It is now 7 months since our Waler’s were moved from their wild life and hardships, to wonderful homes with the six chosen trainers. Instead of shivering the winter away and roaming far and wide to find the sparse food available in Central Australia over winter, they are safe and secure in their new paddocks, getting two Mitavite feeds and good hay each day and wearing nice warm rugs for the first time.
We thought it was time to share a bit more of their journey, which has been mostly happy but has also highlighted some of the issues that these wonderful horses would have faced if left in the wild.
Wayne Anderson and Trooper:
Wayne has been enjoying his time with Trooper and they have become great friends. Wayne tells us that Trooper has a wonderful temperament and loves his work. The pair has made great inroads in Driving and Trooper has had a nice break for a month to allow him to just be a horse again. He is back in work again now and if all goes to plan, Wayne will compete with him in the Victorian Winter Indoor Carriage Driving series at the end of July.
Christy Connor and Bill:
Bill has also had a nice break from his training while Christy got ready to compete in “The Man From Snowy River Bush Festival”, in which she took out the Women’s Champion title. Christy is really pleased with Bill’s progress and believes he has the temperament to be a good trick riding horse. Bill is not quite ready for the pressure of competition yet, but we will look forward to seeing his debut later in the year.
Damien Judd and Rupert:
After recovering from a broken leg – not caused by Rupert! – Damien is now back working with Rupert and he tells us he is going really well under saddle. The combination of calm, relationship training and good diet are working a treat on him and he is turning into a very impressive “hack”. Damien plans to take Rupert out to some smaller agricultural shows before bringing him to EQUITANA in Sydney.
David Simons and Gunner:
David and Gunner have formed a very close relationship and she watches and calls to him the whole time he is working other horses in the arena. David is very pleased with her progress, as she now trail rides happily off the property and he says she is a natural at reining. Gunner will have a good break in late June and then will compete in the Reining competition at Tatura (Vic) in August.
Michelle O’Neill and Digger:
It has turned out that Digger is a prime example of why these wonderful Walers need our help. In February Michelle identified that the lump on Digger’s face, which he had when captured, was increasing and size and he was having trouble eating.
She contacted the EQUITANA team, who advised to get the Vet out straight away. Poor Digger was diagnosed with a very badly infected tooth that was growing through the side of his face and had to go to the Canberra Equine Hospital for a major operation to remove it. He was very good about it all and became a favourite with the staff.
Digger still has a way to go before complete recovery, but luckily, during the operation some nerves were severed and he has little feeling in the area, so is not troubled by the wound and is enjoying his Mitavite feed more than ever! It is terrible to think how this plucky fellow would have suffered if left in the wild.
A New Home for Coronation:
It is with regret that we say goodbye to Annie Kesterton, who has been working to train Coronation in Dressage. Annie has made the difficult decision to hand over the reins of Coronation to a new trainer for the next chapter of his journey to EQUITANA Sydney. Annie said “It has been such an incredible journey for us both. It has been an honour (Coronation’s paddock name) and a privilege to have been a part of the Waler Legacy.”
Introducing Steve Halfpenny, Coronation’s New Mate!
EQUITANA Sydney is pleased to announce that Steve Halfpenny will now join the Waler ranks as our sixth trainer.
Steve moved to Australia from the UK in the early 1980’s. His passion for pleasure riding grew into a thirst for knowledge and he dedicated himself to learning all he could about training and riding, attended clinics, judging seminars and competed successfully in western shows where Reining became his favourite discipline.
Although he became a Parelli Natural Horsemanship trainer and was with the program for 7 years,
Steve felt the need to move in a different direction of teaching, which he based on combining the styles of the many horsemen who have provided him with the inspiration with his own experience and intuitive feeling for the horse. His key focus has been to find an easier way for the horse and rider to communicate, creating simpler ways of explaining horsemanship to people, so that they can better understand the horse’s intrinsic nature rather than simply delivering a rote training program.
In recent years, Steve has identified that his training methods are extremely successful in helping dressage and competition riders achieve their goals. His training emphasis on a much lighter contact and responsiveness between horse and rider has initiated a new component to his training system, “Light Hands Dressage” (lighthandsdressage.com). This technique is not only effective for dressage and high level competitors, but is also highly beneficial for anyone looking to build their horse’s gymnastic ability and improve communication between the partners.
The transition to domestic life for the Walers is being assisted with thanks to the team at Mitavite, who have specially tailored a diet for each horse; Joseph Lyddy who have provided leather care, hoof care and grooming products to each horse and trainer; Diamond Boots Australia keeping the Walers’ legs well protected in their early stages of training; and Wild Horse Australia’s Insect Repellent Horse Rugs.
For more on the Mitavite Waler Legacy Program – including video footage
Visit the EQUITANA website at www.equitana.com.au
