|
December 2009
How come the older you get the faster the time flies – what is it with that!!?? Don’t believe we are not far off Christmas.
The season is well under way now, so there is the usual run of coaching, trade stands, horse sales etc that keep me running around in circles.
Mind you, I must admit that we did head off for 10 days holiday in Penang in the middle of all of this, and it was just awesome and a really good break. It was nice to be wallowing in beach sand rather than arena sand for a change.
I had only been back for a few days when I hopped back on the plane to Singapore for a quick 3-day visit. I have set up a new CWD Saddlery agent in Singapore and I now have Anne Beetham as an agent there. Anne is an ex Gisborne girl, who used to come on my clinics when she was about 12 years old. Anne has travelled extensively since those days and now lives in Singapore with her partner Thomas, and their first child is due in a couple of months.
Really pleased how CWD is expanding in the Asia–Pacific region with Chris & Helen Chugg and Tim Amitrano as agents in Australia. So it’s great to also now have Singapore / Malaysia on board.
I have just returned from a short stint in Noumea attending the Les Esperons D'Or (Golden Spurs) competition.
This show is privately run by Patrick Christian, a former champion rally car driver. Patrick is passionate about improving the standard of show jumping in New Caledonia. Not only does he run this showcase competition, but he also has a breeding farm where most of the mares are being bred to European bloodlines. He bought several broodmares from NZ earlier this year and while I was there a Lindberg colt was born.
He has also started a pony club where pony mad children can get a start, and his daughter Linsay has a team of show jumpers she competes.
Patrick is making a huge contribution to the equestrian scene in New Caledonia. Also part of his plan is sending 8 riders to me in January to train and compete in two shows. I have been sourcing good horses for these riders to use during their stay. This trip gave me a chance to meet the riders, watch them compete so we are off to a good start when they arrive in NZ.
Also competing at the show was NZ representative Georgina Palmer, and she had an excellent win on the very cool "pony" she was given for the show.
The kiwi riders have had a great couple of competitions in Noumea in the last month with the Children’s International team, under the expert guidance of chef d'equip Allan Goodall, with his team cleaning up the Individual and Team titles.
Really exciting results also for Sam and her team this season. They had a great Horse of the Year show in Birmingham with Sam and Loxley winning the Grand Prix and finishing 7th in the Horse of the Year.
Lindberg also had several placings, which resulted in her winning the Leading Lady Rider of the show.
Sam has just competed in the Festival of the Horse in Vienna and her good run has continued. Lindberg won a good class and Loxley finished 2nd in the Grand Prix, only just pipped by former European Champion Christian Ahlman. There were 6 through into the jump off and only the two finished with double clears, so the course was tough enough.
The classes jump until about midnight each night, and I think there was a fair bit of partying going on after that, so I can imagine there was not much sleep to be had.
Sam is delighted with how Lindberg is progressing. He is getting better and better and is jumping clear in some big classes, Sam is having a ball with him. He has become a stable favourite and the grooms have nicknamed him “La La,” so here is this big masculine looking stallion with a stable name of La La – I don’t think owner Steve Cohen could quite believe it when he heard him called that.
A huge part of Sam’s success is due to the awesome help she has with her groom Nina and groom / secretary Steffi. They have both been with Sam for quite a few years now and they all play a huge part in this team.
Was so delighted to see Rachel Bentall riding so well on her return to NZ after spending 4 months with Sam in Germany over our winter. Rachel and Kiwi Brave convincingly won the Young Rider class at Kihi Kihi over a fairly large track. It was most fitting that I was able to present her with the Musto jacket that was part of the first prize. Rachel did an excellent job at Sam’s and was surprised that she got out of Germany as Sam, Nina and Steffi were all threatening to steal her passport.
Photo: Rachel Bentall and Kiwi Brave, winners of Young Rider at Kihi Kihi, being presented with the Musto jacket
Recently Steph Joustra purchased the lovely black gelding Disney from Tess Williams and has had a good start with him at the early shows. Steph has had a lot of success in the Hunter division and now wants to do more show jumping. Steph is a talented little rider and is forming a good partnership with her new horse.
Photo: Steph Joustra and her new show jumper Disney
One of the country’s most prominent event horses, Just Fred, is about to fly out to his new home in Houston Texas. Fred was previously owned by the well-known endurance rider Madonna Harris and was produced and evented so well by Kirsten Kelly. Lori Cooley, who also bought Jo Shepherd’s Hey Mickey last year, has bought Fred. Lori plans to continue eventing at a higher level so we very much look forward to hearing about their success in the future.
Photo: Just Fred competing with Kirsten Kelly, about to head to Texas
Lori is a colleague of a very good friend of mine, Jean Fowler from Georgia. Jean has bought several of the Larkspur Stud paint horses in the last few years and continues to have so much fun and a lot of success with them.
I’m really looking forward to Christmas, as Sam will be home for a couple of weeks, plus of course enjoying my gorgeous grandson James, who will soon be two years old. He is just the best kid in the world, and has me wrapped around his little finger.
Photo: James McIntosh, the best kid in the world
Grandchildren will also be with us, so it will be a bit of a mad house. Also the new addition to the family, golden retriever pup Ruby, is very much making her presence felt. She is 5 months old and is a tornado blasting through the house, destroying everything in her path.
Wish you all a safe and happy Christmas.
Cheers Penny
CWD
|
|
CWD Saddlery
CWD Saddles – how they’re made and why they’re so popular with the world’s top riders
All CWD saddles are made from top quality grain calf leather sourced in France. The saddles are stuffed with foam, rather than the usual wool. This foam is supplied by the same supplier used by Airbus to fit out their aircraft. It is non-memory foam that doesn't pack down and keeps its flex year after year. This is also why the same saddle seems to fit all different types and builds of horses.
The saddle trees used by CWD are made of beech wood and metal, with flexibel tree points made of Polyurethane. This creates more flex for the horse’s shoulders when jumping. CWD are the only French brand to manufature their saddlle trees this way.
New Season's release of Musto Equestrian Clothing
Hold off on finalising your Christmas wish-list – the Summer 2010 Musto Collection will be arriving early in the New Year!
But even if you can't wait that long to get your pressies, you might still be interested in knowing the founder of Musto was an Olympic sailor who first developed the Musto "yachting" line. Apparently, his daughter was an eventer in England and he wore his wet weather sailing clothes at all the horse trials.
He noticed that he was the only one who kept dry and warm and hit on the idea of expanding the Musto range to include high performance equestrian clothing. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Click here for Equipment and Horse Sales, coaching, accommodation and much more
|
|
