing I’ve learned. If I could clone myself, the business could probably facilitate eight more staff members. There’s a lot of work out there, which is heart-breaking in itself.”

A highlight for Jasmine was learning the new skill of shooting her own videos, something she was forced to learn on the fly after her usual videographer became unavailable at short notice.

“I decided to invest in a video camera and watched a lot of YouTube tutorials. It was a massive

It was no surprise to anyone that Jasmine would end up in a creative industry that involved horses!

accomplishment for me, shooting on manual and doing full sales videos. It’s another feather in my cap and something I can do for myself.”

Ziba’s signature is simple yet sophisticated marketing. “Everything we do is completely stripped back, not text heavy, very direct and to-the-point. I’d say simple and classic with an edgy twist.”

While Jasmine enjoys racing, it’s the breeding side of the industry she has a soft spot for.

“My big passion is breeding, and I would love to be in the position one day when I can financially breed without having to sell if I don’t want to. Having my mares and foals in my front paddock would be the dream. I get overly attached to them.”

Breeding is on the back burner for now. However, she is considering ‘pin hooking’ next year, where she would look to buy a yearling, have it broken in, and sell it at the ready-to-run sales, essentially flipping it in eight months.

“I love racing and follow it avidly, but I have a natural affinity for my horse stud clients. There’s something about mares and foals that’s quite nostalgic for me and takes

me back to my nights in the foaling unit. There’s something slower paced about it, being able to scratch foals.”

Ultimately, her end goal is centred around lifestyle and quality of life.

“I will never lose my drive or passion, but I want to be able to enjoy life without feeling stressed. I’m at a hard point with Ziba. I can confidently say I want to have a boutique agency and would love to continue to build on the current foundation. I vibe on having people around me who I can bounce ideas off and can share the load with.”

Ideally, she’d like a team of four, and she’d love to encourage more people to get excited about equine marketing.

“There’s a real lack of young people wanting to get into it. My employees don’t need a degree; they just need drive and passion.”

So, the message for all those horse-crazy 17-year-olds out there, shovelling shit and dreaming about a life with horses: there are many pathways and careers to be had in the Thoroughbred industry. If you’re willing to start at the bottom, graft hard and work your way up, who knows where it might lead? C

New Zealand Equine Health Association

Dedicated to protecting the health and

welfare of all New Zealand horses.

"NZEHA is the New Zealand equine industry's silent protector."

Surprisingly, as a horse owner in New Zealand, this may very well be the first time you have heard of the New Zealand Equine Health Association (NZEHA), but this organisation has been around for over twenty years

During this time, the NZEHA have been advocating and working quietly in the background to protect the entire equine industry in matters relating to equine health, equine welfare and equine disease incursion.

With several major accolades to their name in the field of biosecurity, having been successful in eradicating and restoring country freedom status for New Zealand with both Equine Viral Arteritis and Equine Piroplasmosis, the NZEHA is the NZ equine industry’s silent protector

But, it is their next major project that is definitely one to keep your eye on as they move to establish a national Equine Identification and Traceability Database (EITD)

Disease outbreak has long been recognised as the top threat to the New Zealand horse population, with much of the leg work having been done to set the industry up to mitigate these risks

The NZEHA has continuous involvement in the rev our import health standards, has implemented a biosecurity levy at the border, developed and implemented a disease surveillance system to ha disease data from equine veterinary visits and es a vaccine bank for Equine Influenza which it rank highest disease risk to our population.

But, it is the ability to identify and trace the entire population in New Zealand that is a key piece of t puzzle currently missing. At this time it is assumed there are between 80,000 120,000 horses in New Zealand, with 40,000 of them being recorded by s key organisations such as Equestrian Sport NZ, Thoroughbred Racing NZ and Harness Racing NZ. leaves a significant discrepancy.

Executive Advisor to the NZEHA, Dr Patricia Pearce explains "to be able to identify and trace the equi population quickly and accurately in response to outbreak can be the difference between a succes unsuccessful disease response, as well as impacting the potential cost to industry".

There are also additional benefits to having an Equine Identification and Traceability Database, such as proof of ownership and welfare management. With progress already underway there is a dedicated EITD team working alongside the board of the NZEHA to bring the system to fruition.

To stay informed on the progress of this project follow the New Zealand Equine Health Association on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter.

New

THRIVING ON

Balance is a central theme in Cam Robertson’s life. He juggles two competitive worlds - eventing, and the even more niche sport of double mini-trampolining. He jokes that most people don’t even know what the sport is.

After experiencing the eventing scene worldwide, most significantly based at Jock Paget’s yard in the UK for two years from 2015, Cam finds life in Rangiora just perfect. He lives in central Rangiora while his horses live on his parents’ (Don and Janet) farm, just five minutes drive from home.

Most days start with working his two horses with his girlfriend Emily Bowler, who also keeps her two horses there. His parents’ farm is unique; it is 20 acres but borders a more extensive 200-acre family farm. “It’s a generational farm, and my aunties, uncles, cousins and grandparents live there. My uncle and grandpa have a contracting business, so they have all the big machines, which is very handy when wanting to make arenas and other equestrian facilities,” Cam laughs.

His leading horse is a feisty pocket rocket that never quits, called Wairoa Renegade (Centavos x Grosvenor) or Reggie to friends. Standing at just 15.2hh, what she lacks in size, she makes up for in presence and horsepower, and she is seriously gutsy. “We battle around the 3* together, and she is qualified to run a 4*, so at some point soon, I would like to have a crack at that,” he says. “She can be moody, but she is very talented and amazing at her job. She is an immaculate professional but gets grumpy with me if I tell her what to do too much! Honestly, though, I don’t have to tell her much because she is just brilliant at her job, so I

leave her be most of the time. If she’s happy, I’m happy.”

He had a devastating run with Reggie last season at Puhinui, where she tied up on-course, so he’s keen to get back there this season and have another go. “I had never had a horse tie up, so I didn’t know what was going on! She had been going so well, and it resulted from a few things going wrong, like feeding. It was a bittersweet lesson to learn but one that was important, too,” he reflects.

Cam has another mini-Reggie he is quietly producing, a rising five-year-old called Pogo. “She had her first event over winter and was a good girl, so I will just be continuing with that momentum. I’ll maybe bring her through the Young Horse classes and hopefully teach her to be like Reggie,” he says. While Cam doesn’t have a preference for mares versus geldings, his mum loves mares. “She is the boss, so I do what she wants!” he laughs.

Finishing with the horses around 10am each day, Cam returns home, where he runs a saddlery and canvas repair workshop out of his garage. Much of his work is equestrian, but he also undertakes industrial canvas work, such as boat and trailer covers. In the evenings, he’s training once again, but this time for his other sport- double mini-trampoline. You could be forgiven for mistaking this as a hobby. Still, Cam competes internationally, including at World Championship level, and has won national titles in New Zealand. “Most people don’t really know or understand the challenge

double mini-trampoline. It’s a combination of the trampoline you see at the Olympics, but smaller in size, and the closest gymnastic exercise is the vault,” he explains. “You run up, jump on the first trampoline, bounce onto a bigger one, and flip off. It’s a niche sport mainly because we aren’t at the Olympics.”

He thrives on the challenges mini-trampolining brings, both mental and physical. “It ties into the horse world in no physical way, but it challenges mental dexterity, which is really rewarding,” he reflects. Pre-Covid Cam travelled worldwide competing, the highlights being World Champs held in Tokyo and the World Cup in Russia, both in 2019. Now that travelling has again become more accessible, Cam will again contest at the World Champs this November in Bulgaria, which he is excited about.

“I think both sports work well together. They both help me improve in areas that are beneficial to the other sport. Any

The farm is Cam’s sanctuary, and is the scene for one of his twin passions. Aside from mini-trampolining, it’s horses all the way!

time I can get out onto the competition floor or into the arena and experience the nerves and pressure of competition is so beneficial,” he says. “There aren’t many competitions down here I can go to, so competing in both sports effectively doubles my competition experience. One of the biggest things I struggle with is the idea that people are watching me. My worst phase is show jumping because there are always a lot of people standing around watching on the sidelines. My mind always likes to tell me they are judging me when I know that, in reality, they are probably not paying attention at all! So every time I can go and experience competition and have that exposure makes me better. It reminds me not to get tense and make mistakes, just be calm and clear, get the job done.”

