Weiti Station Sport Horses

HAPPENINGS

Weiti — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:52:09 +0000

We had Tauranga Showjumping this past weekend and it was so good to get back out in the ring again after the break after Taupo. The weather was glorious (thank the lord after our last two slip slide shows) and the team were great. Ruby was a little orange grasshopper all weekend, winning the 1.10m and jumping beautifully in the 1.20m and 1.15m champ. Archy was a good boy right up until the last fence we had to jump for the show! Awesome in the 1.20m and 1.30m the first two days, though we had the last rail in the 1.30m thanks to a close distance from me. But in the 1.30m on Sunday I was taking the term ’speed class’ a bit to seriously and ended up in the last oxer hehe, 8.30 was obviously a bit early for Archie to accept a longy! Eros jumped well, though the long break has not done his spookiness much good! he jumped out of his skin in all his classes and showed his scope in the 1.30m jumping above the stands. Little 5yr old possum was gorgeous, she adored being away, I came back from a class to find three little kids in her box smooching, they wanted to know every detail about her, she was in heaven! She is showing HUGE potential in every class she does, placed in the 1.05m champ on Sunday. Craig and David were both riding, Lillie is improving all the time for David and stepped up to her first 1.15m on Sunday with just a green rail so David was wrapped.

Waitemata 1* this weekend.

The foals are growing into a marvelous crop, Orphan Danny is doing really well with his surrogate mother Bambi who does all but feed him and appears to love him considerably more than her own colt! He has three hardfeeds a day and hangs out in the yard as the riding horses come and go.

We were to busy to get photos at Tauranga but here are some updated baby pictures mum took while we were away.

Pegaso hanging out with his adopted brother Danny

Grand old Butterfly and her gorgeous filly Starlet

Fat Gabbys beautiful colt Westminster

USA

Weiti — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:18:11 +0000

My gorgeous 5yr old Tamarillo has found his new home in the yard of David Murdoch in California, winging his way there as we speak. I’ll be a bit lost with out Tammy, he has been my trusty mount for hangovers and nervous friends and family not to mention an absolute pleasure to break, school, showjump and hang out with, a superb and ultra talented young horse. It’s great for Jackie to see youngsters she has bred being shipped over seas for sport, very cool I bet he rocks.

Bruce Goodin has been in NZ teaching again over the last couple of weeks and I jumped at the chance for more lessons. I took Eros 2 days and 5yr old Possum 2 days, The lessons were great, Bruce found a mighty improvement since a saw him in winter which was awesome. The horses went beautifully and I have Lot’s more to go away and work on, hopefully it will all come together for HOY! Which we have recently had to sell our house, car, dog and my siblings to enter.. Exciting. Tauranga next week then a Waitemata 3* WH 1* then HOY.

Supple miss, Possum and I in our lesson with Bruce

Bye Tammy! ready to go

2012

Weiti — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:39:22 +0000

I know I spend alot of the time complaining about the weather but cmon! This is the yuckiest Dec/Jan ever. We were supposed to host our annual Weiti Show yesterday but it had to be postponed due to torrential rain/ deep and meaningful mud. We did manage to squeeze a ride down to our beach in on Friday which was luckily the one sunny day, My little cousin Tessa who is a beginner rider rode my special 5yr old Tamarillo, they both had a great time.. he is just the coolest horse EVER!!

Tam and Tess enjoying a window of sun at the beach

Anyway life goes on and the horses are going great despite the weather, We replaced the surface on our arena more than two months ago and have finally got it nice and level, It’s been an ongoing drama.. constant taking of and putting on of surface and a hundred million harrows! But I think it’s good now so happy days.

Ramona was our last mare to foal for the season and in typical Ramona fashion she kept us waiting well past her due date. The resulting colt by Handy Andy was worth the wait, Weiti Zephyr is a superb specimen and a fine way to finish a great season.

Weiti Zephyr

Our four year olds are slowly coming into their first proper work now and they are a really nice team. My favorite at the moment is Agapanthus, she is the most unfathomably willing and eager to please horse I have ever ridden, AMAZING brain. Another exciting one to have under saddle now is Mumma Mia, she is a 6yr old mare by the one and only Indoctro VDL.. she was destined for our broodmare heard and had a stunning filly for us last season but she lost this years foal quite dramatically as you can read in an earlier blog. Anyway we decided to give her a go under saddle and I have finally found time to get her going.. She is bloody hideous but man she is sooo powerful. Can’t wait to jump her.

Aggie.. very special

Jump Aggie... Okay!

