AYLESBURY LODGE

Clinics

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:22:00 +0000

At a recent Charity Fundraiser.. a friend of mine asked me to help her organise a Presentation / Show clinic with a few friends..

Now, for those who are not famliar with the show world, there are 2 gentleman which stand out from the crowd, Terry Hocking and Michael Higginbottom for all the right reasons. Simply, their horses are amazing.

So when I was asked to do this, how was I to refuse?? :D

Both Michael and Terry are approachable and keen to see more people in their sport of showing. It is a hard game if you don't know the tricks and that is exactly what the boys are going to show us in the clinic (see Clinic page for details).

I couldn't reccommend this to anyone highly enough. Their care for their horses, as well as their sport and pupils is evident. Their achievements are great and Australia wide.

This is the ultimate clinic where individualised attention is given to both you and your horse to ensure that you are prepared and equipt to WOW the judge and indeed the crowd at your next or FIRST hack show.

Date is still to be confirmed, so stay tuned as spots will fill fast.

Saddle News

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:09:00 +0000

Toralea Miss America has started her training in Harness. The pint sized buckskin palouse took it all in her stride and went around the 800m track like she had done it all her life. She can look forward to a promising Pony Trot debut in the not too distant future.

RKM in conjuntion with Weowna Stables were proud to offer TJ Finn NZ for sale last week who was snapped up quick smart by a lovely girl named Jodie for her autistic brother. (Now don't we all wish we had a sister like that! :D). Not advertised, this lovely horse has gone to live out his days as Jodie's brothers' faithful steed. We would like to wish them both the very best.

The lastest arrival for training was another Weowna horse, Get The Nod. Already backed, this horse was amazingly quiet. And wasn't here several days before finding a lovely home with a lady named Katala who plans on doing a bit of flat work and jumping with him.

The amazing grey Blackeyedpepper has sold to a wonderful lady in Victoria and from all reports is going extremely well and progressing beautifully in order to be ready in time to compete at Barastoc. We wish Pepper and Virginia all the very best!

Ohoka Nevada - Mildura Cup Champ!

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:04:00 +0000

With many of Harness Racing's greats having taken out the Mildura Cup at the beginning of their highly successful careers, it has elated many close to The Lodge to see Ohoka Nevada running a tough race on the tight circuit to out stay his rivals and come home with "the chocolates".

2 Days on, the stable is still buzzing with the result. Also on the night, stable mate Longtan Safar ran second in his race, so we were all very proud of him - especially given the company he kept in that race.

JKM said on his return home..

-"it was like you are a movie star over there [victoria], You finish the race and the horse, driver and trainer are surrounded by TV cameras and crew!"

JKM even got his shot at being on the SKY Channel's Harness Racing program - In The Gig.

Definately a highlight for the season.

Ohoka Nevada Wins Port Pirie Cup

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 11:58:00 +0000

Ohoka Nevada, whilst he is clearly a class above, certianly enjoyed a much easier ran than when he raced against Smoken Up in the SA Cup earlier in the year. With a more modest mile rate of 2:01.7, Ohoka Nevada - owned by Sam Treccase, continued his winning streak after working his way to the "death seat", sitting outside Class Mate. Too Strong, the Sands A Flyin' gelding, pulled away to take home the honours of the evening.

The last lap replay coming soon to the Video's page.

If that wasn't enough, whilst RKM was busy tending to the masses back at the Lodge, JKM managed to win himself a TV as well!

Ohoka Nevada is in fine form and was clearly not effected from the run. All fired up and reay to go for the Mildura Cup Carnival coming in the next few weeks.

Old Racing News

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:32:00 +0000

Yep, I've given the website another facelift.. they say a change is as good as a holiday.. well indeed it is.. so here we go folks.. a new year.. a new design.. again.. :D

As we combine all the race details on the main site.. Here is the link for all the previous harness news from the stable..

Previous News

Look forward to more tips, more details and more action on the Aylesbury Lodge site..