Cam is looking forward to the challenge of competing at World Champs after not competing for so long. Still, the fact he is even going and ready to compete is a massive achievement in itself, as he has just had to work through a nasty bout of “the twisties” - an experience unique to gymnasts where they lose all spatial awareness and become disorientated in the exercises. “Most people know of the twisties because Simone Biles battled with it at Tokyo Olympics. It is really dangerous, and that Simone even came back and was able to compete as she did was honestly incredible,” he explains. “When you have the twisties, you have to go right back to the fundamentals and work out what is going on, retrain your brain to accept what is happening. For years I always had great spatial awareness, which was natural for me, so I could never understand what the struggle was for guys who didn’t, but now I really appreciate it. But finally, I am back on track and just in time, nothing like the pressure of World Champs!”

Cam feels fortunate to have had a fair few people mentoring him along the way in his eventing career. He works closely with Penny Castle and Andrew Scott, but what defined him as a rider and gave him a leg up was the time he spent with Jock (Paget) in England.

“He taught me a huge amount about life and horses; lessons I would never have learnt if I hadn’t taken the plunge and gone,” he explains. “Being away from home was a real challenge. It was tough and really intense, which was so valuable, but at times I struggled. People see the one or two weeks a year when you are at Burghley or Badminton, but there are the other 50

weeks a year when you are at the yard slogging it out, and there are days you wonder what you are doing. You sink or swim.”

The year before he went to Jock’s, Cam went and worked for Tim and Jonelle (Price) for a month, so he had a good idea of what to expect, but explains that it’s a lot different when you go for a month with an end date versus going there to live with no intention of coming home any time soon.

“Some people would arrive in the UK with big expectations, which would be tough for them. Certainly, when I went there, I wanted to be the next Jock, but although he said I had enough talent to make it if I chose to, I knew I didn’t want to ride horses seven days a week. I have a nice balance here in New Zealand

and love my life here.”

Cam sees the biggest lesson that many riders, especially young riders, could learn, is to listen and soak up everything they can when they have any opportunity. “I think that is one thing I have been good at. I have always listened and absorbed the information to replicate it as well as I can in what I do,” he says.

“Often, in kids especially, I see a real inability to do that, and it holds them back. Listening and learning are key things that can boost you and help you along.” While many credit talent as the ultimate factor for success, Cam quickly learnt while working for Jock that you don’t have to have exceptional natural talent. Many people have impressive careers born from sheer perseverance and seeing through every step.

PEOPLE SEE THE

ONE OR TWO WEE KS A YEAR WHEN YOU ARE AT BURGHLEY OR BADMINTON, BUT THERE ARE THE OTHE R 50 WEEKS A YEAR

WHEN YOU ARE AT TH E YARD SLOGGING IT OUT, AND THERE AR E DAYS YOU WONDER

WHAT YOU ARE DOING. YOU SINK OR SWIM.

“Jock would harp into me every single day that I needed to be disciplined, and he would say, if you want to be serious, then you have to be out there every single day doing it as well as you know how.” Actively seeking out knowledge, picking up things, and looking for opportunities is vital. “I have seen many young riders with a lot of talent, but it doesn’t equate to success. Later on, many of them give up before it even gets to the crunch,” he recalls. “You must have the want and drive to be out there and get that experience through exposure. It really struck me early on in the UK. Jock and I would talk about it a lot. He is a freak with boundless talent, but he was also out there, working seven days a week, ten months a year. He was incredibly hard-working and had an innate gift that most people don’t have. He was one of the rare ones who combined the two and had amazing results. Still, we would often talk about more ordinary people who ended up going to do amazing things, and that was down to grit and hard work perfecting their craft.”

For Cam, success boils down to achieving balance in life. “I get to do all day, every day, what I just love doing. One of the lessons I have learned is to be happy, you need balance, and if you class happiness as success, then I am successful. If you want to focus success on results, then winning is success, but when you do that, all too often, you fail more than you win, which is not healthy or productive for anyone. When you don’t win, it becomes the end of the world, and it becomes harder to bounce back and learn to do better when you are in that mindset.”

He plans to continue on the same track, with no significant changes in his life any time soon. “In five years, I probably won’t be bouncing so much because I will be worn out and broken, so I am sure I will fill that void with something else that challenges me,” he says. “I have always been ambitious to see what I can achieve with the horses, but it’s not the be-all and endall. If I have the right horse at the right time, then, of course, I would love to make a senior team, but we will have to see.”

Cam is also a qualified course designer, so perhaps that will fill the gap when retirement from minitrampolining eventually calls. For now, Cam is right where he wants to be and loving every minute. C

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CHANGING

PRIORITIES

For this busy mum of two, who runs her own business while keeping a competition team of jumpers in work, family is everything, and giving back to the sport is a priority. Stepping up to Grand Prix and being named ESNZ Jumping Volunteer of the Year made the 2021/22 season a memorable one.

They say if you want something done, ask a busy person, and this phrase could have been written about Tanya Hansen.

Based at Oakura, Taranaki, with her husband Willie and their two young children, Evie, 3, and Ted, 1, Tanya is up at 5am most mornings to exercise her three horses. Willie does the morning breakfast shift and drops off the kids before they both head to work. Tanya taps in for the afternoon shift while Willie indulges his passion, training for Ironman events.

“It’s a juggle. We both enjoy being busy and pushing ourselves. There are times when I’d like to have a bit less on, but for the most part, it’s doable.”

The couple bought and sold a few places to afford land. They now have 15 acres and lease another five, putting in stables and an arena, nothing flash, but they do the trick. Tanya says she’s lucky there are plenty of places to ride the horses locally, and she can ride to the beach.

Willie grew up show jumping and played polo, so his skills come in handy when it comes to rugging or studding horses – plus, he rode the horses while Tanya was pregnant.

Tanya’s parents have an engineering, planning, and consultancy business in Taranaki. While working for them, she was seconded to Greymouth Petroleum to manage their consenting and land management. After going on maternity leave, she started her own business and now contracts with two oil companies, including Greymouth Petroleum. She usually works about 30 hours a week.

Growing up in a horsey family, Tanya and her brother Matthew (also an accomplished rider) spent many happy years travelling around the shows as a family, an experience she hopes to replicate for her children.

“I think horse riding is a great sport for kids; it teaches them good values, hard work, priorities, responsibility, and how to care for something. I’m keen for the kids to grow up and know those values.

“Evie is just about rising to the trot - no steering, though! I would love to do some hunting and make it a family sport, how we grew up. It would be nice to get away together in the truck and compete, but if the kids aren’t into it, that’s okay too.”

Tanya’s mum hunted and did low-level eventing while her dad show jumped to Grand Prix and gave a lot to the sport – something Tanya has continued.

She took over from her dad as the chairman of Taranaki Equestrian Jumping and organises the Taranaki shows, along with an amazing young committee. Successfully hosting the World Cup final, during Covid, right on the cusp of alert level changes, was a proud moment.

I THINK HORSE RIDING IS A GREAT SPORT FOR KIDS; IT TEACHES THEM GOOD VALUES, HARD WORK , PRIORITIES, RESPONSIBILITY, AND HOW TO CARE FOR SOMETHING. I’M KEEN FOR THE KIDS TO GROW UP AND KNOW THOSE VALUES.

Being recognised as the ESNZ Jumping Volunteer of the Year in July was an unexpected honour and, for once, rendered her speechless.

“In my job, I public speak a lot and lead meetings, but I didn’t feel I had done enough and was lost for words. I was humbled but quite shocked. We all do a whole lot, not just me. We are a real team.”

Tanya is a big believer that the more you put in, the more you get out of the sport.

“I go to shows on my own a lot at the moment, and I’ve always found it amazing how many people offer to help, put a shoe back on, cook you breakfast, or make you a coffee. People are so giving and look after you. There are a lot of people generous with their time in our sport, and you end up with great friends, like a family away from home.”

She has also always believed strongly in working hard, having a career, and paying her way when it came to the horses.

“Put time into the sport and try to get a career behind you; they’re two things young people should focus on, I think.”

“In the sport, you do see spoilt kids with wealthy parents. Mum and Dad raised us to work hard, and I was always determined to pay for my horses – it’s not the cheapest interest!”

Tanya actually gave up riding for eight years after she went to university. Her two Grand Prix ponies went to her younger brother, and the horse she did Young Riders on, Witzcellar, was sold to Australia, which paid for her university studies.