Mumma Mia embarking on a new career

WET AND WILD

Weiti — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 20:44:40 +0000

We arrived home from the Taupo Christmas classic yesterday afternoon after finishing our classes in the morning. A very unfortunately timed weather bomb made it an.. intrepid competition for us and the hundreds of other brave and insane riders jumping there teams in the challenging conditions, we still had a good time and the horses were all awesome, every one of them tried their hardest and jumped some great rounds.

Thursday was hard as it literally poured down ALL day but the horses all went super as they did for the duration of the show. Some really nice Clear rounds from everyone. And the sun came out for the most part of Friday which had everybody grinning (tho it was back by night time!)

The back of our truck was like a Chinese laundry in our efforts to dry clothes, rugs and wraps. My super grooms Kelly and Jess were great as ever and Craig was diligently there to help Davey and I at the practice fence every time! What would we do without them?

Photos were not really a happening thing in the rain but the girls managed to get a few….

Archy jumping with his standard enthuseasm in the 1.30m despite the going, such a cool horse

Davey and Lillie make their way to the ring on the sunny day! note the new wash bays in the background.. FINALLY!!

Granny finally got to go to a show, she did the 1.10m class each day two double clear and one with a rail, going to be an awesome horse.

Ruby enjoying the opurtunity to go fast! jumping off in the Rookie rider class yesterday

NOBLE

Weiti — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:31:23 +0000

Patches (Eros) and I had a lesson with Bill Noble yesterday. It was great, Bill is a seriously good teacher and picked up on things I haven’t even realized were happening. “Hello, what do you do Alice” I am a showjumper I say proudly… ” I can see that from the stupid saddle you are wearing” Do you win ribbons?? I thought, this guy is right up my ally Anyway he was, we did half an hour of no stirrups canter fixing (well trying hard) my posture and effectiveness of my contact, I got awfully red in the face. He was blunt but very constructive, very cool and very clear. I love coming away from a lesson feeling like A. you have clearly understood what they want to achieve B. you like what they want to achieve and C. have plenty to work on to to achieve that picture. And I do, will be back again when he is up and hopefully will have improved heaps!

In other news.. Well there isn’t any other news really. Accept we have been selling heaps of horses! 3 have sold this week

Will write something interesting when something interesting happens.

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, HAPPY NEWS, SAD NEWS

Weiti — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:19:15 +0000

Both us and the horses have been enjoying our little break from competitions but are itching to get down to the Taupo Christmas Classic! We are taking 6 as usual (we certainly need a bigger truck Davey is taking his two Ngahiwi ponies Ranger and Picalilli and I am taking Eros, Archy, Ruby and Granny.

Foals! Miss Heavens filly Weiti Viva is special as she’s Manuka last baby, finally have some new photos of her and the other foals. Fat Gabby is less fat now she has produced one of the most outwardly attractive foals we have bred in Weiti Westminster. He has broken our 2011/12 seasons major colt drought and is a seriously seriously quality animal.

Sadly we had to put down our lovely Aba’s Lad broodmare Kit yesterday as she developed a very aggressive cancer of the blood a month ago. So her beautiful baby Weiti Qarter is orphaned at a tender 8 weeks Luckily he has an amazing personality and we had some time to teach him to eat his hardfeed and milk powder. He is living inside now with his auntie Bambi and best mate Pegaso (bambis colt) and will be allowed out to grass soon.

I have been to busy for any training lately and can feel some bad habits coming on! So next week Granny and I are having a pre Taupo jump with Miss Anna T and on Wednesday am having a lesson with Bill Noble as I would love to improve my system on the flat, Looking forward to it though I’m sure he will laugh at me sliding around in my flatseat!

Weiti Westminster

Weiti Viva

ALL GOOD

Weiti — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 06:17:05 +0000

The weather has been great and the farm/ jump paddock are officially back in business.. However I can hear Jim in the TV room talking of some front, bugger off.

We have been jumping at Pukekohe and then Woodhill this weekend, the horses are going very well but we have been a bit lacking in appearances in the winners circle! Christmas Classic is our next show and I ain’t coming home empty handed!

Another baby last week, maiden 3yr old mare Weiti Heavan who is by Weiti Jackpot had her foal by Manuka, this is a cross mum has always wanted to produce. Unusually enough with two coloured parents she had a little bay filly.. but the color is of no concern to us! she is a lovely type and exciting as we know all her lines so well, a real Weiti gal. Her name is Weiti Viva (will get a photo tomorrow)

Weiti Mowgli jumping off at Woodhill

Fat Eros jumped great but had a time fault in both his classes!! To the hills with you pork pie

My new dog Dom aka Duracell I was seduced by him at Northland show, Great little pup

ON TO THE NEXT ONE

Weiti — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 21:39:06 +0000

Ah Kihikihi, it’s such a great show.. and I dont generally say that if I didn’t win anything good! As usual the going, course building and stewarding were immaculate bar a small hiccup on day one where they were eliminating you if you didn’t turn up in your draw order for ring 1 classes … When there are 3 rings and you have a team of 10 horses you just cant be everywhere at once!! Anyway the lights of Sally Steiner and Maurice being kicked out for being a couple of horses late was ridiculous and was soon sorted out I think the most part by ever saintly ring 1 steward Blake Keane.

