Novembers blog has now also become December’s blog due to travelling and busy schedules. It was greetings to one and all from the South Island of New Zealand. I have now had courses in both the South and North Islands over the last couple of weeks, from horsemanship to cow working. All have gone really well. The cow working courses have been really good with riders making a lot of progress. A big thank you to Scott O’ Malley and Michaela Combe of the South Island and David & Sam Palmer of the North Island for all their organising and the great hospitality.
November was a very busy month. The young horse intake is now over and all horses have returned to their owners. I have also been in North Qld running a 2 day course for the Qld Pony Club. In early November I was in the good vineyard country of the Hunter Valley in N.S.W. Peter and Juliette Rodowicz thank you for your hospitality. Peter you may need to check your cellar, I was trying to help you make space for your well chosen bottles of good Australian wines.
The images in this months blog were taken at home in Qld where I was helping Nicole James of Jericho Qld start her horse, it was a little dusty. While I don’t always use a saddle horse it can sometimes help to give the young horse a little more confidence and not have the horse get lost. When a young horse gets lost or really scared with the rider , it can sometimes take a lot to help the horse come through again. Life is not always perfect though.
This coming weekend I will be in Perth with Kellie and Heath Stewart of Saltriver Performance Horses. This will be my last course for this year.
My course schedule for next year starts with Legacy of Legends event to be held in Tamworth on the first weekend of January and then a 2 day course to be held in Armidale on January 11 & 12. Althea Lean is hosting this course and does have two rider spots available. Details are available on the course schedule page.
My years schedule has now almost finished and I look forward to arriving home and riding my own horses. I wish you all the very best for Christmas and the New Year. For those that are in drought affected areas, I wish you a wet Christmas with an improved outlook for 2014.