“My family got offered big money for her, and selling her and moving away was my ticket to give up and get a career.”

Tanya moved south to study Environmental Science and Project Management at Canterbury University. Although she had sold her horse, she still kept a hand in, riding for Brackenfield huntsman Daf Davies, as well as riding track work.

“When I went to uni, I remember Dad saying, ‘whatever you do, just finish’. I think he thought I wouldn’t stick at it. I took some papers and finished a degree because I was determined to prove him wrong.”

She moved to Tauranga and got a job as a planner before moving to Hawke’s Bay, where she spent another three years as a planner.

“I didn’t enjoy my job and ended up doing almost a year breaking and pre-training racehorses. I bought a Kiwi horse from Graeme Hart while there, but then I went travelling, and it sat in the paddock.”

When Tanya moved home to work for her parents and got together with Willie, she really got back into riding.

“When I was in Tauranga, I got into running and diving and other fun stuff, but I always felt my life wasn’t complete - something was missing. When I did the year breaking and pre-training, I realised how much I loved the horses.”

Initially, her enjoyment

came from getting young horses going and taking them up to 1.20m before selling them, which funded her interest. Having children made her re-evaluate what she wanted in a horse.

“After having Evie, I remember being at a show with a four-year-old, a five-year-old, and a six-year-old. They all jumped well but had one down. I was parked next to Kimberley Bird, and they had a horse for sale. I thought, maybe I should buy something fun that was already going. It’s not so easy with kids, and it’s a lot of effort to get to shows. Your perspective changes, I think, and I wanted safe horses around.”

And so, Tanya duly purchased the horse the Birds had for sale, Euro Champagne (Chi), with the intention of jumping in Amateur classes.

Chi is a 13-year-old gelding by Centavos out of a Thoroughbred mare. He has shivers and had been on the market for a year, so Tanya didn’t pay a lot for him. “I never thought he was as good as he

I'M NOT VERY COMPETITIVE. I GET MORE SATISFACTION FROM PRODUCING A HORSE, GETTING THEIR TRUST, AND JUMPING THEIR FIRST CLEAR ROUND OR FIVE-YEAR-OLD CLASS AFTER TWO YEARS OF HARD WORK.

WHEN I WENT TO UNI, I REMEMBER DAD SAYING, ‘WHATEVER YOU DO, JUST FINISH’. I THINK HE THOUGHT I WOULDN’T STICK AT IT. I TOOK SOME PAPERS AND FINISHED A DEGREE BECAUSE I WAS DETERMINED TO PROVE HIM WRONG.

is. We did a few Amateurs and then unexpectedly won our first Pro-Am. We did a season of Pro-Am and came third in the series. He won three or four rugs, and I suddenly realised I had quite a cool horse!”

Last season didn’t go quite to plan. After having Ted, Tanya got very sick from her second Covid vaccination. Heart inflammation floored her and meant she could not get to many early shows.

She got to Hawke’s Bay Show and had entered the 1.40m 1* but almost scratched. “I was pretty weak and had Ted there and was breastfeeding. It all felt overwhelming, and Willie said, ‘we didn’t come all the way here to not jump’.”

She did jump, and they were clear in the first round, finishing fifth, much to Tanya’s surprise. With a few more minor placings at 1.40m under their belt, they had their first Grand Prix start at Feilding for a couple down. They jumped clear in the Grand Prix at Masterton and had one down in the jump-off. Unfortunately, their final Grand Prix of the season, at Hawke’s Bay, didn’t exactly go to plan, resulting in Tanya popping her shoulder out and retirement. Consequently, they finished the season at North Islands in Foxton by stepping back to 1.35m.

Chi’s happiness is Tanya’s number one priority, and this season she plans to start him at Pro-Am and make sure he’s feeling good. “He placed in the 1.20m and 1.25m at Takapoto recently. It would be cool to do the 1*

Grand Prix again, but we’ll see what happens. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’ll tell you if something’s not right. Ultimately, his happiness is the most important thing.”

Also on the truck is Ngahiwi Specter (Harvey), a Warmblood-cross by Ngahiwi Cardento bought sight unseen as a two-year-old while Tanya was pregnant with Evie.

Harvey arrived with an unusual affliction; he had grass coming out of his nose. Despite veterinary advice she may have to put him down, Tanya decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. They have never pinpointed the reason, but Harvey’s food still comes out of his nose. It doesn’t seem to have affected his jumping ability, though, placing fifth in the Five-Year-Old series and sixth in the Six-Year-Old series last season.

“He was terrified of everyone, but he put his trust in me, and I fell for him a bit. I long-reined him for three months. I wanted him to fully trust me. When I was pregnant with Ted, he wasn’t exactly what you’d ride while

pregnant, so I sent him to Jamie Beatson. While he was there, I had Alec (Jorgensen) scope him, given the advice I’d had to put him down. Alec said it’s not normal but couldn’t find any reason for the nasal discharge.

“I feel like because he’s had such a rough time, he gives me 100%. He’s a bit of a rogue and not the easiest in the warm-up. Hopefully, he will do the Seven-Year-Old series this season.”

Another sight-unseen purchase, while pregnant with Ted, is the most recent addition to the team, Java NZPH, a four-year-old by Cicave du Talus out of Sparkles NZPH.

“Harvey Nelson had just broken him in, and he did a wonderful job. I was 39 weeks pregnant, and Harvey offered to come over and ride

WHEN I WAS IN TAURANGA, I GOT INTO RUNNING AND DIVING AND OTHER FUN STUFF, BUT

I ALWAYS FELT MY LIFE WASN'T COMPLETE - SOMETHING WAS MISSING. WHEN I DID THE YEAR BREAKING AND PRE-TRAINING, I REALISED HOW MUCH I LOVED THE HORSES.

him for the first few weeks. I thought that was so kind; he obviously values what he does. Jesse Linton is like my little brother; he came over after my c-section and got my horses back in work for me.

“I put the horses through my business now and usually try to have something to buy and sell. I wanted to try a Ngahiwi because I enjoy breaking in and producing young horses. I like having something to work on through winter. I like to find nice horses that are well put together, and it’s just a gut feeling.”

Getting to Grand Prix came as somewhat of a surprise to Tanya. “I’m not very competitive. I get more satisfaction from producing a horse, getting their trust, and jumping their first clear round or fiveyear-old class after two years of hard work. It’s more of a passion for doing the younger horses, but equally, having Chi has been great as I ride better having a horse that’s going in terms of how I ride the younger horses. I take them a bit quieter, and I don’t override them.”

Tanya admits she doesn’t have much time to travel for coaching, but she does enjoy training with Jeff McVean when he’s in the area. “I rate Jeff. I believe in letting horses be horses, and I think Jeff allows that. Two of my horses, if you try to control them too much, they get really unhappy, and Jeff seems to facilitate preventing that.”

Matthew Grayling is the other person who has been influential in her riding career, someone she has trained with her whole life.

“Matthew has always been an inspiration to me; he’s an incredible horseman who has competed on the world stage while successfully running a farming business and raising a beautiful family.

“The hard thing about stepping up to Grand Prix, juggling children and time, is that you must be riding well, jumping often, and regularly training with a coach. It would probably help with having your head in the game. I feel like you need that support to step up.”

The other person she credits with helping her and her horses in the past year is Jessamy Mangan of Equine Sports Institute. “She has always taken an interest in my horses and me. Chi had a right drift, and she has made a big difference. I think she has been the ticket to Chi jumping bigger and clean. She also helped me with my shoulder a lot.”

Tanya is grateful to be sponsored by Canter for Cancer. n

THE HARD THING ABOUT STEPPING UP TO GRAND PRIX, JUGGLING CHILDREN AND TIME, IS THAT YOU MUST BE RIDING WELL, JUMPING OFTEN, AND REGULARLY TRAINING WITH A COACH. IT WOULD PROBABLY HELP WITH HAVING YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME. I FEEL LIKE YOU NEED THAT SUPPORT TO STEP UP.

for the love

OF HORSES

This show jumper discovered a love for producing horses at a young age. She has produced her current top mount Rata Mill Eclipse from scratch, enjoying plenty of success at Premier Young Rider level and securing second place in the Tertiary Series last season.

