Year: 2022

Having a new horse, Finn, (and a broken collarbone) I have enlisted the help of a friend and master horseman Shane Woodall, from Rokewood, Victoria to do a few sessions with before he is sent off to be started.

Whilst a good horse is never a bad colour, I have always loved Palominos. Hopefully a good horse that is a good colour. We have mainly had Arabs over the years, and whilst they are a bit reactive, they are very smart, attentive and people focused. Finn is a Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred and is very different to what we are used to. He has just turned five, and I think he has had more carrots and hugs than any basic education. He has a good nature and no apparent dirt, but he also has no respect or understanding about personal space. That is why we got Shane to do a couple of sessions with him, just to teach him to focus, stand still, back and lead.

Excellent video. No quick fixes unfortunately, but just relating behavior to performance/pain is really thought provoking.

I recently spent a week in the Pilbara, Western Australia, riding with my friend Greg Steemson, from Liversage Saddles Australia. Whilst I had worked in the outback in my younger years, it was a long, long time ago, and out of Broken Hill in sheep country. Coming from the Ballarat region, I admit we are used to high rainfall, lush grazing and pretty soft easy country. The Pilbara isn’t soft, and Western Australia is huge. Western Australia covers an area of more than 2.5 million square kilometres – that’s about the size of Western Europe and one-third of Australia’s total landmass.

We flew to Perth, then drove up to Mt Vernon station which is owned by friends of Greg’s. Mt Vernon was one of three cattle stations we visited, all owned by the Day family and covering about 2.5 million acres. We rode every day, exploring the rugged rock strewn creek beds, mulga scrub and flats. The country was breathtakingly beautiful, particularly because of the recent rain. There was lots of feed, and from time to time we would see sleek fat cattle, along with wild donkeys and camels.

We carried hay and concentrate for the horses but generally there was plenty of grass. We would set up electric fences and sometimes use hobbles. We also used high lines for the horses, something I have not seen used before. It involved putting a rope between trees, and attaching swivels that the lead ropes were tied to. It was really effective and the horses could graze without becoming tangled.

The country was rough, and I don’t know how our soft Victorian horses would have managed. Greg’s horses took it all in their stride. One of the horses was barefoot, and used Scoot Boots which stayed on through water, mud and across all manner of  terrain. I used mud straps but can report that they never came off, and only twisted once after crossing a really boggy patch. We used Liversage saddles, which are light weight and perfect for cross country, tough riding. We all used breastplates, which are a must for steep work.

I have a few saddles for sale.

The first is a Sulky Gully drafter. This is a stunning hand made saddle. It is in excellent condition. The only reason I am selling it is I am now riding in a western saddle. These saddles are around $5,000 new.

Sulky Gully Drafter – $3000

See – https://sulkygullysaddlery.com.au/product/the-paramount-drafter/

This saddle has a real touch class and would be suitable for Stockhorse classes, Challenging and Camp drafting. It is Handmade in our own saddle shop using only the best leather and saddle fittings with a hand seamed seat and knee pads with a very close contact to your horse.

Steve Brady Special (rare wide fitting)

Classic Australian close fitting Syd Hill Stock
saddle in excellent condition. Fully mounted.

$1200

Liversage Saddles

I now ride in Liversage saddles and have a few surplus demo models on hand. Usually new Liversage saddles are dispatched out of Perth.

I have an Aussie Trail Rider and a Rough out Kentucky Reiner available both $2400.

Equestrian Australia (EA) has announced a new guide stating that the maximum load a horse is expected to carry should not exceed 20% of the horse’s weight. The Equestrian Australia Dressage Committee (EADC) has released a ‘Guide on Athlete Size‘.

EA said the guide, introduced as a horse welfare move, has been adopted by dressage and eventing, and other disciplines are also considering adopting the guide. It means that the rider and equipment  should not weigh more than 20% of the horse’s approximate weight.

EA said the purpose of introducing this guide — not a rule — is to “reinforce EA’s commitment to best practice striving for optimal health, safety and welfare of the athlete-horse combination”.

I know I am certainly carrying 6 or 7 KG more weight than I would like too, and this is a good reminder to do something about it. Saddles can also contribute a lot of weight, particularly some western saddles and fender saddles. Western saddles can range from 10kg to as much as 30Kg, so they can have a major impact on total weight.