Anyway our team did some great rounds and all in all performed very well.. A little story about Eros, He is one of my best horses and a real talent but has often been let down by his spookiness.. He would never stop at a fence but is so backed up and terrified of everything he would sometimes get a time fault or the back rail of an oxer from way over jumping it in front, anyway we have noticed in recent months (and in fact through out his ridden career) that he occasionally and more and more frequently comes in from the grass a little short stepping and goggle eyed.. Staggers. So we changed his routine a few weeks ago and he now only gets 1-2 hours on the grass each day and we put him on a supplement called Equiguard Plus. It’s like hes a different horse, so much more chilled and the mechanics of his jump has changed, he has always been a great showjumper but very tight and too careful (yes there is such thing!) but this weekend I could canter him down to a nice big distance and he relaxed his head and let go behind which felt amazing so his life and mine should be much easier now haha! Excited about the rest of the season with him and everyone else Pukekohe next week then woodhill the following.

The new baby born Thursday morning is Weiti Uno by Manuka out of Corland mare Lacey, she is a bay roan filly and is extremely nice! possibly the nicest so far

Ruby Tuesday enjoying her show and winning some prizes at Kihikihi

Weiti Uno.. colour meets sport

TIME FLYS WHEN YOUR HAVING FUN

Weiti — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:57:08 +0000

We have been busy as busy can be enjoying the abundant grass, semi dry farm, new borns and competitions that come with the months of spring.

We had a long break from shows but have now picked up again at Northland 2* over the weekend, our ever changing team of six all performed extremely well at the beautiful Barge Park, Ruby collected a couple of firsts and Archy jumped with great enthusiasm and is just loving it… Ive never really kept a horse to Archys age (Arch is 8 and they generally sell before then) and its so nice having a strong and ultra reliable one on the truck Aubergine and Granny made up the rest of my string and they both jumped with vim and vigour for clear rounds in 1.05m 1.10 classes. Davey had two of his Ngahiwi ponys Ranger and Lillie who both showed huge improvement, Ranger nearly jumped Davey out of the saddle in his first 5yr old start and Lillie tho still green is showing SERIOUS ability in 1m 1.05m classes.

Eros and I had a 2 day clinic with Sam Macintosh at Te Papa the weekend before which was really good for both of us, Eros started out comptetely of his face at being indoors but by the second day was jumping in a better style and rhythm than he ever has.. can’t wait to get him to the show this weekend and see if I can get it in the ring!

Speaking of Eros he has another little sister, Claudia had a monstrous bay roan filly by Handy Andy, she is so sweet to handle and very blingy.

We are of to our first 3* show at Kihikihi tomorrow so looking forward to that… And as I look out my window (my house is at the top of the foaling paddock) I see another new baby running around beside Corland mare Lacey, will head down and check it out and report back

Look mum no stirrups.. Eros at his lesson

Lillie kicking up her heels in the 1.05m at Northland

Weiti Triumph waits with Davey while mum Claudia is scanned

FUN IN THE SUN

Weiti — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:31:49 +0000

MEGA PHOTOS!

It suddenly feels like summer (touch wood) we have had some glorious sunshine here the last couple of days and the horses and their jockeys have been enjoying work in the paddocks again.

The showjumpers are kicking up their heels a little bit for the next couple of weeks as we have no competitions and they are all going super, light schooling and happy days exercising on the farm are the order of the day for most readying themselves for the next busy block of shows.

One of our grooms Jess took a few photos of some of the 5yr olds exercising today..

Weiti Mowgli

Ngahiwi Bush Ranger

Ngahiwi Possum

21 year old Superstud mare Butterfly was supposed to have her last foal last year but ended up jumping 2 fences to get in with Handy Andy! We are sure glad she did! Frolicking around the paddock this morning was baby number four.. gorgeous, huuuge golden palomino filly Weiti Starlet. 14 foals later Butterfly as as fit a mother as ever!

Weiti Starlet in very good hands

And the other three babes are growing more gorgeous every day. More photos!…

Weiti Qarter- sits in your lap

Weiti Rambler- Stunning

Weiti Pegaso- little fella, big personality!