êêêêêêêêêêêêCANBERRA NEWSêêêêêêêêêêêêê

Our students all did very well at Canberra Royal.

The Team - Names from L to R
Riders - Will Evans, Nellie Evans, Nikki Melross, Harriet Hooke.
Standing Middle row - Bruce Walker, Lindy Walker, Melissa Melton, Sherine Coffey, Sarah Hooke, Maeve Lawson holding Keeley Walker Johnson.
Standing Front row – Luke Walker Johnson, Alexa Coffey, Georgia Coffey.

Maureen was missing for this photo, no doubt off talking to one of her many show friends.  Also missing were Gary, Catherine and Lil Mills.  This family had a great show and Lil who won her rider class there last year was placed 3^rd in her new age group this year on her new pony, Royal Appointment of Beckworth and Catherine won 1st with her palomino Peter Pan.

Jane Greentree was also to compete, but was unable to come due to mechanical trouble.  Taylor George also was unable to attend due to work and Uni commitments.

Harriet’s mare, Sandown Matinee Idol, who is always successful at Shows, was Reserve Champion Arabian Derivative Mare and was 2^nd in her Ridden class and placed well in several other classes.

Maeve had a very good start to her first Royal with her new mare Liberty being place 3^rd in her Led ANSA and Thoroughbred mare classes and she was called in one of the main hack classes also.

Marena Twilights followed up her past Royal Show victories by winning again.  She won Reserve Champion Ridden APSB

At right - Lindy with Keeley and  Daisy with Cynthia Jobe-Parker in the marshalling yard ready for their class.

On the track - 4 year old Keeley riding Marena Amber Flare with her mother Lindy.

Keeley was paced 2^nd in the Under 8 Years Riding Class to 7 year old Page Peters led by her mother Amanda (Taylor)

Pairs - Nell and Will,  Harriet and Nikki, Lil and Ashley

At right: Will on Marena Heritage, Nell on Marena Outback, Nikki on Toomba Royal Secret, and Harriet on Sandown Matinee Idol.

Harriet & Nikki were placed 4^th in the Senior Pair of Riders and Nell & Will  were placed 5^th. 

Lil Mills and Ashley Jobe-Parker won 3^rd in the Junior Pairs also.

Georgia and Alexa’s pony Marena Amber Flare won his Led Australian Riding Pony and also Led Australian Saddle Pony classes. 
Georgia was placed 3^rd in the ARP Child’s pony riding Flare - pictured at left.

Georgia Coffey rode Matinee Idol in her riding class - at right.

The ASH Judging Competition -
Nell 1^st and Nikki 4^th

Nell won the Australian Stock Horse Junior Judging for the second year in a row and Nikki was place 4^th at her first attempt.

A win at Canberra means that Nell will compete in the National Final at Sydney Royal in April.

Nikki and Secret should be proud of themselves as they both put in a great effort in the Stock horse classes. Competing in their first ASHLA (Australian Stock Horse Lady Rider Turnout), placed 6^th in the ASH Hack Mare.

Nell had some bad luck when her horse Marena Macquarie sustained a stone bruise on the first day of the show and had to be scratched from all classes.

While his sister Keeley was busy with the horses, Luke Walker Johnson (at right) found other things to enjoy.

We all enjoyed Canberra very much.  It is probably the best Royal on the calendar for competitor and family enjoyment.  Our thanks to all the Horse Committee and their helpers.

Good Luck to you all.
Maureen Walker

Quote of the Month

“The person not rowing is the one who has time to rock the boat”

News from March, 2010

April 2009

Marena Twilights, a full sister to Supreme Champion, Marena Skylights, was sold by us as a 2 y.o.  Her dam was Glenmore Highlights and she is by Marena Sky Chief.  Twilights has had a very successful show career, being Champion Ridden APSB at Sydney Royal 2008 and Reserve Champion Ridden APSB at both Canberra and Sydney Royals in 2009.  She has earned her place in our Gallery of Champions.

We wish her connection Good Luck to make it three-in-a-row this year at the Royals.

Picture here being awarded her trophy at Sydney Royal 2008

June 2009

New Stallions - Firmly believing that “Champions are bred from Champions” we bred from only the best females.  Our wonderful stallions over the years have all sired Show Champions at the top end of the scale.  Since 1974 we have produced 248 Royal Show Champions.

We needed new stallions but these were big shoes to fill, so where to find these mighty young gentlemen?  There was only one stud that came to mind - Kolbeach Stud at Ungarra in South Australia.  This Stud had assembled an impressive group of imported and local mares, using proven imported stallions and the results certainly speak for themselves both in Australia and England.

