| About Me and My Life with Horses.... |
| 'Allansford' property - Tara, Qld |
| Me on Brumby gelding, Mr Ed |
| Me and Sandy - Stockhorse/Arab mare (one person horse) as would not allow me to ride but my Dad!!!! |
| Me and my favourite mare, Star - QH x (is out of Sandy) |
| My first Stockhorse mare, named Beauty then eventually she was called Beau |
| This is Fox, an ex-racehorse - turned dressage horse.... I only had him approx 5 months in this photo! |
| Calf (few days old) was orphaned - her cow mum was taken away in the cattle truck by accident! They were in cattle yard! Our cattle dog, Patchy took care of the calf |
| Patchy looking for rats on our hay - he gets up to the top to look!! |
| Bought Double Barrel Chaff Cutter and fixing it up - me painting! |
| Me riding Earl - TB gelding, belongs to 3rd brother-in-law |
| Me riding Tassie - TB gelding, belongs to 3rd brother-in-law |
| At Dressage competition |
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| 'Westbrook' Hay Farm at Plainsview - Toowoomba |
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| Header - Grain Harvester |
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| Water Spray over the Lucerne to make grow |
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| Me riding Bundy - SB gelding, belongs to 1st brother-in-law (sorry for dark photo) |
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| Chemical spray over Lucerne to get rid of weeds |
| I just don't know where to start but I'll try.... A bit about myself: I was born completely deaf (due German Measles/ |
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| Rubella) but this has not stopped me from having hearing friends! I grew up surrounded with them and even my non-horsey husband and our two kids are hearing. I can speak quite well as if I was talking with a blocked nose, this is what I sounded like - but hey I don't bite, hahahaha! This is the reason why I very much rely on MSN chats, emails and my trusty mobile with SMS texting! Anyway, I have been with horses most of my life since I was young, and I drove my Dad mad...I had been saying 'I want a horse' for a good few years before my Dad got sick of my consistant whining and got me a plain bay little Stockhorse mare (see below photo). I have had few horses in my lifetime - Stockhorse/Arab mare, Brumby palomino gelding, Quarter Horse x mare, and an Arabian gelding. I now currently have 2 big Thoroughbreds - Fox and Middi including Cullen, he's only 3/4 Thoroughbred! My Dad had a cattle/sheep farm property at Tara (that is where I was born and bred) - out west of Dalby, Queensland and it had 2500 hectares of land. Unfortunately my parents had to buy another house in Brisbane so I could go to 'Deaf' school for my education as it was the only one at the time. However my whole family moved down but my Dad stayed back so he could run the farm property! Dad came down during the school holidays and take us back up to the farm so I can ride my horses and mustering the sheep or cattle which I loved during the school holidays! Here is a couple of photos of the 'Allansford' farm property and the horses! |
| Both of my Grandfathers were into horses, one was into Trotters and one was into showing heavy Draft Horses - I must have gotten the bug, I am glad!!! Unfortunately when I was about 20, the 'Allansford' farm property had to be sold because our Grandma died. My horses were given away as there was no way to bring them into city life, not fair on them - the horses grew up and was used to rural country life. However they all have passed on many years ago! Anyway the next chapter of my life when the 'Allansford' farm property was sold, I decided to join a riding school called 'Dalson Park' Equestrian Centre who was run by |
| Bert and Marion Hartog, they are well known for the 'HorseRidingCoach.com'. This is when I was definately 'hooked' on dressage big time!! I used to just ride like my Dad and Stockmen do - legs forward and loose reins, etc. I had to re-learn my riding skills and have improved a lot during my time with Dalson Park for a few years. I still am avid dressage rider even today! I became somewhat 'famous' for their Equestrian Centre for advertising of their newly formed - Riding of the Disabled for the Dalson Park, just because I was deaf. I was being plastered in the newspapers for about a couple of weeks! You'll see what I mean.... |
| me - hard to explain, to stand up for what I believe in. I think it is because I am hard of hearing and people may be taking advantage of me. And I tell people I am no different to what they are! Oh I forgot to mention that I was used to riding stock saddle for many years but when I came to Dalson Park - to be honest, I was horrified in having to ride those all-purpose or dressage saddles, thinking I would fall off *hehehehe*!!! It was a BIG change from what I was used to, now I love my dressage saddle and cannot go back to stock saddle - horrible to ride in. Anyway I left Dalson Park because I had arguement over some disagreement with them. Then my boyfriend (husband) had moved to Toowoomba to work with his Dad on hay farm at 'Westbrook' Plainview. It was one of my best time and had a lot of fun in making hay and the chores of farm life. However I was still working full time as Administrative Officer in Brisbane with the State Health Public Service. I was driving up by Friday and back Monday to go to work every weekend and also went up during my holidays for the next 3 years! Here's a couple of photos of 'Westbrook' hay farm.... |
| I think I have to thank Dalson Park for where I am today as if it wasn't for them - I may not be riding or have met my future husband there where he used to be horsey person but has given up horses! Also I feel that Dalson Park has bought out the best in |
| Sadly we had to get out of the 'Westbrook' hay farm to some disputes over the water pump with the property owner! My husband's Dad were leasing the farm for a couple fo years with only a year or so left of the lease. This has ended up in the court over this matter! Then back to Brisbane, to be stuck with city lifestyle...it does surely sucks! I decided it was time for me to go looking for a horse and found myself a nice 'off the track' racehorse with my own money. He was too slow to race and only had 6 months of training but never actually raced! His name was Fox, and it was a learning experience for both of us and even he's a 'hot' temperament! Succesfully turned him into a dressage horse. He is still here with me and is well truly retired...he's 25! Here's is a couple of pictures of Fox when I got him few months down the track - |