Season Greetings!!

All of the team at GHP would like to wish our clients and friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you to all of our supporters and Sponsors for their continued support during 2010.

All the best for 2011!!

Family Vaccation - World Equestrian Games, Kentucky!

Departing Brisbane.

After we all arrived at Brisbane airport with 8 suitcases and 8 bags of hand luggage in tow, we were all keen to board the plane bound for LA. This is the first time that Paula has taken all four children away on a family holiday. (Thank God for the grandparents who were part of the entourage!!) The flight over was rather eventful with a four and a half year old and a two year old! Joseph (41/2yr old) managed to make himself known to most of the cabin crew and passengers!!
We finally arrived safely in LA at 8am, but there was no time for rest, as a new day was starting and after checking in to our hotel we were heading to California Adventure Park. LA was filled with lots of fun, we spent two days at Disneyland and one day at Universal Studios (Awesome!). Whilst we were in LA we couldn't miss out on the celebrity tour of Hollywood, where we went to the Santa Monica Pier, Rodeo Drive, Mullholland Drive and we also went to Hollywood Hills were we took pictures of the Hollywood sign and celebrity homes.
After celebrating Paula's birthday in LA, we were shortly off to Lexington Kentucky, stopping by Texas on the way.

Daniel Bluman and Puertas Paraiso from Columbia.

Kentucky was such as beautiful place, with copious amounts of glamorous horse properties and facilities. We visited the famous Darley Stud which was immaculate,  and the Keeneland Racecourse, this was an added bonus to our trip, as we were primarily there to attend and witness the Kentucky World Equestrian Games. This was an absolute treat for us all, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being up close and personal during such a great event! We were very proud of the Aussie Showjumping team and the amazing performances that they put forth, and the final four jump off was a nail biting finish right to the end, with Philippe Lejeune taking out The World Equestrian Games title. Silver going to Saudi Arabia & bronze to Eric Lamaze with Hickstead!! Australia finishing a very comendable 7th overall, qualifying us a team for the London 2012 Olympics!
After too much shopping, too much eating (my god they serve massive meals in America!) it was time to board our very long flight home from Kentucky via Atlanta and LA. We were all exhausted, but thrilled with our trip away and were looking forward to arriving on Australian soil. This trip to WEG is something we will cherish for ever!!

World Equestrian Games USA

The Glen Haven team ready to fly!  USA here we come

Edwina Alexander (AUS) and Cevo Itot Du Chateau

The Hamood and Kennedy clan all took off for the World Equestrian Games, currently being held in Lexington Kentucky, on 27 September.  After a fun week spent exploring the sites in LA, with much anticipation and excitement, everyone travelled to Lexington.  All were thrilled to finally be at WEG and ready for the jumping events (and an extensive investigation of the huge trade show!) After day one of the jumping all were impressed with the venue and the level of competition, saying how wonderful it is to see a world class event live. There was a full day of great jumping, including stunning performances from the sport's legends and some good rounds from the Aussies (I'm sure Paula and Olivia would love to be out there with the riders)! 

Meredith Michaels Beerbaum (GER) and Checkmate

GHP Airtime Z and GHP Carado Arrive From Germany!

Olivia leads GHP Airtime out for a look around

GHP Carado checks out Glen Haven Park

GHP Airtime Z

GHP Airtime Z

Glen Haven Park was abuzz with excitement on Thursday 23 September when two beautiful new horses from Germany, GHP Airtime Z and GHP Carado, arrived. It felt like we had been waiting on their arrival forever - as the handsome pair were purchased in June - however, due to flights and quarantine only just arrived in Kilcoy.

GHP Carado already showing great style during his first free jumping session

GHP Airtime Z (Arty) is a gorgeous 6 year old gelding by Artos Z, who is by Alme, of Selle Francais bloodlines. Hanoverian mare, Glorita Z, is Arty's well-bred dam. Arty has been competing in Europe up to 1.20 - 1.30m and is showing great promise. Paula is really looking forward to showing him this season.

GHP Carado is by Caretino who is by Caletto II and his dam is Only You V, who is by Corrado I, his bloodlines go back Cordelabryere on both sides and Cassini I on the dam's side. This lovely 3 year old colt is showing great attitude and amazing ability over fences already and with his fantastic breeding and faultless conformation, should make a top competitor, as well as breeding sire.