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE AND I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS!

Another Foal For The Lodge

Sun, 24 May 2009 12:10:00 +0000

:)Time has gone very fast over the last 9 months. Archie Moses has made quite a name for himself in the show scene and has a fan club that now stretches across the Eastern side of Australia. Elsi-Mae (born Christmas Day 07) is now 1 1/2 years old ~ (and going on 10), Jon is flat out tending to the feet of some very classy horses and I have spent the last few months (at the completion of the show season) - yep, barefoot and pregant in the kitchen... well, more or less.

Now the time has come that our next filly is due to be born. Tuesday May 26th to be exact. Thankfully no 17 hour labour this time.. straight to C Section.. (Beaut!) Downside is we are first cab off the ranks and I am to be admitted at 6.30am. :dry:

So by 8.30am Tuesday morning, Eva Louise Kingston-Mayne should be making her mark on the world! :D

So folks, until then.. I bid you well! And the next time I write, I should have a load of pics to share of the newest "foal" to the stable.

Again, a quick thankyou to all those who have supported us through this time.. And yep, don't worry, wont be long and I'll be back in the saddle..... :roll:

Absessess & The Hoof

Sat, 09 May 2009 09:25:00 +0000

Yes folks, a little rain and suddenly some horses start limping around like they have a broken leg... everyone goes into panic mode and then there are those who look to blame someone for it. If your horse becomes lame suddenly, then the likelyhood of your beloved having an absess should not be overlooked and here is some info which will hopefully aid you if your unfortunate enough to have it happen to you.

What is an Absess?

An absess is an infection in the horses hoof.

How Does it get there?

They occur when objects get into the hoof; such objects can be dirt, mud or grit, or can even be a nail which has shifted ir indeed an old nail that has been left on the ground. The foreign object can lead to an infection in the hoof that can be quite painful. Hoof abscesses can also be caused by something sharp having pierced the bottom of the hoof. They are very common in horses once there is a bit of rain as even a crack in the hoof will lead to the possibility of absesses.

How do we know if its an absess?

There are a few tell tail signs. By using a hoof tester, a farrier can find sore spots in the horses hoof. The infected area is softer and painful to touch. Often however, the infection is not yet exposed and will need to be "drug out" by a vet or experienced farrier and either should be contacted. Do not go digging at your horses hoof!

Another sign is if the lamness is sudden, the horse will favour/baby that leg and will limp around in obvious discomfort with no other signs of injury. It is not likely for joints, etc to swell were and absess is present. Unless it has been left for some time.

How do we treat it?

Despite the pain, the worst thing you can do is give a horse Bute when an absess is the cause of the problem, as it slows down the healing process and the drawing out of the infection, which is the next critical step.

If you have to wait for your farrier or vet, apply a poltice. Soak cotton wool in iodine and cover the sole with a piece of canvas or leather (anything to stop the leakage and wear). and wrap with vetwrap or ducktape, securing the poultice. Pop your horse in a dry clean stable/yard to avoid risking further infection. This will help draw out the infection. As the horse puts weight on the foot, the idodine (thanks to the cotton wool) will be pushed up into the infected area and thus cleaning it out.

In some cases, it is not unheard of for vets to put a horse on antibiotics for absesses either. But as in everything prevention is better than cure!

So how can we prevent it?

1) Make sure in summer, horses hooves are kept oiled and well maintained. Cracked hooves are like inviting an infection to come and party in your horses hoof once things get a bit damp.

2) Ensure during winter, your horse has a dry place to stand and regularly clean his feet. As not doing so can lead to other bacterial problems such as Thrush.

3) Maintain regular visits with your farrier - especially in winter.