To join our senior stallions we purchased the first Fernleigh Fine Print colt to be sold by Angelina Penalurick, Chris and Vicky Lawrie’s Kolbeach and Holly’s Stud, and another by Camargue Tribute (imp) - now deceased.  Their pedigrees are rich in the best riding pony legacy available, including renowned sires Keston Tribune, Keston Royal Occasion (imp) and Fairley Rembrandt (UK) as well as those two most influential of English mares, Holly of Spring and Ardenhall Royal Secret (imp).

Kolbeach Royal Print: (at left) A handsome 2 year old liver chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail is sure to appeal, by outstanding stallion Fernleigh Fine Print, who routinely produces class animals that win Supremes at top Shows.  Kolbeach Royal Print’s dam, Ardenhall Royal Secret (imp), “is not only one of the most successful saddle ponies the UK has seen,” but she has produced major winners from different stallions.  A great show mare and a great broodmare - what better dam could our future sire have?

Kolbeach Scandal (at right) has the “look at me“ quality that makes this line so remarkable and possesses some of the finest bloodlines in this country.  He resembles his famous father, a prolific winner who sired numerous winning ponies in the UK and Australia, including such well-know horses as Pendley Gold Cup (imp).  His dam Holly of Spring is “the legendary 4 times Wembley winner considered to be one of the best ponies of all time”.

Kolbeach Scandal’s dam Helden Park Calendar Girl, according to Chris Lawrie was a delight to show, was Champion at Adelaide, Melbourne and Supreme Champion Led and Ridden at Canberra in the one year.

If you want to see more details or these and our other Stallions, click on the link - Stallions

July  2009

Melissa Melton - We have a new rider that we are really excited about and she shows a lot of natural aptitude as a horse trainer as her photos show. A Member of Central Coast Sporting Horse Association Melissa has been sporting for a ten years and would now like to move into Showing so she has come to the right place.

Melissa attended Tocal Agricultural College where she studied horse, cattle, sheep, and farm machinery management.  Specialising in horses as part of the Course, she had to break in one horse and then train another horse that had been broken by a student the previous year.  She graduated her Certificate 3 Course with a Bronze Award, meaning she was 3^rd highest graduate in her Course.

July 2009 saw Melissa begin working for us.  She has been riding the show horses, the young horses and has had advanced training with Lindy.  As part of her programme, she helps with the Stud work, caring for mares and foals, assisting Lindy with the covering of mares, as well as preparing horses for show and sale.

Melissa attended her first Show with us at Morisset in January 2010 to try her hand at Hacking.  As all would guess, it was not the horses she had been training on that she rode for her first entry into the hacking ring!  One of our clients was not well and Mel had to mount up and ride a 15 hand thoroughbred that she had never ridden before.  Welcome to the Show world Mel - you must learn to expect the unexpected.

Pictured are Mel’s horses:

• The grey is Silver, whom Mel has owned for 11years and has given her so much pleasure and success.  She retired him from competition last year.

• The bay is Archie, whom Mel has had for five and a half years and he is in his third year of competition.

On Sporting Days Mel competes in the morning in 6 to 8 classes and wins at least 6-8 places.  Then in the afternoon she competes in 2 to 3 Open classes and wins on average 1 to 3 places.  She is consistently successful.

Melissa will be accompanying us to Canberra and Sydney Royals and will, without doubt, be an important and valued member of our Team.

See more of Melissa's pictures and achievements in Our Riders.

September 2009

Scarecrow - In our beautiful Yarramalong Valley they run a Scarecrow competition. Held for the second year in 2009 the competition ran from 5th to 20th September 2009.

At Marena Stud we decided we should join in the enthusiasm shown by our valley’s fellow residents and show our competitive spirit.  However the "quick" idea turned into a hectic, full on, four day project for three people.

As you might guess our Scarecrow was a horse and rider. With great skills, imagination and fun Mum, Dad, Lindy, Luke and Keeley started the building project, using all re-cycled materials.

It started with a couple pieces of wood, then chicken wire (see picture at right) and finally a covering of reclaimed Brushwood fencing materials. With old truck clearance lights for the eyes, lino underlay for ears and  lastly used soup containers for hoofs - painted with horse hoof black, of course.

We then added an old bridle, saddle cloth, girth, stirrup leathers and irons. At last it was time for the rider. Jodhpurs, riding boots, shirt, vest, helmet and finally the head and face.

The building of our scarecrow was not made from any drawn up plans or measurements.  It was built purely by the judgement of Maureen’s eye for a beautiful horse and correctness to detail.  With Bruce’s ability to be able to turn his hand to just about anything and make and adapt any materials we feel it all came together fabulously.

We are proud also that the materials of our scarecrow are all recycled and we hope to be able to use our horse for many other projects in the future.