Glen Haven Takes Over Tangalooma!

After a year's hard work and all the high excitement in Singapore, it was time for the Glen Haven team to chill out! A weekend at the Tangalooma Island Resort on Queensland's beautiful Moreton Island seemed like the perfect chance, for everyone to kick back and relax in a gorgeous tropical setting.

The main attraction of Tangalooma, besides white sands, crystal clear water and copious cocktails, is definitely the wild dolphins. Tangalooma is renowned as the best place to hand feed and interact with wild dolpins in Queensland. The resort has it's own Marine Education and Conservation Centre, which is run by a team of passionate and dedicated Marine Biologists. Every day at sunset inshore bottlenose dolphins visit the same spot, near the Tangalooma jetty, where visitors can watch them hunt, play and socialise. Guests are then invited down to the beach, in an orderly manner so as not the scare the dolphins, and the Marine Biologists give each person some fish so everyone gets a turn at feeding the dolphins. It's amazing to watch the dolphins all waiting in line for their fish and is wonderful to get so close to these beautiful wild animals and have them take food out of your hand. Unfortunately we don't have any photos of any of us feeding the dolphins as it was night time and flashes are not allowed around the dolphins, which meant that photos didn't turn out! If you would like to find out more about the Tangalooma wild dolphins, visit http://www.tangalooma.com/.

Of course, as well as the dolphin feeding there was plenty of lying on the beach, partying, eating and drinking going on, which resulted in a wonderful weekend for all the team!

Farewell to the Singapore Horses

After a year dedicated to their care and training, the day finally arrived for the Glen Haven team to farewell the Singapore horses. After such a fantastically successful Youth Olympic Games, all that was left for the team to do, was make sure the horses were safely moved to their temporary new home at the Singapore National Equestrian Centre. Once the horses were happily settled into their stables, it was time to say goodbye and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Everyone will certainly miss these brave, big-hearted horses, who have come so far and achieved so much, since the day they first set hoof on Glen Haven Park and started their amazing journey to Singapore. We wish the horses all the best in their future careers, where we are sure they will continue to prove their fabulousness on a daily basis!

There and Back Again - A Horse Trainers' Tale

Well, here we are, at the end of the first ever Youth Olympic Games. What an amazing time the last couple of weeks have been, with the culmination of a year's dedicated work and a wonderful outcome. The horses totally stepped up to the mark and all were stars, doing their absolute best for their riders and living up to the faith we had in them.

From the start of the Team Competition, through to the nail biting jump off for Individual gold, an exhilarating week of showjumping was enjoyed by all involved. It was very rewarding - not to mention a real pleasure - watching the horses we had chosen so carefully and dedicated our lives to training, bonding so well with their young riders from all over the world. Several combinations were a match made in heaven right from the start, where others took a little longer to get to know each other. You could see the improvement every day as most horses and riders developed into very capable partnerships. If a rider got into trouble, it was excellent to see the horses' training and braveness come to the fore and help those riders who were not so experienced. It was especially rewarding to witness riders' skills improving as a result of their relationship with their horse. We are hoping that all Youth Olympic equestrian athletes, will go home feeling their horsemanship has advanced after the unique opportunity of riding an unfamiliar horse in a high level competition.

The success of this event wasn't only in feeling great about the riders and horses getting on so well. It was proven by the cold hard facts of the horses jumping 6 courses of solid 1.20jumps, only 2 eliminations out of a total of 141 rounds and 18 horses earning medals for their riders.

The stunning jump offs for medals in both the team and individual events were edge-of-seat stuff and the entire Glen Haven Team were behind the riders (literally! it's a miracle the horses got around with us all on board!) Several beautiful partnerships developed throughout the competitions, including Marcelo Chirico (URU) and Links Hot Gossip, the very worthy recipients of the individual gold, who only had 4 faults for the entire week; Martin Fuchs (SUI) with Midnight Mist and Carian Scudamore (GBR) on Mighty McGyver, who clinched gold for Europe in the Team Competition; gorgeous girls, Samantha McIntosh (RSA) and Little Miss Sunshine, who helped Africa clinch bronze in the Team Competition and just missed out on a medal in the Individual Competition, finishing 4th; Tom McDermott (AUS) and Hugo, who were unlucky in the Individual Competition (finished 8th) but contributed with two beautiful clears for Australasia's silver in the Team Competition; Mario Gamboa (COL) and Titan whose bond improved so much throughout the competition, with a result of two good clears in the Individual Competition and the silver medal; and Dalma Rushdi H Malhas (KSA) and Flash Top Hat who provided a faultless and fast clear in the jump off to clinch individual bronze. As the first ever Saudi Arabian female athlete to compete in an Olympic event, Dalma and poster-boy Flash, were a stunning pair as they scorched around the jump off.