Here are some Hoof facts that may be worth noting:

a) When wet, a horses hoof expands by 20%. Thus in many cases, leaving a horse for 6-8 weeks with shoes on is not really a good idea, as nails will shift and the hoof will appear to grow much faster in some cases. This is not something which can be controlled by the poor vet or farrier (so don't phone and give them the attitude), this is an individual thing and every horse is different. Should you notice the hoof expand and come "over" the shoe, get your farrier to come up and reset the shoe.. as leaving it could also lead to an absess.

b) Did you know that is it advised by professionals in the US that a horse should be shod/shoes reset every 4 weeks irrespective of condition changes? Certainly food for thought, when a vast majority will leave the hooves until the shoes start falling off before calling out a farrier..

New Stable Record

Tue, 05 May 2009 10:39:00 +0000

Casting back our memories to the day Positive Outlook was made available for sale, we recall he sold to lovely Viv and her family within hours of going online. Didn't think it was possible to beat that record until now.

As with all our horses, the right home is critical. Schnaps was always going to be difficult, why? because we bred her, I'd shown her, she was only 2yo and I loved her. I was there when she was born and held her head when she lay asleep. The affection I feel for that filly is incredible and finding a home where I know she would be appreciated as much and loved her as much as I did, was going to be hard order.

Then came Renee. (Yep another Renee). It was love at first site and when she saw her on you-tube, she knew she had to have her. So my beloved little filly is now headed to a wonderful competition home in Victoria.

Renee popped me an email on another matter and I told her I was having to part with Schnaps. I think I had her online 5 minutes.. got an email back - "I want her" then I got the phone call "YES YES YES YES - I WANT HER" on the answering machine. Jon looks at me smiled and said "Does this mean she has sold?"

Friends close to the The Lodge are totally devistated at the soon approaching departure of such a wonderful filly and yes, it will be heartbreaking to see her go. But she will have a home for life, become a member of a loving family and shown to her full potential.

On behalf of everyone who knows and loves her, we wish Renee the very very best.

A Day In The Life.....

Fri, 01 May 2009 11:06:00 +0000

Today started out like any other.. early.. :roll:

I'll get into some important info in a sec.. but here's a good stable update for you all (god knows its been a while).

Archie Moses

Well, Archie is still on spell. Enjoying a nice long break (ok and the occasional ride down through the Gawler river, quarry and home again ~ aka "The River Run") after a hectic season last year in readiness for the next show season. Today he was out shaperoned by Polar Express who (ridden by Jon) proved just how quiet he was with a nice loose reined lope along the side of the road on his way home. Archie, who has become very lazy in his holidays, elso enjoyed a good canter, which his rider (unfortunately not be, but stable hand/agistor Gayle) couldn't stop raving about once she came back.. :D Quote "Best canter I have ever ridden to!". Needless to say, I was chuffed, Archie was stuffed and a friend of mine who had popped in for a visit (owner of STB Mare BeeGee) couldn't wait to get her leg over him. LOL So she had a little ride, donning Gayle's wellies and having a little trot. His expressive movement is nothing short of impressive and Cassie was yet another he made his mark on as she too couldn't wipe the smile of her face.. :D

The Socks

You know its winter when someone takes off her boots and exposes these sox - (Yes Gayle, I warned you I'd put it on here) ~ yep, toe sox.. maybe you had to be there, but I thought they looked hysterical and couldn't help but take a photo.

Polar Express

Went for his last ride today at the Lodge, or what turned out to be, when he was sold this evening to Four Oaks Farm at Littlehampton for trail riding. And what a lucky devil he is going there! And they have a great farrier too! :lol: He leaves for Littlehampton on sunday. There will be few sad to see him go, Mr Pushbutton, walk trot canter, loose rein.. ok bugger it, so Mr Perfect will be enjoying greener pastures surrounded by some of the nicest people in the Equine Industry and we wish them well together.

Pugsley The Pony

Everyone's favourite pint sized trotter is back on track and will return to the track at Globe Derby tonight after having a brief spell. Fingers crossed he does well.