Horses have always been a big part of Samantha Megchelse’s life. From gaining confidence on the hunt field through to producing ponies on to Pony Grand Prix show jumping and 2* eventing and continuing onto hacks, she’s hoping to be competitive in Young Rider classes this season.

Growing up on a farmlet near New Plymouth in Taranaki, Sam, 20, is in her third year at Massey University studying Animal Science. With a spot at the Massey Equestrian Centre, she’s lucky to have Rata Mill Eclipse (Lily) with her while she studies in Palmerston North.

Her mum, Kelly, is also keen on horses, and her daughter followed in her footsteps from a young age.

“I got my first pony, Flash, when I was four. He taught me to ride from the outset because he had a buck and a stop!

“Mum was the joint Master for Taranaki Hunt, and I was out on the hunt field from a little dot. I did junior whipping and rode Mum’s second horse from early on, which set me up and gave me confidence. I won the Taranaki junior hunter trials eight years in a row, which was pretty cool.”

Through hunting and Pony Club, Sam gave most things a crack and loved being part of Pony Club teams. Even so, she never imagined what could be possible if she put in the hard yards.

“I want to say to all the Pony Club kids out there that can’t

afford flash horses or gear, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t jump Young Riders if you’re prepared to work hard. If you had told me I would do it, I never would have believed it.

“I really enjoyed Pony Club events for Taranaki growing up, and I think I’ve been part of pretty much every team you could be on. I’ve been to Eventing Champs six times.”

Sam was lucky to be offered the lease of a lovely 13.2hh pony, Tui’s Keepsake, who she evented to 95cm, making her first Taranaki team for Pony Club Eventing Champs. The pair also won the Category B Show Hunter title and were Reserve Champion Working Hunter Pony at Sam’s first ever Horse of the Year show.

Sam kept an association with the breeder of Tui’s Keepsake, Bridget Cameron, who sold her another pony, Tui’s Tinkerbelle. That pony was four and gave Sam her first taste of bringing on a young one. “I absolutely loved producing her up the grades. She went all the way to Pony Grand Prix and 2* eventing.”

Utu was the pony that cemented Sam’s love of show jumping and the transition to focus on that discipline. “That’s when I decided to give the eventing thing away and focus on show jumping. Utu was my first premier Pony Grand Prix pony, and he was fantastic. I definitely miss the thrill of a cross-country course, but there’s something about show jumping and the

Sam and RATA MILL ECLIPSE (Lily) enjoying an exercise day on Himatangi Beach.

I DEFINITELY BELIEVE YOU CAN'T PRODUCE EVERY HORSE THE SAME WAY. YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY LOVE AND GIVE THEM VARIETY.

series classes that’s so much fun to be part of.”

Sam and Utu qualified for Pony of the Year at HOY in 2017. They hit the ground running in 2018 with their first PGP win early in the season, along with several placings. It was Sam’s final year on ponies; they were on a roll, and it looked set to be a cracker until tragedy struck.

“I was at Foxton warming up. We jumped our final practice oxer before we went in the ring, and he dropped dead. We don’t really know what happened, probably a heart attack or brain aneurism, and it likely would have happened whether he was standing in the paddock or at a show.”

As devastating as it was, Sam had another horse at the show and got back in the ring the next day – the best thing she could have done.

“Losing a favourite can be a part of the sport, and I just tried to remember how much I loved the sport. It was a shame it happened in such a traumatic way, and I felt bad for all the other kids in the warm-up arena.”

Despite the disappointment of losing her much-loved pony, Sam was humbled by the kindness of others. “I was luckythere are some lovely, lovely people in the industry. Shanae Mckay approached me and said, ‘this might not be the right time, but I’ve got my old pony, Guthrie, back from the South Island; he’s out of work, but I would be happy to give you the lease for the rest of the

I WANT TO SAY TO ALL THE PONY CLUB KIDS OUT THERE THAT CAN'T AFFORD FLASH HORSES OR GEAR, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO REASON YOU CAN'T JUMP YOUNG RIDERS IF YOU'RE PREPARED TO WORK HARD

IF YOU HAD TOLD ME I WOULD DO IT, I NEVER WOULD HAVE BELIEVED IT

season’. It was so nice of her.”

So, for her final season on ponies, Sam and Guthrie had fun jumping in Mini Prix classes and making the Saba Sam team for HOY. “It was a nice way to spend my final season on ponies after such a terrible event.”

She also had the opportunity to ride different horses for other people. She had Tuesday, her mum’s second horse for hunting, who ended up being talented enough to place in Junior Rider classes. Kirk and Ellie Myers also entrusted her with a pony and horse to ride.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to start their careers. I think it’s really important with the young horses that they get a bit of variety, whether it’s jumping a few cross-country fences, hacking, or jumping a few hunting spars.

“I definitely believe you can’t produce every horse the same way. You have to figure out what they love and give them variety. Don’t rush them up the heights, but you also have to

know when to push them a bit. I think, especially with young ones, it’s so rewarding. Winning is amazing, but it’s the baby steps along the way, little achievements, like baby pony’s first cross-country jump or first 1m.”

Her current top horse, Lily, came to her as a five-year-old, having done just one trek - she had never jumped. The idea was that Sam would school her up and sell her, but it didn’t take long to realise Lily was something special and worth holding on to.

Standing at just over 15hh, nine-year-old Lily is an Irish Draught-cross by Trevalda Irish Cloud out of Rata Mill Jeanette. Though she might be small in stature, she’s big in personality.

“She’s only 15hh, but she thinks she’s 17hh. She has so much personality, and you always know it’s Lily with the sass out there in the arena. She came from Mum’s friend and was supposed to

be my summer project, but then I decided she could jump.

“I tried a bit of eventing and working hunter – she was a bit bucky for the judge,” Sam laughs. “She just absolutely loves to jump, and that’s a big part of it. If they love to jump, they’ll be way better at their job and try so much harder for you.”

Lily rocketed up the grades, going from having never jumped to finishing her first season at 1.20m.

“I decided that was a bit much a bit too quickly, so we reconsolidated, and in our second season, she only stepped up to 1.25m. Last season I wanted to focus on the Tertiary Series, but she kept going and going and didn’t struggle with the heights, so we ended up at Premier Young Rider by the end of the season, which was exciting.”

Lily and Sam were second overall in the Tertiary Series and won the class at Series Finals in Masterton.

This is Sam’s last season in Young Riders, and her goal with Lily is to have a good season at that level and qualify for the final at HOY. “It would be nice to have one last really good crack.”

As for the future, Sam’s not sure what she wants to do with her degree. She does know that horses are something she wants to do forever, and her passion lies in developing young ones. She has an exciting young horse, Lulu, at home - a four-year-old by Double J Repicharge, broken in this year. Sam hopes to get her out to some

I WOULD LOVE TO RIDE FOR NEW ZEALAND AT LEAST ONCE; THAT WOULD BE A COOL OPPORTUNITY. ALSO, TO STAY A PART OF THE SERIES CLASSES AND KEEP DOING WHAT I LOVE - PRODUCING HORSES UP THE GRADES.

There is nothing RATA MILL ECLIPSE (Lily) will not try; she may be small in stature, but she makes up for that with her personality.

baby shows this season.

“In the future, I see myself taking young horses up the grades because that’s what I love to do, which should generate a bit of income. I would love to have a big team, but finances and uni just don’t allow it right now.”

While at uni, she has been working at the Awapuni racing stables of Peter Didham, gaining experience with racehorses. “The racehorses have their own things to teach you. Peter’s a great boss, and working with racehorses has taught me valuable skills I have been able to apply to show jumping”.

Soon, Sam is keen to head overseas for a stint and work in a racing stable in Ireland for six months – a good way to see Europe.

Long-term, she’d love to make a New Zealand team. “I would love to ride for New Zealand at least once; that would be a cool opportunity. Also, to stay part of the series classes and keep doing what I loveproducing horses up the grades.”

Growing up and while based in New Plymouth, Sam did most of her training with Lydia Quay for Show Hunter, show jumping, and eventing. These days she trains with Olympian Sally Clark, who she credits with getting her to Young Rider level last season.

“Sally is fantastic. She’s so knowledgeable and supportive, and she really knows what will work for each horse and rider.”