There were many more horse and rider partnerships whose harmony brought joy to our lives, including Guilherme Foroni (BRA) and The Hec Man; Mohamed Abdalla (EGY) and Buzzword; Dominque Shone (CAN) and Roxy Girl; and Jasmine Lai (HKG) and Butterfly Kisses, just to mention a few!

The team here at Glen Haven Park feel very proud to know that the horses we put so much time and effort into, have now helped to write a new chapter in history and partnered these young riders to their own Olympic dreams. Medal or no medal, each rider must have wonderful memories of their time in Singapore, where they were able to bond not only with athletes from other countries, but also with a very special horse from down under, who was their partner for the once in a life time Youth Olympic experience.

We look forward to hearing of the horses progress in their new homes in Singapore, knowing that their talents and skills will now be used to teach Singaporeans the joy of horses. Of course, we also look forward to seeing the young athletes in future, maybe in London 2012 or Rio 2016!

It certainly has been a great ride!

First Youth Olympic Competition Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the first day of the Youth Olympic Games jumping competitions - round 1 of the teams event. Looking back over our exciting year, this is a day that everyone at Glen Haven Park has been working towards - to see the horses that Paula and her team purchased, trained and cared for - finally compete with their young riders in a Youth Olympics event. Everyone has enjoyed watching the international riders bond with their horses and some great partnerships have been forged. The solid training given by Glen Haven riders has proven its excellence in the fact that all horses are equal in their level of education and that most riders are able to step aboard and after only 4 rides, feel ready for their first competition.

Life for Glen Haven Park is business as usual in Singapore, with the grooms still caring for all horses and the riders continuing to work the reserve horses. Everyone is looking forward to the start of the teams event at 9.30am tomorrow morning. Best of luck to all riders who are now on their own Olympic journey!

Team Member of the Month - Rachel Berry

Everyone has been so busy recently with training the horses, getting them (and all the gear) to Singapore, settling them into their new home and there literally hasn't been time to stop! However, Paula was adamant about finding time (we've been trying for over a week, actually) for everyone to pause and come together to celebrate Glen Haven Park's latest Team Member of the Month - Groom, Rachel Berry. All Glen Haven team members have been doing a great job and working really hard here in Singapore and all deserve a huge pat on the back for rising to the challenge, however, Rachel's performance in her role as groom has improved immensely and she has been outstanding, making her the very worthy recipient of Team Member of the Month. Moving to another country is difficult enough, factor in moving to another country with 38 horses and all their gear; living in extra close quarters with your work mates; and being locked into quarantine for two weeks - it's enough to make even the hardiest souls quake at the prospect. Rachel, however, has shown admirable character and truly risen to the occasion, as circumstances have demanded. She has positively thrived in the challenging conditions and shown real excellence in her work. Just goes to prove that behind her tiny exterior, Rachel is made of steel! A big congratulations to Rachel!

Trot Up and Horse Draw!

Today was D-day for the Youth Olympic Games horses - they had to be trotted up in front of the veterinary panel and assessed sound for competition and the riders drew their mount for the events! The trot up went well with most of the horses obliging nicely, some felt a little lazy, some a little fresh - as horses do - however, most importantly, all 35 presented were accepted as sound!! Great job Team Glen Haven!

Another big excitement at the YOG today was the arrival of the athletes, who watched the trot up with great interest and eagerly awaited the draw. It was thrilling to see all the international competitors proudly sporting their country's colours and showing such happiness at being part of the equestrian events at the Youth Olympic Games.