Diesel Jack

Made a brief return to the stable before finding a home with a lovely lady who lives on the other side of the river to The Lodge. She adores him and I am assured of some pics very soon. Broken to saddle, he has proven to a real star and turns heads whereever he goes. Many people are saying he looks like a warmblood :unsure: I didn't see it, so pretty keen to see thos pics Toni!.. LOL. Seriously as a foal, he was the most gangly (dare I say ~ Ugly) looking thing ever. Nothing like his brother who had showie looks from day one and still does. But his new mum rides him on the roads and all sorts, says he has a great trot and canter which is nothing short of impressive as he always preferred to pace, so go figure and everyone loves him!.. Shows you just can't pick 'em sometimes! :cool:

Schnaps Of Aylesbury

In what can be described as nothing short of impressive, her brief show stint ensured she made quite an impact ~ not only with showies ~ but also on the leaderboard. Despite this, she will be reluctantly offered for sale to a show home. With a new horse coming (showjumper), Archie and 2 ponies to contend with, plus two daughters, I am kidding myself if I think I'll have time to devote to a youngster who LOVES being the centre of attention... She too is enjoying a holiday at present and keeping two ol' broodies company.. Tip Top Look (in foal to Archie Moses ~ with the intent of racing the foal) and Our Maximum Risk (mother of Jake Brake and Diesel Jack).

The Showjumper

In a freakish amount of luck, we are also the new owners of a showjumper who is currently experiencing some problems with some "head tossing". Now he of course, won't be jumping whilst this is going on, but with some time, and working out the cause, the root of the problem and fixing it, I may have secured myself a nice Chestnut (albeit TB) Jumper. Will fill you in about him later..

The Baby

For those who didn't already know I spent the entire show season pregnant and with the show season winding up to a close this sunday (Sunnybrae being the last for the season I am aware of), baby no. 2 is only weeks away from being born. Exact date is still to be confirmed, but is expected approx May 26th. Thus the reason I wasn't riding the Arch Myster (Archie Moses) today or in the show ring for that matter.

I am happy to report we are expecting another girl.. who has been named Eva (pronounced Ava) Louise. Its amazing how much the last few weeks take it out of a person in pregnancy and to say I am counting down the weeks now, would be an understatement. So yep, Archie and I share the same motivational levels at the moment for anything work related, non existant.. :wink:

Not to be outdone by her sister Elsi (now 16 months old), Eva already has a pony ready and waiting, compliments of Poniewood Stud.. naturally. And bit of trivia.. her pony is actually the niece of Elsi's Pony.. Mr Poniewood Paris.. Both of whom will be in the show ring next season (time and God willing).

Elsi-Mae

My first born is turning into quite the equestrianne. She already mixes the horse's feeds, tends to her own pony (Poniewood Paris) of a morning and lets him out into his paddock of a day. Leads him about the farm of a night time and back into his stable for his night feed, scrapes down horses after a hose down and rides.. Yes, rides. If you think you can saddle a horse and not put her on board, you'd be grosely misinformed. Saddle or Harness, both are greated by her with the same enthusiasm and both recieve the same effort of tanty if she doesn't get to do it herself... yep, she holds reins too. Scary stuff. Thus the reason when Sally @ Poniewood told me about a pony for Eva, it was really a no brainer. Elsi and Eva would need their own ponies.. Period. So much for waiting until the kids were. :tongue:

IMPORTANT NOTICE - STATUS SADDLES

A rather interesting ahh ride, (if you could call it that) by one of our agisters and her horse has prompted me to pop this on this site. Over a preiod of time, her otherwise well mannered horse has become nothing short of a bronk. Today resulting in nothing short of a ride which would put even a trained bonc to shame, amazingly the rider managed to stay on, only to be cow kicked at an attempt to get off. Fortunately for her, the horse missed.

Luckily, we were out and about, and managed to get a look over the horse before the fate of this horse was to be determined, as indeed, considered now dangerous, it wasn't awefully bright.

