Victorian Brumby Association Wild to Wonderful Ridden Challenge Brumbies
VBA Ariat Colour: Dark Brown with a star. Age: 5 years old Sex: Gelding Caught: 18/08/2017 from Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW Height: 13.2hh (still filling out) From Shaniah Dye, VBA Ariat s Trainer: Ariat thrives off knowing he is pleasing people, with the right partnership consisting of love and respect he will try anything. He does require time though, pushing him won t benefit anyone in the long run, he takes time to adjust and needs someone who can go out with an I have all day attitude. I do strongly believe that Ariat would work better with a female rather than a male as he is still fearful of men which will not be a simple short-term problem. He would need to be gradually introduced to men by a female who can provide him with the confidence to eventually trust them. With the right partnership I believe Ariat would excel in nearly any discipline. Since early in his training he has shown an incredible ability to jump and appears to enjoy it, so consider that this is something that could be pursued in his future. My training philosophy is based around horsemanship, working with the horse, using their natural behaviour, instincts and personality in a gentle manner which benefits both the horse and trainer in the long run.
VBA Cooper Colour: Dark Brown. Age: 10 years old Sex: Gelding Caught: 27/07/2017 from Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW Height: Solid 14.1hh From Lara Beth, VBA Cooper s Trainer: Cooper is a mature gentleman. 14.1h bay 10yo gelding Over the challenge he has become somewhat of a mate to me. We have done a lot together, and I would say that s how he likes it. He is looking for a friend that is capable of maintaining clear boundaries and communicating with him in a way he understands. Cooper is getting better and better every day we work together. He has established walk, trot, canter with fantastic breaks and soft mouth. He responds well to all my soft aid but puts up with me if I don t get it quite right. All of his transitions work well from the seat and he is always soft to my inside leg and lateral aids. Cooper is great over poles and obstacles and loves to give things a go. Pushing the Ball, gates, bridges, flags, podiums. On our regular trips to the beach Cooper has dealt with the high energy environment well. Multiple race horses passing him at speed, dogs, kids, kayaks. On our first trip out Cooper natural instinct was to investigate he tends to want to puff up his chest and go see what s what. Although he is much more confident now I feel he would not suit a beginner or first time horse owner. Cooper has been out to week long dressage clinics, not phased by big warmbloods or new busy stable environments, he settles well anywhere I tie him or leave him so long as there is a hay bag. Copper has been handled by kids aged 13+ with ease, easy to catch lead feed pick up feet ect. He has a very trainable nature and learns fast if he is rewarded with release and I don t get greedy. His full training Video blog is available for everyone to see on our you tube channel EQUINE SYSTEM. On this channel you can see how cleaver he is and what he has learnt over the challenge. Things like Lie Down, Spanish Walk, liberty work. You can also see how I have used release of pressure and positive encouragement as a reward and not food based treats. Cooper is very content to be paddocked or boxed alone or with company. He calls out to me every night and morning usually first...before I say good night or good morning. He has bonded to everyone on our team and recognises them just as well as he recognises me. He is still wary of new people until they have given him his first pat but is warming to new people faster every time.
Cooper loves grass and gets fat fast, incredibly easy to feed. His behaviour does not seem to be affected by hard feed. He is currently eating LOW GI cubes formulated by Kentucky Equine Research. Cooper loves trail riding and obstacles, and surprisingly loves to come out and work. He loves to use his brain. Cooper is looking for someone who has a little bit of time to spend with him each day, he doesn t need a lot of work he is a sensible mature man who enjoys spending time with his human friends. Training with us will be available for anyone who purchases Cooper and if registered bidders would like to come and meet him before EQUITANA they are more then welcome to contact me or find me at @brumby diaries Lara Beth on Face book.