The Technical Brief followed the trot up and then it was time for the highlight of the day - the riders to be drawn for each of the horses. There was much anticipation leading up to the draw and as each horse was led into the ring, a competitor's name was drawn out and announced as that horse's rider for the Olympic competitions. Stay tuned for more details on who drew which horses!

Last Day of Training

Today was a very significant day for the riders of Glen Haven Park - it was the last day of training for the Youth Olympic Games horses with our riders on board. It was the very last time Paula, Olivia, Emma and Tom would ride the horses they put so much time and effort into training, before the riders draw them tomorrow. All GHP riders should be feeling a great sense of accomplishment during their final ride, through their dedication and training skills, the horses are today, a much improved version of the animals who arrived at Glen Haven Park over 8 months ago. Where did the time go? Having witnessed the transformation of these horses from good horses into Youth Olympic standard horses -experienced showjumpers who are finely muscled and beautifully conditioned - it is a true testimony to the talents of this small bunch of horsewomen (and horseman) from down under. Congratulations to Paula and her riders on a job very well done!

Singapore Polo Club

After the successful dress rehearsal on Saturday, all the Glen Haven Park staff were ready to let their hair down and relax. Therefore, it was greatly appreciated when Fiona and Peter, parents of two of our lovely volunteer helpers, invited us all to the Singapore Polo Club. The Polo Club is a very prestigious and grand establishment, with heaps of character - this was the perfect place to spend a relaxed Saturday afternoon and evening. We all enjoyed watching the polo and our young Polo Club members were more than happy to show us around the charmlingly rustic stables (complete with clock tower), point out their favourite horses and share stories of the equine personalities inhabiting the hallowed buildings. After the exertion of our stable tour and cheering on the polo game, everyone enjoyed the delicious food and reviving drinks, so when the band started up all were keen for a singalong and a bit of dancing. a BIG thank you to Fiona and Peter for a wonderful night!

(photos - top to bottom: Tom, Paula and Jacobine enjoying the polo; Polo club member, Gladys, with one of her favourite ponies; Fiona explaining finer points of polo to Tom; entry into Polo Club guarded by resident security guard, cute kitty 'Ginger'; and the beautiful statue and decor of the Polo Club.)

Youth Olympic Games Dress Rehearsal

Saturday 7 August arrived with angry skies and high humidity (not unusal for Singapore), however, most importantly, it was dress rehearsal day for the Olympic showjumping events! The program was run as if it was a real Olympic competition, to ensure all personnel were familiar with their tasks and responsibilites during the different stages of the events. It was also an excellent opportunity for all the Olympic horses to be jumped over an Olympic standard practice course - with a crowd, announcer and music - to ensure they are comfortable with the atmosphere. After a deafening storm, the competition commenced and all horses competed with Glen Haven Park riders, Paula, Olivia, Emma and Tom in the saddle. The horses, who will be in the final 31, handled the course and intense competition environment with confidence and jumped well. After the competition a simulated medal presentation was held, complete with flag raising, national anthem and laps of honour by the three 'medalist' horses and riders. I think Paula, Emma and Tom really enjoyed their laps! All ran smoothly and is looking well on track for the first competition on 18 August.

Glen Haven Park's Happy Helpers!

As a means of involving the community in the Youth Olympic Games, Singaporeans have been invited to act as volunteers at various venues and sports. Of course, the equestrian events are very popular and we have lots of happy helpers! The young volunteers are proving to be a great help to the grooms and are enjoying daily interaction with the beautiful Olympic horses, who seem to be lapping up all the attention!

Happy 18th Birthday Olivia!

The 5th of August marked a very important day for the Hamood family and Glen Haven Park team - it was Olivia's 18th Birthday! After morning training at the YOG venue, it was back to our accommodation for some serious celebrations. Festivites commenced with Olivia's beautiful Birthday cake (chocolate ice cream cake - yum!) and her first taste of champagne (and something more sinister if that pic above right is anything to go by!). Cake demolished, everyone frocked up (ok, not the boys) and headed into Singapore for some pre-dinner wine and cheese, before making our way to the very glamorous restaurant, Prime Society, for wonderful Australian steak. Everyone has been indulging in the delicious local cuisine since arriving in Singapore, but the good Aussie beef was much appreciated and a marvellous night was had by all. Happy 18th Birthday Olivia and many, many happy returns!