The saddle used was a Status. Complete with a thick western saddle pad, all from the outset looked to fit well. It sat well on the horse and didn't appear to pinch him anywhere.. then we took the blasted thing off.

Just behind the wither on both sides of the saddle, there were rub marks, the hair was corse and whilst their were no obvious signs of pain when pressure was applied, the "patches" indicated that indeed, something was indeed gravely wrong with this saddle.

Problem: Saddle

This is not the first time we have seen back problems (or indeed dramatic personality changes) in otherwise quiet riding horses due to these blasted things. There are many a cheap saddle on the market and I encourage people to THINK about the long term. Save the money and buy a quality saddle. Or at least, if you have to go cheaper (for whatever reason) then spend the little extra money to have a qualified saddle fitter come and fit it to your horse.

Whilst we appreciate that some people have had no problems with their Status saddles and even find them comfortable (YUK) I have lost count now as to the amount of horses headed to the knackery or indeed plagued with problems subjected to these things.

So many issues I have been contacted about, on assessment have been due to cheap saddles (or incorrectly fitted expensive ones too for that matter ~ although not as many as these as the cheaper alternative) being put on horses backs.

Please ~ do yourself and your horse a favour and save and wait a few more weeks to get that better saddle. You'll certainly not regret it. :D

Forums - Introducing Eddie The Expert & The Standardbred

Fri, 01 May 2009 01:28:00 +0000

There has been a few things recently which has brought on this rave. Not just in my own direct experience, but following a few emails I received.

Forums are a great way of learning new things, open your mind to a variety of different ideals and ultimately making a great lot of new friends. Then we introduce the closed minded morons who have nothing better to do than try and discredit others, their breed of choice or their horses in general.

The latter relates to this rave and I am about to set the record straight to a few of those Standie lovers who may be swayed from their favourite breed by such mornic people.

Issue 1 - My horse was considered dangerous on the track so it should be disposed of

I don't know how many Stbs that have come through now which were retired from the track for other reasons than being slow. I have had several which I have asked trainers for as they were headed to the knackery as they would throw themselves down at the track, bolting at the track (on somewhere other than the race track itself) or just being downright dangerous in the cart.. There are some horses who detest the sulky, racing and fear everything involved with it. The horses to which I refer have gone on to make some of the quietest horses in the saddle.. school master quiet, which has been nothing short of a surprise to many.

If you indeed have one of these horses, by all means, head the warning and don't ride on any race tracks (just in case of flash backs) or perhaps have it in the back of your mind if you do, but does that mean you should dispose of your new best friend? I think not.

There are always those who like to "bignote" themselves, judge the horse for whom he is now, not what he was.

Issue 2 - Standardbreds don't have the correct conformation to be successful outside racing in the saddle.

This is a classic comment plastered on one forum by a non-standardbred person. (Obviously). Reason for the comment "It was stated in a book by >>>>>>>>>>".

There was a time when standardbreds weren't blessed with the grace of an Arabian, the looks of a TB and the structure of a Cleveland Bay (depsite those breeds being the foundation of the standardbred). However, whether the ignorant wish to see it or not, the breed has become substantially more refined over the past decade and indeed so as it's confirmation. Yes, they are still bred for speed and harness (purebreds) but their build has changed dramatically. A decade ago, mile rates of sub 2 minutes were considered "freakish" for example. Nowadays, most race horses will run sub 2 minutes on a weekly basis (excluding some 2yos of course) over the mile and a great deal of this has to do with the fact that the structure/conformation of the breed is becoming more like a TB. A more refined horse thus in the hope for more speed, which has certainly been achieved.

Of course, there is no convincing such a close minded people otherwise. However, we who do know the standardbred can merely sit back and have a laugh at how someone who consider's themselves so knowledgeable can state something so incredibly stupid.