Lindy was invited to judge the Garryowen Trophy at Melbourne Royal 2009.  This event is the “Melbourne Cup” of on the show calendar and as it was the 75^th Anniversary of that event it was a privilege to officiate.

Lindy won the Garryowen herself in 1988 on her brown thoroughbred hack Marena Cabaret and also won the Esquire Trophy in the same year - a very impressive double.  She was also placed 2^nd in 1990 (Marena Elegance) & 1984 (50th Jubilee event on Marena Viva) and 4th in 1986 (Neutral Bay).

Lindy has judged the Galloway and Child Hack classes at Melbourne before.

We competed at Melbourne for many years but the long time away from the Stud to do Adelaide and Melbourne became too much.  We still continued to travel to Brisbane but when Lindy was having her children we stopped going to Brisbane too, after 34 years straight.

Several of the past winners were there for the 75th Anniversary celebrations, as seen in the photo on the right.

November 2009

Team Fredericks - Clayton, Lucinda and their daughter, Ellie came home  to Perth for a well-earned break for Christmas after a very successful Eventing year.  Lucinda was awarded the Western Australia Rider of the Year at a ceremony in Perth.  Clayton was named Australian Rider of the Year by the EFA in 2008 when Maureen and Bruce accepted the trophy on his behalf.  He won this award again the following year.

Southern Stars Saddlery,. Lindy is a sponsored representative for which supply saddles, bridles and other equipment designed to Clayton's specifications.  The saddles are very well crafted, designed to achieve maximum contact with the horse and put the rider in just the right position.  We are using the saddles designed for Dressage and Hacking.  A Childs saddle is also available.

December 2009

Marena Gala Salute - Our handsome Warmblood stallion Marena Gala Salute has started his Show Jumping career in the capable hands of World Cup Show-jumping rider Paul Athanasoff.

Paul is based at Dungog in the beautiful Hunter Valley.  We first met Paul many, many years ago.  Both Paul and his twin brother James have shown at Royal Show level for a long time and won many Rider and Hacking Championships over the years.  While James has stayed with showing, Paul moved onto show jumping and might I say with great success.

Paul was short listed for the 2008 Olympics, and also won the Australian leg of the World Cup for Show Jumping with his Warmblood stallion Nicholas.  So we feel Gala Salute is in very capable hands and look forward to seeing him competing very soon.

Paul has left for overseas with Nicholas to prepare for the World Cup that is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, April 2010.

Gala Salute is a home bred stallion who is by Salute (imp) out of a Thoroughbred x Warmblood mare by Wesuw (imp).  Like us Paul is looking forward to the development of this horse.  Paul has had a long association with the Wesuw stock.

Marena Gala Salute is one of nature's gentlemen, as you can see by this picture of Keeley helping Lindy wash him.

Riders on the way

Luke is now six years old and is in First Class at Wyong Creek School.  Luke is very mechanically minded and helps Grandad on the tractor and up in the shed.  He rides now and again when the mood takes him (if there is some excitement about ) and his favourite riding time is on our Cross Country Course - See pic on the far Right.

Keeley (at Left & near Right) began riding when she was just three years old.  Maureen gave her her first lesson in May 2008, just before she and Bruce went around Australia in their Motorhome.  At home she rides Mark, his sister Goldie and Bindy and joins in Lindy's lessons with other pupils.  She rode in her first School in July 2008, riding all morning on the flat and jumping Cross Country in the afternoon.

Keeley is a chip off the old block and wants to be on a pony at every opportunity. She rides several of our school ponies but has yet to get her own show pony.

S'tat You?

Maureen & Bruce, on a trip overseas in 2006, were wandering through the antique shop lanes of Paris when they spied a statue of a pony being ridden by a small child.  It reminded Bruce of Maureen's lifetime work of training, breeding ponies and teaching countless children to ride.  "It was a memorial to Maureen's lifework - we just had to buy it!" said Bruce. 

That began a long, and sometimes frustrating process, starting with negotiations for purchase and shipping with no-one who could speak English, followed by the unknown whereabouts of this precious statue for several months and finally the arrival in December 2007.  Constantly people wanted to open the box to make sure the statue was there - after all the box may have just contained bricks!  However Maureen stood firm and no-one was to see it until it was mounted in a suitable place.

Finally a site in the homestead garden was chosen and work to create the surrounding area commenced.  A large flat rock on the property was selected for form the base, was brought off the hill, cut to shape and installed.  The task of mounting the statue to the rock took some effort and finally the statue was covered in the true tradition, ready for the big unveiling.

On Sunday 27th December the statue was unveiled for all to see for the first time  - with the ceremonial tug of a rope, our son Peter revealed the statue for all to see. 

A statue from France comes to rest on an ancient Australian rock to symbolise that children all over the world enjoy riding ponies.