Sam counts herself lucky to have great support from her family, especially her mum, who she says is her biggest supporter. “My grandparents got me a float so I could get myself around and bought half of Utu, which I’m so grateful for.” n

He hasn’t worn shoes in two years and it just seems to work for him. Most elite horses wear shoes, but mine don’t. So half the Swedish team will be shoeless!

Henrik von Eckermann

1. Henrik von Eckermann - KING EDWARD (SWE) took top honours with clear rounds finishing on .58 time faults

2. Katie Laurie - DJANGO II (AUS), 63rd in the individual show jumping

3. Roger Chammas - HUMPHREY G (LBN)

4. The Swiss in the crowd go crazy after Henrik von Eckerman and KING EDWARD’S spectacular final round.

5. Isabell Werth - DSP QUANTAZ (GER) finished on 77.127 in the Teams dressage.

7 8

10

1. John Thompson - CHEMISTRY (NZL) finished on 68.059 in the Teams dressage 2. Bertram Allen - PACINO AMIRO (IRL) during the Teams show jumping, where they finished 4th3. Martin Fuchs - LEONE JEI (SUI), 11th 4. Melissa Galloway - WINDERMERE J’OBEI W completed the dressage on 70.978 5. Jerome Guery - QUEL HOMME DE HUS (BEL) stopped the clock at 3.35-time faults and finished in 2nd place individually. 6. Jur Vrieling - LONG JOHN SILVER (NED), 18th7. Joseph Stockdale - EQUINE AMERICA CACHAREL (GBR), 79th 8. The main oval for the opening of the Dressage competition 9. Shingo Hayashi - SCOLARI 4 ( JPN) finished on a dressage score of 67.873 10. Ioli Mytilineou - L’ARTISTE DE TOXANDRA (GRE), 19th

1. Our New Zealand team, the Bronze Medallists. (L-R) Tim Price, Monica Spencer, Clarke Johnstone, Jonelle Price with Chef d’Équipe Jock Paget.

2.Tim Price is pictured on the cross-country course with gorgeous and talented FALCO. It was double Bronze for this duo, winning the Bronze with the team and also taking the individual Bronze.

3. (L-R) Individual medallists Julia Krajewski (GER), Silver; World Champion Yasmin Ingham (GBR) Gold; Tim Price (NZL) Bronze Image: FEI - Richard Juilliart.

4. There is nothing worse than gear failure, as Kevin McNab (AUS) found out. He was able to stop SCUDERIA 1918 DON QUIDAM by reaching forward and grabbing the cheekpiece, and tied his reins to continue!

5. Tamra Smith - MAI BAUM (USA) 9th had a flawless cross-country. Her USA team took the Silver medal spot.

We’ve had faith in him from the start. He has always been an out-and-out jumper but to get to Sunday and use that in the best way is just incredible. We worked so hard for this; we focused on it for years. This kind of major event with the team behind us and the nation behind us means everything!

- Tim Price

I am delighted with McClaren. He really came through for me in the showjumping and jumped his socks off. The track was probably the toughest day three track I have ever seen and it really created an exciting result and brought the true jumpers to the fore.

Overall, it was an amazing experience for my future, and I’ve taken away a lot of learnings.

My horse, Ferg, truly outdid himself; he never stopped trying for me and proved he really did deserve to be there. It was also a great week to be a Kiwi, with NZ bringing home two Bronze medals.

Amanda Pottinger

I am so proud of the team’s Bronze medal and my horse Menlo Park. Even though it wasn’t exactly the result I was hoping for personally. I think Jacko showed heaps of class in all three phases bar a couple of green mistakes. Very exciting for the future! It was great to be a part of a team all working so hard together.

You have to fight for every decimal point the whole way through and everyone did just that – whether it was for the medium trot or a turn before a fence, they all did it. We knew we were an outside chance in the morning but that was one of the toughest showjumping courses I have ever seen. It was a good day to fight like hell. I am so proud of them all.

1. Michael Jung - FISCHERCHIPMUNK FRH (GER) looked like they were going to be unstoppable for the Gold but had to settle for 5th individually after taking two show jumping rails. Still, not all was lost; the German team took the Silver medal 2. Kazuma Tomoto - VINCI DE LA VIGNE JRA (JPN) 8th individually 3. Gaspard Maksud - ZARAGOZA (FRA) jumped superbly both on the cross-country and in the show jumping without any faults and placed 6th individually 4. Monica Spencer - ARTIST (NZL), 21st. A superb dressage scored the highest mark of the Kiwi riders. They then rose to the occasion on the cross-country, going clear with 4.4 time faults. While the show jumping didn’t go to plan, they proved that they deserved to be in the New Zealand team at this event.

What an incredible week. I feel so lucky to be part of a Bronze medal winning team at my first World Championships.

I’m very proud of Max; he travelled half way around the world and tried his heart out for me.

Monica Spencer

S Our hopping guide

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ANTARÈS SADDLE BLANKET

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ANTARES CLASSIC ANATOMIC GIRTH

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HOW REDUCE THE RISK OF THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL EQUINE ILLNESS TETANUS

OUR EXPERTS:

Amy is originally from Australia and graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2013. She has since worked in equine practice across Australia, the USA and New Zealand. She is a boardcertified specialist in large animal internal medicine, currently working as an equine medicine clinician and senior lecturer at Massey University.

Tetanus is a sporadic but horrific disease that goes back as early as 3000 BC. Although tetanus affects almost all mammals, humans and horses are the most susceptible to it. Thankfully, the tetanus vaccine offers excellent protection against the disease. However, there is still a high fatality rate among unvaccinated horses should they develop this disease.

HANNAH BURROWS - BVSC Hannah graduated from Massey University with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2020, and went on to complete an equine internship at Veterinary Associates Equine in Karaka in 2021. She is now working as an equine general practitioner at Massey University’s Equine Veterinary Clinic.

WHAT IS TETANUS

Tetanus is a disease affecting the nervous system – the body system responsible for thinking, hearing, seeing, interacting and moving, and a myriad of other regulatory functions. Tetanus is caused by ‘Clostridium tetani’, a bacterium everywhere in our environment. In horses, this

infection typically gains access to the body via wounds, hoof abscesses, post-operation complications, birth complications in broodmares, or via the umbilicus in newborn foals. Thus, breeding stock, injured and recently castrated horses not vaccinated against tetanus are most at risk.

THE SIGNS

There are many clinical signs associated with tetanus; the earlier they are noticed, the better. The first signs take an average of 7-10 days to appear from the date of initial infection; in at-risk horses, this is the day that an injury is sustained or an operation is performed. However, more severe cases can have a much earlier onset; these cases also tend to have a much higher fatality rate.

Stiffness and rigidity of the legs are classic tetanus; this affects the horse’s gait and is evident for owners to spot. Keep an eye out for pricked ears, rigidly flared nostrils, a stiff tail, drawn-back lips and an inability to eat food or drink (this is due to ‘locked-jaw’).

Third eyelid prolapse is another classic indicator of equine tetanus, where the membrane starts to protrude across the inner corner of the horse’s eye. No other significant diseases in New Zealand can cause the third eyelid of horses to do this.

Staggering and excessive responses to normal stimuli are also typical signs of tetanus. Because the tetanus toxin blocks the action of inhibitory nerve cells in the spinal cord, the affected horse will slowly lose control of their body. They become jittery and extremely over-reactive to normal touch, sounds and sights.

Spasms are one of the more severe and progressive signs of tetanus. The continuous contraction and rigidity of the muscles eventually lead to severely painful spasms. Ulti mately, these spasms will turn into convulsions, and the horse cannot stand. In this stage, the respiratory muscles

CLINICAL SIGNS OF TETANUS

• Stiff neck and limbs

• Rigid posture

• Difficulty chewing (due to stiff facial muscles)

• Flared nostrils

• Continuous pricked ears

Above: Walking, turning, and backing are difficult.

Below: Spasms of the neck and back muscles cause extension of the head and neck, while stiffness of the leg muscles causes the animal to assume a “sawhorse” stance.

will stop working, and the horse will pass away. If a horse goes down with tetanus and cannot stand, it is at this point that a veterinarian will perform humane euthanasia.

• Exaggerated response to noise

• Third eyelid protrusion

• Difficulty breathing

• Elevation of tail head

If you notice any of these signs in your horse call a vet IMMEDIATELY. Put your horse in a quiet, dark stable and avoid any stimulation.

IS IT REALLY TETANUS?