VBA Jill Colour: Copper chestnut with a crooked blaze and rear socks to hocks. Age: 8yo Sex: Mare Caught: 24/07/2017 from Bago State Forest, NSW Height: Solid 13.3-14hh From Clay Baird, VBA Jill s Trainer VBA Jill will be up for Auction at EQUITANA melbourne on Sunday the 18th of November. This little Brumby has become a big part of my horsemanship journey, and has proven herself to be one of the most trainable horses I have ever worked with. Jill is a very solidly built Brumby from the Bago State Forest. She is not much bigger than a large pony, however she can carry my 83 kg frame with ease. She would need a smaller, confident rider, to continue her education. I am 172 cm tall and I don t look too out of place riding JILL and someone who is a similar height and lighter build would manage just fine. Jill excelled at both in hand a ridden obstacles, you cannot find a better horse for trail riding, obstacles or every day hacking. Jill has been progressing steadily in other disciplines as well. She is a an amzing walker, willing and a bold leader. Jill never even looked twice when i picked up a polocrosse racket and ball, and takes to every new challenge like she has been doing it all her life. She is easy to load in a float, trim feet and shoe. Catching her in the paddock has been good, but will need some consistency to maintain. Jill is unlike all the other horses in this years auction as she is my second Brumby due to VBA Feathers - retirement from the challenge. As a result VBA Jill has about 30 days less that all the other horses, and on the day of Auction will be on her 120th day from the wild. Due to this set back i am more than willing to continue VBA Jills education with her new owner. Working together we can work on the riding style that suits you. And spend some much needed time making sure both of you are happy and confident to continue the journey of horsemanship together. VBA Jill would make an excellent childs horse in a few years, with the right work and consistency. But you must remember that this horse is NOT ready for Children at this stage! VBA Jills new owners will be invited to work with me for a few days and up to a week with VBA jill to help transition her into her new life as your horse.
If you have any Questions about the suitability of VBA Jill for yourself or your children, please don t hesitate to contact me. And you are always welcome to come and meet her prior to Equitana. Clay@bogonghorse.com.au 0410545870
VBA Lark Colour: Taffy or Silver Brown. Age: 4yo Sex: Mare Caught: 18/08/2017 from Hume area, Bago State Forest, NSW Height: Solid 13.3 From Lauren Woodbridge, VBA Lark s Trainer Presenting the one, the only, the magnificent, VBA Lark a spectacular Silver bay, 4yr old, 13.3hh Australian Brumby. VBA Lark is an incredible little mare, she is kind, gentle, thoughtful, hardworking, fun, honest and willing to have a crack at any challenge presented to her. She loves people and will ditch all of her friends happily for a chance to hang out with you. She has been exposed to more environments and events then many horses with twice her age and experience and taken everyone of them in her stride. Events have included showing, sporting, stockmans challenges, long distance trail rides grouped and solo, clinics, demonstrations, dressage lessons and skill at arms. She had been highly complimented by judges, trainers and fellow horse people at every event she has attended and has never come home without a ribbon. She may be little but she is mighty, strong, sure footed and confident. Lark will learn any new lesson or activity within 3 sessions and remember it well given the chance. She has been trained using a mixture of methods including positive reinforcement training, all aligned with the principles of Equitation Science. Her only flaws include having a ticklish underbelly and occasionally being honest to a fault.she would be best suited to a rider with a stable lower leg and seat of any age or experience that really wants to bond with and become best friends forever with their pony pal. I am highly committed to Lark's future and would like to help foster a true and lasting connection.
