Over the years, we have bought and sold a number of horses and with the arrival of my newest horse last month, I got to thinking about how we had purchased a number of them…
Dan
Off a 2 minute video sent from an iphone – “Sleeping Tiger” aka Dan.
Dan was purchased last January. Somehow that month, Hannah Anderson and I had run out of young horses to produce – not sure how that happened. So we got on the phone to Rob Palm who said he had this ‘quite nice’ horse but he had no time to ride it and he’d send us a video. The video consisted of 5 steps of trot, 3 of canter and jumping a roll top – I might add that Cassie (Lowe) was in the background saying ‘Rob it’s so cute!’ We thought it looked cute to so we bought it. Dan has not been without his challenges but he DID finish he first CNC* in October, so it can’t be all bad.
Baz
As a result of a tweet from someone you follow on Twitter – “Imperialist” aka Baz.
This is how I ended up buying my latest horse – Imperialist. Francis Whittington tweeted that he had a number of horses for sale because he needed to make some money (sound familiar?). I got on the phone that evening and he told me he had a ‘proper’ Advanced horse for sale and I should go and look at it. Long story (and 30 hours of driving) short I have a very nice horse – who even better, is by Master Imp. I am a bit biased where Irish horses are concerned as a result of owning Hands Down. Fortunately, Imperialist (Baz), lacks HP’s talent for biting, snarling and generally terrorizing the yard and is a very nice natured wee chap.
A face that only a mother could love? - Jeffrey - photo Cassie Lowe
Because the photo on Facebook looks flash/cute – “Huckleberry” aka Jeffrey.
Robert Palm and Cassie Lowe (who did well out of me last year!) had a very cute looking young horse in their photos on Facebook. He was called MC Lovin’, had a huge white face and a flaxen tail. I decided that we needed another sell on project so I rang Rob up and offered him cash for it. He accepted and Jeffrey arrived several days later. He is now happily installed in a new home in Perth with Stephanie Honey, and he has just completed his first pre novice.
Pete - photo Hannah Anderson
As part of a “horse-swap” deal – “Sugoi” aka Pete.
As everyone is aware, Sugoi came from Heelan Tompkins. However, what most people do not know is that I didn’t pay the rumoured $500,000 purchase price – sorry to those who thought I did, it was a great story! Instead, I sent Kirby Park Fedwell to Heelan’s cousin, Kirsty Parsons, as her next schoolmaster (she previously had Heelan’s Olympic horse Glengarrick), and with a small amount of cash on the top, I got Sugoi. Probably the best deal I have ever done, or will do – Fedwell has an awesome life doing the odd pre novice on nice soft NZ going and Sugoi re-launched my 3* career.
Bob - photo Heather Wallace
Because you have a spare space on your truck on the way home from Adelaide – “BL Choirboy” aka Bob.
In 2010, I took one horse to Adelaide and was the only driver on the way home. Hannah Anderson was with me and we stopped at Hay on our way back. As we pulled up, the racehorse trainer from the Hay racetrack pulled up next to us and said ‘You know that horse you saw in 2009 and liked? I’m sacking it if you want to buy it’. So we threw Sugoi into a yard and trooped down the track to look at what turned out to be a very big racehorse. Hannah trotted him up – in flip flops – down the sand track, we established it moved straight, paid the huge asking price of $400, loaded it on the truck and left.
Tom - photo Hannah Anderson
Because you fell in love with it at first sight and hassled the owners incessantly – “Crown Prosecutor” aka Tom.
When I first saw Tom, I didn’t know his then owner, Katherine Strelein, very well. However that didn’t last long and I promptly set about hassling her – in what must have been a particularly annoying manner – to sell me her horse. He is simply a beautiful individual, and he became the ‘dinner winner’ of our team last year, because wherever he went he always won enough prize money for dinner on the way home! He is now with farrier Anthony Warren, having a lovely life and being thoroughly spoilt.
Wesley - photo Main Event Photography
There was “something” about it – “Wesley”.
When Mum found the ad for Wesley in Horse Deals, I was exceptionally unimpressed. In the photo it looked like a stuffy pony, with a tiny head and no trot. Oddly enough, it turned out that he was being agisted at Calgary Park (home of Katherine Strelein) and she said it was actually quite cute and to stop being daft and come and see it. So I trudged off on a Sunday morning, after the Bowral Dressage Ball, with an enormous hangover, unable to ride because my knee was still wrecked. Oh and it was sleeting. It proceeded to nap going out to the arena, stopped at pole, was totally unco over a cross bar and didn’t know what to do with its legs. There was however, “something” about it, even though I wasn’t quite sure what it was. So I bought it, and two weeks later without much faith I pointed it at a cross bar. It jumped the height of the jump stands and is headed up to the UK in three weeks.
I am by no means advocating the above methods of purchasing horses as sensible options, however the horses we’ve taken bigger chances on have often worked out better than the horses that we have deliberated over whilst following the accepted method of horse buying.
Recently I spent most of the Adelaide weekend feeling very sleep deprived as FEI TV coverage was on at ungodly hours of the UK night, but was very happy to see Craig Barrett claim the CCI4* title, a lovely horse that has always been a top prospect delivering on her potential, with a really great rider. Huge congratulations to Craig, Prue and their team.
In festive season news, Family Wallace are meeting in the middle this Christmas at Langkawi Island, so Mum and I will be doing our usual – champagne and sunshine –and Dad will probably find time to read a book, maybe two. Even better, this year he doesn’t have to cook the seafood! I am then trudging back off the Northern Hemisphere to shiver my way through to our next eventing season. Can’t come soon enough!
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas, and lots of happy eventing in the New Year,
Laura and my ever growing bunch of equines – Dan, Gus, Baz and Wesley.
PS.
A huge thank you to the following people for their support this year:
First and foremost - Heather and Glenn - the best parents you could ever be blessed with. Thank you for your unwavering belief in me.
Vets in Australia - Erica Malcolm, Ramon Perez and David Searle.
IRT - first class horse transport service.
Horseland Moss Vale - the best suppliers of absolutely everything horse related in the Southern Highlands.
Blyth Tait and Paul O'Brien - the most supportive people anyone could ever be based with.
Sue Hearn - for countless dressage and life lessons prior to my departure from Australia.
Anyone who sent kind words after Sugoi's demise who I may have forgotten to individually thank - I can't tell you how much I appreciated your kindness.
And in no particular order - Katherine and Damien Strelein, Caroline and Eric Balog, Hannah Anderson, Shane Rose, Claire Anderson, Lauz Lim, Ben Antenucci, the whole Caudell family, Tom Gadsby, Gay and John Meyer, Nicoli Fife and Ben Lott - thank you for all your support.