The unique thing about New Zealand is that we are free of many neurological diseases of animals elsewhere in the world. Regarding equine neurological conditions, we don’t have many that can be confused with tetanus; however, in New Zealand, the closest would be perennial ryegrass staggers (PRGS). PRGS can look very similar to a mild or early case of tetanus. Still, as opposed to tetanus, it is caused by the ingestion of perennial

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE VACCINE

ryegrass infected by an endophytic fungus, producing the principal causative toxin lolitrem B. Although PRGS is far more common than tetanus in horses in NZ, signs should not be dismissed as this until your veterinarian can rule out tetanus.

If your horse is up to date with its tetanus vaccinations, the likelihood of it having tetanus is extremely low.

PREVENTION

The most important thing to know about tetanus is that it is entirely preventable. If every horse in modern society is vaccinated against tetanus, cases of this disease would be extremely rare. The tetanus vaccine in humans and animals consists of a ‘toxoid’, which is an inactivated version of the tetanus toxin. Like most vaccines, it is administrated via injection. Once administered, the toxoid does two things: the immune system is stimulated to produce antibodies against the tetanus toxin. It generates long-term immunity by training the horse’s immune system to remember the disease.

Following a primary course of two tetanus toxoid injections, 4-6 weeks apart and a third injection 12 months later, subsequent booster vaccines are essential as they help to remind the immune memory and ‘boost’ the production of tetanus antibody levels in the blood, keeping the body well prepared to bind and fight off any tetanus toxins. If a horse does not suffer a ‘risk event’ (e.g. surgery, injury, hoof abscess or pregnancy), then the booster is safe to be given every five years, providing a primary course has been followed correctly. However, a booster should be given earlier than this by a veterinarian should a ‘risk event’ occur.

An essential part of administering the tetanus vaccination is ensuring that the horse is healthy. If there are signs that the horse is not healthy for immunisation, it will not be given one. This is why the tetanus vaccine is administered by veterinarians and cannot be bought over the counter.

The tetanus vaccination is the best protection against tetanus because the causative bacteria are everywhere in the environment, and horses are inherently accident prone. Any other attempts of prevention are considered subpar.

Theoretically, maintaining safe paddocks and stables for your horse could reduce the risk of tetanus, as this might minimise the risk of injury. However, horses can still find weird and wonderful ways to injure themselves even in a safe environment, so paddock maintenance is not something to lean on.

The tetanus antitoxin is another veterinary product, different from the tetanus toxoid vaccine, that can aid in preventing tetanus in certain scenarios. The antitoxin is essentially temporary antibodies that give immediate protection against tetanus by binding any toxin that might be circulating in the horse’s system. However, the antitoxin does not work if the toxin has already bound itself to any nerve terminals in the spinal cord.

Vets will typically prescribe both the tetanus antitoxin and tetanus vaccine to injured horses or horses undergoing unvaccinated surgery or with an uncertain vaccination history. In these situations, the tetanus antitoxin’s primary purpose is to provide some temporary protection against tetanus straight away. Meanwhile, the vaccination takes approximately 14 days after the first dose before reaching full effect in an unvaccinated horse. In New Zealand and Australia, the antitoxin at the label dose gives less than three weeks of protection; however, in other countries, the product label is for larger doses which might provide slightly longer-lasting protection. This combination of tetanus vaccine and tetanus antitoxin is perfect for protecting unvaccinated horses at risk of tetanus immediately and long-term (providing follow-up doses of the vaccine are given to complete the course).

In contrast, if a horse with a good tetanus vaccination history sustains a wound or hoof abscess or undergoes surgery, a booster vaccine is all it may need per the veterinarian’s discretion. A booster tetanus vaccine in a previously vaccinated horse will elicit its effects on the immune system within just a few days, reinforcing strong protection against tetanus.

Pregnant mares should be given a tetanus vaccine in the last 4-6weeks of pregnancy. This will provide the foal with protection in the mare’s milk in the first 6-12 weeks of life.

Foals can be given a dose of tetanus anti-toxin (an antidote to infection) as soon as possible after birth to provide temporary cover. This should be followed by another dose after 4 weeks.

DEBUNKING THE MYTHS

“I don’t need to vaccinate against tetanus because my horse never leaves the property.”

This is one of the most common tetanus misconceptions, and it is wholly problematic. The Clostridium tetani bacteria has been around for thousands of years and exists everywhere in the environment, and it does not discriminate. Again, horses are one of the most susceptible animals to tetanus, and need to be vaccinated no matter where they are living in order to prevent this deadly disease.

“I can just give my horse the tetanus antitoxin.” The toxoid vaccine and the antitoxin are two very different products that serve very different purposes. There is a time and place for the antitoxin, which is very much up to the veterinarian to decide. The toxoid vaccine generates a different type of immunity to the antitoxin, one that is long lasting and far more effective. The toxoid is also cheaper than the antitoxin, and has less potential risks associated with it.

How is tetanus treated?

Each case of tetanus can have differences in why and how the disease develops. The outcome of each case depends on the time frame in which the signs of disease were first noticed, how quickly the disease progresses and how quickly treatment is initiated. On average, 70-80% of horses that develop tetanus do not survive.

Tetanus may be treated with antibiotics, usually penicillin, injection of tetanus antitoxin, and other medications.The horse should be kept in a dark, quiet stable with deep bedding. A stall with padded walls may be used to further minimise possible injury. Slinging may be required in severe cases.

HOW IS TETANUS TREATED?

Every horse and every tetanus case is different, and the outcome of each case depends on the time frame in which the symptoms were first noticed.

n STEP 1 – In the initial stages of tetanus, we need to identify the source of the infection, which is often a penetrating wound. These types of wounds may not always be evident as these tend to heal on the outside but still have unhealthy tissue deep in the skin. Aggressive debridement and cleaning are essential if a wound can be identified. Additionally, the horse will be put on a high dose of antibiotic, which helps to kill the bacteria producing the tetanus toxin. We can also try to neutralise toxins circulating in the body by using ‘off-label’ high doses of tetanus antitoxin.

n STEP 2 – Our next step is providing pain relief and muscle relaxation. The horses with milder symptoms of tetanus can continue to eat and drink and look after themselves a little bit. However, they will still be very reactive despite their excessive rigidity. Just touching the horse or talking around them often makes them jumpy, which perpetuates more stiffness and spasms, so minimising noise is essential. If the horse is in a hospital, we often put cotton wool in their ears and keep them in the dark, quiet place.

n STEP 3 – If the horse is stumbling and bumping into things, we sometimes put them in a safe, padded stall. Some equine hospitals have a ‘neuro stall’, a padded, self-contained stall where the affected horse is less likely to injure themselves, and external stimulation can be minimised. Alternatively, we can also repurpose an anaesthesia ‘recovery’ box for this use. These stalls will have a little window that we can look through to check on our patients and cameras. These measures allow staff to watch the patient without going in and out of the box, as safety is a huge consideration when treating neurological horses.

n STEP 4 – If the disease has severely progressed, the prognosis becomes very poor. You have to commit a lot of time and money to these cases, and many will still lie down and become unable to stand. In these cases, we have to provide them with fluids and nutrition through catheters; this level of care necessitates hospitalisation in a 24-hour care facility. Horses are also not designed to be laying on their muscles for long periods, so without a means to sling horse patients that are down and can’t get up, these horses often need to be put to sleep. n

ALTERED STATES TO SEDATE OR NOT?

Even the quietest of horses will likely need sedating at some point in his life. Several types of sedation are available, ranging from very mild to heavy, with added pain relief, but how do they work and affect your horse?

Horses are flight animals, so when your horse finds himself in situations that he perceives as dangerous, his instinct is to flee as quickly as possible. This can make specific procedures or events dangerous for your horse and his handler, from clipping to dental examinations and veterinary procedures.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF SEDATION

Several types of sedation are available, some that you can administer yourself and some that your vet can only use. They all vary significantly in how strong they are and how long they last.

ORAL SEDATIVES

Are one of the most commonly used types of sedation and are dispensed by veterinary surgeons, allowing owners to administer the sedation as and when needed. They typically take longer to reach full effect (up to 45 minutes), so they need to be administered before the desired onset time.

Oral sedatives tend to give a light plane of sedation – the horse will become calmer but will still appear awake and will still have the ability to jump and spook!