VBA Moonshine Colour: Pangare chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail. Age: Rising 5yo Sex: Gelding Caught: 27/07/2017 from Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW Height: 14.1hh (still filling out) From Damien McNickle, VBA Moonshine s Trainer Where to even start with this special little pony? Moonshine steals the heart from everyone he meets. His stunning flaxen mane, chestnut coat and white blaze are very eye catching. He has a soft kind eye that portrays his personality perfectly. What started out as an extremely wary and worried horse has turned into a trustworthy partner and friend for me, who always tries his hardest to please. The progress and changes he has made over the last three months are outstanding and with the right person the progress he could continue to make would be hard to put a limit on. I have done a lot of miles on Moonshine since he was first sat on. He was started in the round yard but we didn t have an arena until very recently so for eight or so weeks we rode out. Down the road, past cars, into the woods, through creeks, climbed steep hills, scaled back down them, got excited, calmed back down, rode out with other horses in the lead, behind, in the middle and rode out by ourselves for hours at a time. He learned to go forward in walk, trot and canter on a loose rein and to stop and go back, to move away from other horses, to stand still and be patient. This gave him a great foundation to what riding was all about. He can still spook, and get worried by things he hasn t seen before, but he won t over react and will wait for instruction. Some things take longer to work through than others, and rushing him into things won t help him. Ask for a little bit at a time and reward the try. Reassure him, let him think about it, then, ask for a little more. I haven t come across a single thing that we couldn t do using this approach. But he needs to be listened to. Moonshine certainly loves his breakfast and dinner and a big paddock of lush grass, however on the spring grass he can become bloated very quickly so his weight is definitely something that would need to be kept on top of, even when in a lot of work. The other thing he loves most is attention. He can stand literally all day and be groomed, scratched and loved on. I generally don t give him treats from my hand for this reason. He is happy to be in your space when invited but if given treats I feel it wouldn t be long before he could become a little pushy if allowed to. He is very good with other horses. He has been turned out with mares and geldings and generally is pretty submissive, that being said he enjoys playing with other geldings when they ll take him up on it.
I feel Moonshine could turn his hand to any discipline. He is a sensitive horse to ride, very soft in the hand and quick off your leg. He is really starting to develop through his body, gaining muscle through his back end and along his top line and has really started to carry himself in a natural frame and is becoming quite athletic. With an experienced rider who would continue with his education in a step by step manner I think he would be suited well to Western Dressage. That being said I think he would equally suit an experienced teenager or adult who would do pony club or adult riding club. I have done some little jumps with him and he s not batted an eyelid at them but I have still to find out what he s like over something a little higher, which I will do over the coming weeks. I tend to try and vary his training as much as I can. He is very smart and picks things up very quickly. Because of this I don t like to drill him on things, I ll do something until he ll do it right once or twice, then I ll go work on something else and come back to it a little later. Same goes for schooling, riding out, or working on other little things. If I ve done some schooling in the morning, I might play with some obstacles, or ride out in the afternoon. Sometimes I ll just bring him in to be groomed and fussed over. I think I have learned to read him quite well and if he feels a little reluctant about going to the school or heading down the road, we ll still do it, but I know that next time I need to do something else to keep him willing. Although Moonshine is very safe to ride, I feel like he needs someone who s knowledgeable and experienced. Because he is so smart it would be very easy to inadvertently teach him to do the wrong things, so he needs someone who s consistent and understands how he s been trained. He s good to catch, good with his feet, will float well, will stand tied up all day if needed. He s respectful around food and other horses and has really grown to love people. I haven t come across anyone he doesn t want to go and investigate and get a cuddle from. If there was any way I could keep Moonshine for myself I would. He s everything you could want in a horse and more.
