Kilcoy Show 1.20m Class Rained Out!

Kilcoy Agricultural Show was held on 23 and 24 April and Olivia and Emma decided it would be educational for Singapore horses, Gatineau and Alloria Thomas, to compete in the local hack classes on Local Day on the Friday . Gatineau and Tom held their own (1st and 2nd in Local Hack Class) and certainly looked the part but we think they were wondering where the jumps were and why there were whips cracking and cattle milling about!

It had long been planned that all Singapore horses would attend Kilcoy on 24 April, to support our local show and get the horses out in the lively atmosphere provided by an Ag show. The day started out beautifully, however, by the time the 85cm class was in progress the heavens had opened and Kilcoy was once again receiving torrential rain. This was not good for the going and the ground soon became very slippery and dangerous by the time the 1.05m class was underway. Eight of the Singapore horses jumped in the 1.05m class and overall did well considering the conditions, but it soon became evident that the going was down right dangerous.

So, alas, due to the dire conditions the 1.20m class had to be called off and most of the Singapore horses, who were entered in this class, didn't get to compete at the Kilcoy Show. Everyone at Glen Haven Park was very disappointed (and very wet!) and we're sure the horses were bamboozled by having a truck ride with no jumping at the end of it!

We also felt very sorry for the Kilcoy Show Society who had put so much hard work into organising the show only to have it ruined by the deluge. We wish them better weather next year!


Photos: (top) Olivia and Gatineau working out in the hack class (bottom) Gatineau and Alloria Thomas looking like a perfect pairs of hacks

Indoor Training Time

Once again Kilcoy has been experiencing rainy weather, which is great for keeping the grass green and the dust at bay, but makes life on the outdoor jumping arena a little damp! The horses are often ridden out around the farm on rainy days (there's nothing quite like cantering along a country track, with the rain in your face, for feeling invigorated). However, wet days are also an excellent excuse to venture into the indoor arena and focus on flatwork and dressage exercises with the horses. All the Singapore horses and indeed all horses at Glen Haven Park, are worked on the flat regularly to improve their overall education and rideability. Improving the horses' dressage is an important part of ensuring they travel correctly and are a pleasant ride over and in between fences. Being ridden indoors is also great experience for the horses. We like to mix things up to prevent boredom (for horses and riders) and doing all sorts of different work keeps everyone happy!

Glen Haven Park's Big Day!

Wednesday, April 7 dawned foggy, however the mist soon gave way to a beautiful sunny day, much to the delight of all the hard working team at Glen Haven Park. Our big day had arrived - the Glen Haven Park Open Day!

By 9.30am most of the distinguished guests were enjoying a light morning tea, after their journey to Kilcoy and taking in the ravishing scenery ... and we certainly did have distinguished guests visiting us on this important day!

Amongst our very important visitors were members of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (including Mr Ng Ser Miang the Chairman and Mr Goh Kee Nguan the CEO), Mr Chris Hodson 2nd Vice President FEI, Mr Russell Withers Executive Member Australian Olympic Committee, Mr Franz Venhaus CEO Equestrian Australia, Dr Melanie Chew President Equestrian Federation Singapore and many other important people including Queensland and Local Government Officials.

The official tour of Glen Haven Park commenced with a showjumping demonstration on our full size showjumping arena, complete with the beautiful new jumps. Paula commentated the jumping display, explaining to the visitors what the horses and riders were doing and clarifying the finer points of showjumping for the fascinated spectators. Olivia, Emma and Tom rode 15 different Singapore Youth Olympic Games horses over a 1.20m course and thrilled our visitors with their skill and talent. All horses - who were immaculately turned out and fully plaited - jumped beautifully and were a credit to their riders/trainers. The crowd showed their appreciation at the end of each round with a burst of applause and were even able to pat and have their photo taken with some of the horses.

After the jumping display it was time to visit the stables and meet more of the horses. The Singapore horses are very friendly and love to socialise. They were certainly thrilled at having so many admirers! There were plenty of photo opportunities, with everyone getting up close and personal and meeting the real life Singapore horses, who to most people had only been names on paper prior to this day.

After meeting the horses, our visitors gathered for a demonstration by attending vets Dr Julian Wilmore and Dr Paul Hatten. Julian and Paul demonstrated inserting a microchip (all the Singapore horses are microchipped) and how to take a leg xray with a portable xray machine. Paul then explained and demonstrated the process he follows when carrying out the vet inspections each month. This gave everyone present an insight into how seriously horse health care is taken here at Glen Haven Park.

Following the vets' demonstration, our multi-talented rider/trainer, Tom Sedger (who is also a Master Farrier) gave a hot shoeing display and explained the practicalities behind horse shoeing, as well as showing the many different types of horse shoes he makes, depending on each particular horse's needs. To top off Tom's display, some of our visitors were given a horse shoe of their own to take home, as a memento of their day at Glen Haven Park!

Everyone was very impressed with the automated horse walker and some fascinated guests were also given a tour of the horse trucks, so they could see first hand how the horses travel to shows. For our visitors who had not previously had any experience with horses, the day was full of wonders!

All too soon the farm tour was over and it was time for a very well deserved lunch at the Glen Haven Park homestead, where conversation was lively, discussing all that had been seen during the visit. After lunch and some very flattering speeches, Mr Ng Ser Miang, Chairman of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, on behalf of SYOGOC, presented Paula with a beautiful plaque, which declared that Glen Haven Park is the Official Equestrian Training Farm for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

Thank you to all who attended the Open Day and we hope you enjoyed the opportunity to see Glen Haven Park, meet the dedicated team and, of course, the horses who will be such an important part of the Youth Olympic Games in August.

Our Wonderful New Jumps!

Recently Glen Haven Park became the proud owners of a brand new set of custom made show quality jumps! The jumps were purchased from Graeme and Jan O'Fee of Jump-a-Bull, in New Zealand, a very well respected company who supply jumps for all the big shows in New Zealand.

A big thank you to Graeme and Jan who made our jumps very quickly and it wasn't long before they'd made the journey across 'the ditch' and arrived in Brisbane. After all went smoothly with customs etc, to everyone's excitement, the jumps soon arrived at Glen Haven Park. They were quickly installed on the arena and the horses have been flying over them in fine style ever since!

Happy 21st Birthday Nyssa!

Congratulations to Glen Haven Park groom, Nyssa Carter, who turned the BIG 21 on March 27! A surprise party was organised for Nyssa and everyone frocked up (well the girls did anyway) and a wonderful night of revelry was had by all. Happy 21st Nyssa!