INJECTABLE SEDATION

Can be administered by a veterinary surgeon or a registered veterinary nurse and can be given into the muscle (intramuscular) or into a vein (intravenous).

Above: Oral sedation given via paste.

Below; Sedation given intramuscular (in the muscle.

INTRAMUSCULAR SEDATION

Has a relatively long time of onset (15–45 minutes), requires a large dose when compared with intravenous sedation and can last several hours. It is useful when injecting dangerous horses because it requires a less precise injection technique than intravenous sedation.

It is also useful when transporting horses in pain –for example, colicky horses – who need to remain quiet for safe travel.

Intravenous sedation is typically rapid in onset (approximately two to five minutes), and the degree of sedation achieved can be adjusted with the dose administered. Smaller doses achieve light to medium sedation, which may be helpful in imaging horses (X-ray and ultrasound) and routine dental work, but the horse may still react to painful stimuli.

Higher doses achieve a deep level of sedation, often required for standing surgical procedures. The length of sedation will depend on the drug selected by the vet – intravenous sedation can last between 15 minutes and an hour.

Often your veterinarian will listen to his heartbeat before he sedates your horse.

ESSENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Your vet always considers several points before deciding upon appropriate sedation for your horse and the procedure.

Is sedation needed?

Would a nose twitch or something similar work? It is best to avoid using sedation if it is safe.

How long does the horse need to be sedated for?

This will help the vet choose which drug to use.

Is the procedure likely to be painful?

Some types of sedation provide pain relief.

Has the horse reacted dangerously before?

If he has, it will be safer to sedate him.

Is the horse healthy?

Some health issues may affect sedation choice, so a vet needs to have an entire medical history and conduct a clinical examination before administering a sedative – including oral sedatives.

HOW DO THE DRUGS WORK?

Three main types of sedatives are commonly used in horses.

ACEPROMAZINE (ACP)

This is available as an oral and an injectable sedative. It typically produces light sedation (affects vary widely between horses) and does not provide pain relief. Smaller doses will act as an anxiolytic, reducing anxiety in the horse. ACP is also commonly used as a pre-medication for general anaesthesia, as it reduces the amount of general anaesthetic required.

When administered orally, ACP may take up to an hour to have an effect, and the results may last several hours. When injected intravenously, effects are usually noted within 10 minutes but may still last several hours.

ALPHA-2 AGONISTS

Include detomidine, romifidine and xylazine. Detomidine is available as an oral and an injectable sedative, whereas romifidine and xylazine are

only licensed for injectable use. Alpha-2 agonists produce sedation and muscle relaxation and provide pain relief. The level of sedation is more predictable in alpha-2 agonists than it is with ACP.

All three act within five minutes when injected intravenously. Xylazine has the shortest duration of effect (approximately 20 minutes), making it a helpful sedative for nerve-blocking horses who are needle-shy, and detomidine and romifidine typically last between 30 and 40 minutes. If administered orally, detomidine usually takes 30–40 minutes to take effect and may last several hours.

BUTORPHANOL

This is a partial opioid that produces sedation, provides pain relief and is only available as an injectable drug. It is most commonly used in combination with detomidine or romifidine, producing a moderate to a deep, predictable level of sedation in horses.

Twitching is an effective drug-free way to manage an otherwise difficult horse

“Sedated horses may appear to be relaxed and asleep, but they can still be easily startled and are capable of strong reflexes, such as kicking, striking out and head butting.”

DID YOU KNOW?

You may hear your vet referringto sedation as ‘dom and torb’.

This refers to detomidine andbutorphanol, and is related to the tradenames of the drugs. Sedation maybe given in small, incremental dosesin order to avoid making a horsetoo sleepy and wobbly. Furtherdoses are often referred toas ‘top-ups’.

RECOVERY PERIOD

While your horse is recovering from sedation, he may be sweaty, so make sure he is in a draughtfree environment with a cooler or sweat rug, if needed. It is important to withhold food from your horse until he is fully awake (this includes edible bedding) as sedation can cause horses to choke more easily, but water should always be available.

SIDE EFFECTS AND COMPLICATIONS

Modern sedatives are very safe to use, but horses sometimes experience side effects with some drugs. Acepromazine can cause hypotension (a drop in blood pressure). Although it’s unlikely to be significant in a healthy horse, caution should be taken if used in debilitated horses or horses in shock. It should also be avoided in breeding stallions, as it may cause priapism (penile prolapse). Trauma is possible if prolonged penile prolapse occurs, and further veterinary treatment may be necessary. Acepromazine should also not be used in pregnant mares.

The most common side effects of detomidine are sweating, muscle tremors and incoordination. It is not suitable for use in mares in the last month of pregnancy, and gastrointestinal motility may be slowed, which can contribute to the development of impaction colic. When combined with detomidine, as it commonly is, side effects of butorphanol are rare.

SAFE HANDLING

Your horse will find it easier to balance if you make sure he stands square before he gets too sleepy and allows his head to drop down. A heavily sedated horse may sway and a leg may buckle on occasion, but it is rare for horses to fall over while sedated. However, it is essential to ensure you’re standing in a safe place (not between your horse and a wall) and that you’re paying attention to him at all times, just in case.

Sedated horses may appear to be relaxed and asleep, but it doesn’t mean they cannot react. They can still be easily startled and are capable of strong reflexes, such as kicking, striking out and head butting. So don’t be lulled into a false sense of security! Keep your wits about you and always stand on the same side of your horse as your vet.

EQUINE DRUG TESTING

Is a form of drug testing applied to performance horses in regulated competition. Insure you understand or ask your veterinarian what the swabable periods are for the drugs you use to sedate your horse.

A sedated horse always drop their head and often sway, but rarely fall over.

more air above the ground and better take off for jumping

• Maintains a more even spread than traditional sand surface

• Less affected by rain

• Reduced dust means fewer respiratory issues

• Can be used alone over base-coarse or spread on top and mixed with existing sand

AWARDED EXCELLENCE IN THE 2018 NZWB CLASSIFICATION TOUR AND ACHIEVED THE HIGHEST EVER AWARDED MARK FOR A STALLION!

Chacco Silver

CHACCO SILVER’S SIRE (CHACCO BLUE) IS RANKED NUMBER 1 IN THE WBFSH RANKING FOR JUMPING BREEDING STALLIONS!!

Chacco Silver is line bred to the influential Caletto 1 and carries some of the most critical blood in modern jumping. His sire Chacco Blue has held the No 1 position for jumping breeding stallions in the WBFSH rankings for the past four years. His progeny continue to top European foal and young horse auctions. Chacco Silver remains the only serving NZ based son of Chacco Blue, and he is now breeding in Australia by frozen semen. Chacco Silver progeny all jump. They excite

great interest and attention both here and in Australia. He strongly stamps them; he improves the mare and provides very athletic, electric, scopey, well-moving horses of wonderful temperament, such as BMW Chaccolilli (who at one show last season won 3 important classes), and Chio MS, who is jumping so successfully in Australia. Chacco Silver creates horses that can be competed by amateurs or professionals! Now aged 13 years, Chacco Silver is still young

CHILLED SEMEN AVAILABLE AT YOUR MARE’S CONVENIENCE. SERVICE FEE $2100.00 + GST. LIVE FOAL GUARANTEE AND FIRST COLLECTION IS FREE.

in breeding terms. Most of his progeny are still maturing, but we confidently expect to see them dominating, jumping here in years to come. Ask anyone who’s bred a Chacco Silver foal - they are phenomenal - he wasn’t sire of the 2017 NZWA Classification Tour Champion foal and dam sire of the 2019 Champion foal for no reason! If you want to breed a jumping champion, Chacco Silver has proven himself to be a pre-eminent sire.

021 154 2311 - Email:

Astek Quatermaster is one of those stallions that impresses all who tour the stud. His majestic presence and beautifully balanced correct conformation are noticed instantly alongside his kind eye and wonderful temperament. He holds enormous power in his straight, balanced, elevated movement and it creates a total package that is hard to ignore.

Astek Quatermaster is breeding exceptional horses for both dressage and jumping homes.

Stallion by Damsey FRH x Dressage Royal/Sir Donnerhall/Rubenstein Negative for WFFS. Cannot produce a chestnut foal.