VBA Nugget Colour: Chestnut. Age: 4 years old Sex: Gelding Caught: 18/08/2017 from Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW Height: 14.1hh (still growing/ filling out) From Tamara Janus, VBA Nugget s Trainer: Nugget is your new best friend. Always in your pocket and will fall asleep while being groomed. Nugget has a very calm and quiet nature. He has been exposed to many different things during the challenge such as team penning, pony club, beach, road & trail rides. He has also been to indoor arenas and interacted with the public. Nugget would be best suited to a pleasure home. Someone wanting a horse to trail ride or ride around their property. He is most happy outside and can get bored in arenas doing circles (don t we all lol) He is up to date with his barefoot trimming, teeth & 2in1 vaccination. Nugget is good to wash, groom, float & all other general handling. He shows huge potential in the right hands as we have been working on side pass, direct bend, counter bend and more with good progress. Nugget is 4yo. He gets along with other horses no drama and isn t herd bound if they leave. He is confident out by himself or in a group. For more videos or pictures head to my page www.facebook.com/tjequineservices
VBA Pandora Colour: Dappled Brown. Age: 4 years old Sex: Gelding Caught: 20/07/2017 from Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW Height: 14.0hh From Georgia Kolovos, VBA Pandora s Trainer: VBA Pandora is a 5 year old, 14hh bay mare from the Long Plain region of the Kosciuszko National Park in NSW. Pandora has unique and interesting white markings on her back and rump called bird catcher spots. These markings have increased as her winter coat has shed out, and may increase or change over her lifetime. While they could be mistaken for scars or from ill-fitting saddles they were present when she was wild and are a genetic throwback to an Irish thoroughbred called Birdcatcher who had these markings also and sired foals around 1833. This is a special fact which also shows just how diverse the Brumby gene pool is! Pandora is a very intelligent and trainable horse and has shown herself to be brave and willing to tackle new things throughout her training. Pandora excels at obstacles, jumping and trail riding. Pandora is currently ridden bitless, but will be trained to ride in a snaffle bit also. Pandora is responsive and willing, she moves off light cues for walk, trot and canter, as well as sidepass and other lateral work. Pandora has an excellent stop, stopping largely off seat and a verbal cue for stop. Pandora would suit a confident teen or adult rider for any discipline but particularly for pony club or adult riding club where she could compete in showjumping and eventing. She would also do very well for a rider wishing to compete in Extreme Cowboy Racing or Mountain Trail as she is brave and confident over obstacles, through water and can also do the technical maneuvers required for these events. Pandora is not really into cuddles and being groomed for hours however she will behave perfectly and allow it to be done but she feels more rewarded by the release of pressure and also by food. With time spent she will form a close relationship with her new owner as she has done with me, but it is important to remember that she is still green and learning and isn t perfect. That said she does not kick or bite or do anything wrong and she constantly nickers at people walking by so she is increasingly interested in other people and will certainly come to enjoy the cuddles and love more with time. My training philosophy revolves around relaxed and confident horses, and riders who are observant and empathetic to the horse. This combination allows for a relationship built on mutual trust and results in a happy and safe partnership. Pandora is an interesting personality but what stands out most for me as her trainer is that she is always willing to try new things and masters them quickly. She will do best with an owner who is confident and excited to try lots of different things to keep her interested and improving. I
would love for Pandora to go to a home where she will be ridden and enjoyed as she has a lot to offer and will be a wonderful partner for someone who is prepared to put in the time to form a relationship with her. I am happy to provide addition training, lessons or advice to Pandora s new owner if required
VBA Percy Colour: Flaxen Chestnut. Age: 5 years old Sex: Gelding Caught: 2016 from Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW Height: 14.1hh (Solid) From Ivan Hajnal, VBA Percy s Trainer: Percy is freshly started. Willing pony with some reservation until rapport with handler is established. Percy has accomplished many new challenges and as a result he self-loads, ties, leads, lunges, works nicely in and out of arena, on roads, through water, and over obstacles. Good on own out riding or in groups. Is well mannered in the paddock with other horses. Percy shows three lovely paces and some talent emerging with jumping, side passes, stock whip work and steady pace. In open spaces he safely stays in hand, and halts on voice command. Percy, with time to adjust to new handler could perform in any discipline desired. Good for the farrier and dentist. Wormed, trimmed, vaccinated, dentistry attended.