Of course, one did try and set the record straight only to be met with "Oh well, even an Appaloosa won an endurance ride doesn't mean everyone is going out buying Appaloosa's for endurance.." I am not even going to validate this comment with a response at this point.. but merely add a page to this website of all the Standardbreds in competition outside of racing I can find. When it comes to the elite level (FEI, WEG etc), I consider that when it comes to a horse outside of the purpose for which is was intentionally bred, standardbred or any other breed, there aren't too many other breeds at that height of success other than those whom were specifically bred to do it.. Onto next stupid comment....

Sight Unseen doing Grand Prix Dressage in US - A STANDARDBRED

Cloud 9 - (not pictured) - State Dressage Champ in SA a few years back - A STANDARDBRED

Issue 3 - Cross Breeding / Breeding Standardbreds

Fortunately there are a few in this discussion who have brains but again there are always those who should as one has put it, "It pays to say nothing and look stupid than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt".

There are several factors one should consider when breeding standardbreds for the purpose of a riding career. One is none other than commercial value. (After all, breeding is not the cheapest thing to do - especially if done correctly).

Breeding Pure Breds

Our views on breeding a standardbred mare to a standardbred stallion are:- with so many standardbreds already available I question to see other than for sentimental reasons why anyone would do it from a riding horse/commerical proposition. However, taking the commercial reasoning out of it, if the breeder was planning on keeping the foal and training it in the saddle from the offset, then I couldn't see any reason why not. Though again, I would be selecting my mare and stallion wisely. A mare that is inclined to pace, would not be a good idea to breed from if she is infact considered a "natural pacer". You would also need to be selective with your stallion of choice. Again, natural pacers avoid, look for something with movement to suit your riding aspirations and something with good confirmation. And ideally something that has already performed well in the saddle or indeed outside of harness racing.

Breeding Part Breds

There are always those who like to say this is waste of time, especially here in Oz. And like any breeding program selecting the appopriate stock in which you choose to breed is no less important in the standardbred as it is with any other. There are (as everyone has agreed) way to many horses already headed to the knackery without careless people breeding just for the sake of it, and this goes for all breeds.

Having said that, the argument originally was not who or what but why would you want to cross breed a stb in your breeding program, and would/are they successful?

1) French are already well ahead having cross bred their "Trotters" (cold blooded version of the standardbred - they do not have pacers there), with warmbloods for successful showjumpers.

2) Gerhard Quast, (importer of Warmblood Stallions such as Monopol & Lander and breeder of champion world class show horses) speaks to "The Horse Magazine" about his experience with Standardbreds

"When I bought Monopol to Australia, I bred him to thoroughbred mares but I also found three trotter mares because in Germany we had the famous jumping stallion Halla who was half trotter so I thought I would try something here. The trotters don't break down so quick as thoroughbreds. peter Weston who rode Lander for me told me 'don't tell people they are trotters, people don't like that', and I said 'I don't care'. I picked the best ones, not just any trotter and it worked. There was Falkrich who is Finigan's (Judy Dierk's big chestnut horse) father, his grandmother was a trotter - all three of the trotter mares that I chose have resulted in Grand Prix horses. They were good in the first cross but in the second cross when you get the other bloodlines in them they are even better. I've bred about 13 Grand Prix horses and about 12 of them have trotter blood. Out of one half trotter mare I have bred 12 A Grade showjumpers with Monopol and they were excellent."

These are just 2 examples. But I consider Gerhard Quast to be a leader in his game and putting it politely ~ a bit more advanced than those mouthing off on forums.

So I ask? Feel free to question me and other standardbred lovers all you like but how does one consider themselves to be more advanced than the above? Going back to the original comment "STBs do not have conformation to be successful riding horses".

So to all those narrow minded folk. Throw stones, try and discredit or look down apon the Standardbred and the Standardbred corss breed all you like. As the popularity is taking off here in Endurance, Show Jumping and even dressage (with pure bred standies) and showing, it is us loyal to the breed with the appreciation of the horse as an individual who will soon be having the last laugh.