SWE Dempsey is now classified and registered with the Rhineland and NZ Warmblood Associations so his foals can now be registered with these bodies. A very correct horse showing tremendous trainability and scope under saddle. Dempsey turns heads wherever he goes. Dempsey’s sire Damsey ridden by Helen Langehanenberg now named the highest ranked dressage stallion in the world!!!

FROZEN SEMEN FROM EUROPE’S BEST BLOODLINES

SHOWJUMPERS

ZIROCCO BLUE VDL

(MR. BLUE X LINCORNE DES FORETS)

1.70m, Grey, KWPN. WFFS - Non carrier

Approved for KWPN, SF, Holst, Unire, Hann, Old/OS, BH

Wherever Zirocco Blue competes all eyes are upon him with his scope, jumping style and efficiency. Under Jur Vrieling he has achieved several very impressive international results

CARRERA VDL

(CARDENTO X VANTIELS ESPRIT)

170cm, Bay, KWPN. WFFS - Non carrier

Approved for KWPN, Zangersheide, Old/OS, Hann., BH

Carrera is a striking and interestingly bred horse from a combination of two Olympic stallions. Sire, Cardento, won three silver medals under Peter Eriksson at the Olympics, the World Championship and the European Championship.

GLASGOW VAN’T MERELSNEST VDL

(NABAB DE RÊVE X WENDELINE VAN ‘T MERELSNEST)

174cm, Black/Bay. WFFS - Non carrier

Approved for NRPS, AES, BH, Hann., SF, Holst. Glasgow van ’t Merelsnest is an exceptional and interestingly bred stallion. Sire Nabab de Rêve and grand sire Darco have both had successful careers in Grand Prix competitions to include World Cups and World Championships.

COMTHAGO VDL

(COMME IL FAUT X NASTASIA V)

170cm, Bay, Holstein. WFFS - Non carrier

Approved for AES

Comthago unites the genes of show jumping phenomenon Comme Il Faut with a performance dam line from Holstein. With Comme Il Faut, Carthago, Caretino, Constant and Roman all in a line, Comthago has the complete package of genes to succeed in both sport and breeding.

EVENTING

CONTENDRO I*- GFE (CONTENDER X BRAVO)

Holsteiner, Dark bay, 168cm.

WFFS - Non carrier

For the fourth year in a row, he is the world’s No. 1 sire of winners in Eventing and has ranked among the world’s top 25 sires in show-jumping for the past 7 years!

UNTOUCHABLE - GFE (HORS LA LOI II x PROMESSE)

KWPN, Grey, 168cm. . WFFS - Non carrier The success of his offspring both in the arena and on the commercial scene make it one of the most sought-after stallions in Europe in 2018. He brings strength, an outstanding canter and a winning mindset. Crowned Elite Stallion for BWP.

DRESSAGE

GLAMOURDALE - Van Olst Horses (LORD LEATHERDALE X THUJA)

170cm, Black, Hannover, KWPN, Oldenburg, Westfalen / RPSI

WFFS - Non carrier. 2018 FEI World Champion 7-year-old dressage horses. Glamourdale is the undisputed champion of the 2014 Stallion Inspection, the Reserve Champion of the 2014 KWPN performance test and the 2018 “sovereign” FEI World Champion of 7-year-old dressage horses.

NEGRO - Van Olst Horses (FERRO X FEWRIE)

170cm, Black, KWPN, Hannover, Oldenburg, Selle Francais, Rheinlander, SWB, DWB, Bavar. WFFS - Non carrier. Sire of Olympic, World Equestrian Games, and World Cup winner Valegro, Negro has certainly confirmed his value as a sire of top dressage talent. Negro offspring have proven tire and again that they have the talent for the FEI work and he is currently ranked 8th on the WBFSH Dressage Sire Rankings. Negro has been awarded the coveted Preferant status by the KWPN and was the 2017 KWPN Stallion of the Year.

SOLIMAN DE HUS - GFE (SANDRO HIT X DANEA)

169cm, Black. Hanoverian, SF, Hann, OLD, BAV, RHEIN. WFFS - carrier.

This stallion is considered as the best son of the world famous dressage legend SANDRO HIT by German breeders and has seven licensed sons. Winner in 2007 of the famous 2-year old Hanoverian approval in Verden and within the Top Ten of the German 6-year-old Bundeschampionatefinals, this jet black licensed stallion is, at age 11, the proud father of over 400 foals.

Top European performance stallions

Frozen semen from top-performing Dutch jumping and dressage stallions is available again this season. The older stallions have competed successfully at Grand Prix level, and there are

DRESSAGE

Johnson

Fontaine TN (Finest/Samarant) is still a young stallion (b. 2015) and was second in his performance test (Adeldheidsdorf 2018). He gained the following points: character/temperament: 9,00; willingness to work: 9,50; trot: 8,50; canter: 9,50; walk: 9,50; rideability: 9,00.

Sire Finest was declared premium stallion and has already claimed remarkable results in the young horse competitions. Approved for Westfalen, Hannover and Oldenburg.

also some promising well-bred young ones. All stallions are approved by European studbooks including KWPN, Hannover, Oldenburg and Holstein, and offered with a live foal guarantee.

Spielberg (Sunny Boy/Rosier) has outstanding breeding and conformation, and movement with a lot of rhythm and balance. He won his performance test on the dressage elements, and has competed successfully to a high level under Joyce Lenaerts. His grandsires include Sandro Song, Donnerhall and Rubenstein. Approvals include Westphalen and Oldenburg, and he is a true breeding bay.

Sandreo (Sandro Hit/Flemmingh) is also available.

from Team Nijhof

SHOWJUMPING

Superstar jumping stallion Verdi (Quidam de Revel/Landgraf 1) KEUR was in the Dutch team for the previous two Olympics. He won team gold at Aachen, and WEG in Caen, and team silver and individual bronze at the London Olympics. Verdi is a son of the legendary sire Quidam de Revel. He has more than 50 offspring competing internationally. Verdi is approved for KWPN, Holstein, Hannover, OS/OL, Unire, Z and Selle Français.

I’m Special de Muze (Emerald/Nabab de Reve) won the GMB competition for six- and seven-year-olds in Drachten in 2015 and is competing successfully at GP level. Sire Emerald was in the Dutch team at the Rio Olympics. Dam Walnut de Muze also competed with great success at GP level. I’m Special de Muze’s rider Zoï Snels confirms the great qualities of the stallion. “I think he has a 100% score on every aspect: he is top careful, has scope, has a great rideability and has a super attitude.”

Eldorado van de Zeshoek (Clinton/Toulon) is hugely successful in both high-level competition and as a breeding stallion. He was awarded PREFERENT status – the highest possible award in KWPN breeding, with three of his sons coming first, second and third in the stallion class (1.40m -1.50m) at the 2020 KWPN stallion show. Approved for KWPN, Oldenburg, Hannover and Selle Français.

NEW JUMPING STALLIONS: Cero Blue (Chaccoon Blue/Balou du Rouet), Chaplin (Verdi Concorde), Dorian Gray (Dominator Z/Chellano Z), King Kashmir (Kashmir van Schuttershof/Mylord Carthago), Opium (Kannan/Nabab de Reve). Other high-performing jumping stallions offered are: Classico (Cornet Obolensky/Burggraaf), Cantona (Codex One/Caretano Z), Poker de Mariposa (Nabab de Reve/Berlin); El Clarimo (Clarimo/Limbus); Floris (Quality Time/Vancouver); Spartacus (Stakkato/Grannus); Starpower (Stakkato/Escudo 1); Calvados (Uriel/Ibrahim); Concorde (Voltaire/Marco Polo); Larino (Concorde/ Armstrong); and Quattro B (Qredo de Paulstra/Phandore du Thet).

Grandorado (Eldorado x Carolus x Baloubet du Rouet) is an exciting stallion selected for the Dutch Team at WEG 2022. He won his KWPN performance test in 2014, and in 2015 he won the four-year-old class at Tubbergen with scores of 8,9 and 9,0 for jumping. Grandorado is approved for KWPN and Oldenburg. He came first at the 2020 KWPN stallion show jumping competition.

Prices are very competitive and details about the stallions, including price, can be viewed at teamnijhof.nz

For orders and further information, please email Candace Bagnall at candacebagnall@gmail.com (022 031 1849), or Jeanette Benedict-Nijhof at info@team-nijhof.com.

Semen is stored at Matamata Veterinary Services on 07 888 8197.

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