VBA Playboy Colour: Light golden chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail, blaze and rear socks to hocks. Age: 11 years old Sex: Gelding Caught: 27/07/2017 from Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW Height: Solid 13.3-14hh From April Harvey, VBA Playboy s Trainer: VBA Playboy is an 11 year old brumby that was passively trapped in Kosciuszko National Park. He is approximately 13.3hh and gelded. Playboy is currently receiving 150 days of fulltime professional training with April Harvey. He has developed a wonderful foundation and is working beautifully under saddle. He is receiving a diverse range of experiences and exposure to prepare him for his new life. Playboy is performing well in the arena in all gaits. He is soft and responsive to rider leg, rein and seat cues. He is yielding to leg for pivots and lateral movements, stopping off seat and voice cues and confidently navigating basic trail obstacles. Playboy is a wonderful horse to ride out over paddocks or down the road. He is so confident in the natural environment. He has a comfortable and ground covering walk and trot. He easily and willingly navigates difficult terrain, watercourses and logs. He is comfortable being ridden out alone or with other horses and does not show any signs of separation anxiety. Playboy is a very sensible and intelligent horse. He is a kind and easy going. He will nicker and whinny to say hello or get attention. He can be affectionate and enjoys company yet maintains a dignified independence with both humans and horses. He learns quickly and seeks to find the correct answer/response. Being a previously wild horse he does have a vigilant and observant nature in unfamiliar circumstances. He gains confidence and comfort from his handler and once he observes and feels safe and comfortable in a new environment or situation he is quick to settle in. Playboy was started and has been predominantly ridden in a rawhide hackamore (aka bosal) and occasionally a rope halter. He is also being trained to be ridden in a snaffle bit and is responding softly. He has been ridden in western and english saddles. He has no known vices. He is polite when interacting with other horses. He is easy to catch in a big paddock. He ties up well and will stand patiently for extended periods. He loads on the float, travels and unloads sensibly without issue. He stands well for hoof trims and shoeing. He has behaved well
for the equine dentist and chiropractor. Playboy is great with dogs and has interacted well with children (however, being a recently wild horse, he is not ready to be a child s pony). Playboy would enjoy and be best suited to a home that would foster a partnership through sound horsemanship principles and clear communication. He would be perfect for someone with some experience who is seeking to advance horsemanship skills on a horse that already has a fantastic foundation. He would excel and enjoy low impact riding such as trail riding, mountain trail, ranch riding or basic recreational riding. Playboy has been over some small jumps and, although he is willing, a home predominantly focused on jumping and timed events is probably not the best fit.
VBA Waratah Colour: Taffy/ Liver chestnut Age: 7 years old Sex: Mare Caught: 18/08/2017 from Hume area, Bago State Forest, NSW Height: Solid 14.1hh From Emma Bryant, VBA Waratah s Trainer: Waratah is a 7yr old, 14.1hh, liver chestnut Mare from the Bago state forest, who had had a tuff capture. When she came to us her fear of people was extremely high. Over the last 17 weeks this mare has handed me her heart and trusted me fully. She is easy to be caught, loves rubs and brushes. Wash downs are ok she prefers to play with the hose. She is good to trim feet. She has travelled on a gooseneck for 3000km over the space of 3 weeks in and out of stables and ridden in different arenas settling into her surroundings quick. Waratah has been to clinics and demos where she was nervous at first and then just got better and better. She has been ridden in a halter and in a bridle. I found she loves trail riding through nature the most. When we are on the trail she strides out, is happy to ride with other horses or alone, and happy to be in front of behind. She does have a personal space bubble with other horses. In the arena we have cover most obstacles on the ground and in saddle. She tends to need more encouragement to go forward in the arena. She can be left for days and resaddle with out an issue. Waratah is that loyal horse that knows her self. Although she gets along with other horses well no other horses can take her food. She is a good solid body mare, with strong feet, that is capable of being a great strong riding horse for many years to come. Teeth were done in September. As she is only been out of the wild for nearly 150 days, I would still recommend people be experienced in riding green stock to further her education and ride life.
VBA Zazu Colour: Dapple Grey. Age: 6 years old Sex: Mare Caught: 20/08/2015 from Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW Height: 13.0HH From Amy Eighteen, VBA Zazu s Trainer: Zazu is a dapple grey brumby mare that was passively trapped in Long plain, Mt Kosciuszko. She is a unique pony, that has a willingness and desire to be around people and part of the activity. She has been a pleasure to start under saddle with a total of 4 months ridden work. Zazu is fantastic to catch, as she is usually waiting for you at the fence. Under saddle she is walk, trot and cantering well. Lateral work is also coming along nicely. Zazu is a true all-rounder; she is fantastic on the trails and along the roads. She is a handy horse to ride around the property as you can open and close gates off her and she is good to ride in the arena with her flat work developing nicely. She is great at obstacles, water etc. Ride alone or in company. Zazu's calmness and willingness makes it very easy to teach and expose her to new things Easy to trim, float and stands quietly for her dental work