by Kelly Wilson
I suddenly wondered about the feasibility of bringing Shyla back to New Zealand for Nina to ride (since I was too old to compete ponies), while also showcasing her as an ambassador for the Brumbies. Vicki and I talked with Nina’s parents, to see whether they would be interested in this idea, and luckily they were. While they could certainly have chosen a pony that was far more experienced than a recently wild and still green Brumby, Vicki and I were sure that Shyla was the right fit for Nina’s second pony. You don’t make great riders by buying them ponies that are effectively schoolmasters — the lessons that Nina would learn from producing a pony like Shyla would be irreplaceable. Nina had been part of Shyla’s journey since the mare had arrived at our property, first helping me handle her and then riding her, and the improvement we’d seen in Nina’s riding was already obvious. Like Gaia and Shanti, working with a wild pony under supervision had enhanced Nina’s timing and feel, as well as her patience and understanding of a horse’s fight-or-flight response. It had also sparked in her a love of wild horses and horsemanship, which would stand her in good stead growing up.
Nina’s parents agreed that working with Shyla would bring many benefits. They talked it over with Nina, who now had two weeks left to decide; if she felt that Shyla was the right pony, then they would help pay for Shyla to fly back to New Zealand after the competition. The agreement was that we’d share her. I would use her for demonstrations, and in between I’d mentor Nina. We’d get Shyla out competing in the Show Hunter ring and continue her transformation into the ultimate kid’s pony.
Nina was incredibly excited when she heard the plan, and we set about testing Shyla in a range of situations that would both set her up to compete in the Brumby Challenge and also give Nina a chance to see whether Shyla was indeed suitable for her. To start with, we saddled Shyla up for another lesson on the arena. Nina had previously jumped her, but only following while I’d run ahead; this time, I got them working independently, trotting around a small course. Shyla was a little confused at first, looking at me and clearly wondering why I was standing in the middle of the ring, but she soon got the hang of it and jumped around a course set at 65 cm. It was only her fifth time jumping and she was starting to show very good form.
The next milestone was Shyla’s first show, a local Show Hunter day to which we took several horses. I entered her in the 55-cm and 65-cm jumping classes and spent the morning plaiting her mane, then saddled up and rode out to the practice arena. She was quiet and relaxed, and she happily trotted and cantered, then jumped over the warm-up fences on a loose rein. Pleased, I rode her to the gate and waited for our turn to compete. When it was time for us to enter the ring, Shyla felt hesitant, unsure about leaving the other horses. Although she was rarely spooked, the white, grey and brown jumps, which were decorated with flowers, were also making her hesitant, so I rode her up to each jump so that she could have a closer look.
Once she’d had a look at the jumps Shyla noticeably relaxed, although she remained distracted by the horses waiting near the gate. We approached the first jump at a trot; she hesitated on take-off, then cleared it, and did the same for most of the other jumps. When we reached the far end of the ring, Shyla froze and looked around, realising that she was very much alone, and tried to turn and head back to the gate. It took a lot of encouragement to get her to take a step in a different direction, but she was soon cantering again and relaxed as we approached the last two fences — which she jumped beautifully.
I gave Shyla a huge pat and we left the arena. Nina, who’d been waiting at the gate on her own pony, Maybeline (who was just 11 hands high), gave me a smile and a quick thumbs-up before she rode into the ring on Maybeline and won the class. I was pleased that Nina could see through Shyla’s poor behaviour and recognise it for the confusion it was. When Shyla and I returned to the ring for a second and then a third time, she significantly improved each time and finished by cantering confidently around most of the course.
Shyla returned from her show experience better than ever. While previously she would only trot into fences, now she was confident cantering and was really starting to show some talent. This boded well; Nina was very successful with her current pony, and if Shyla showed the capability to jump in Category B Show Hunter classes then she would be great for Nina.
A few days later, we took our showjumpers to a local cross-country course so that they could practise before competing just a few weeks later in the Derby at Equidays. I took a showjumper and Shyla, Vicki had two horses as well, and Paula rode Ngahiwi Showtym Premier, Vicki’s World Cup showjumper. Our horses normally jump coloured poles, so it was very important that that they got to practise over banks and rustic obstacles before the Equidays Derby. The jumps on the cross-country course ranged from small logs right through to Open-level jumps set at 1.05 metres. As I’d only ridden the showjumper a few times, I started off by warming her up slowly and then jumping her around the smaller options. Soon I swapped onto Shyla, and that’s when the real fun began. We started by trotting into small logs and quickly progressed, cantering into the bigger fences. Before long, Shyla was following the Grand Prix and World Cup showjumpers over many of the biggest fences and bravely soaring over the training jumps. At the water jump she leapt straight in — many of the showjumpers had instead spooked at the water lilies floating on the surface of the water. She was such a brave little pony; with each jump both Vicki and I were blown away by how much heart she showed, and also her scope and talent over the fences. If Nina decided to compete Shyla she would certainly have a lot of fun with her, and Shyla would be more than capable of everything Nina wanted to do.
SHYLA HAD A FEW DAYS OFF TO RECOVER from her big jumping while we were all down in Christchurch hosting a Showtym Camp. We returned home for a camp at our own property, for which 50 riders were joining us with their ponies, and were looking forward to another four days of fun and learning. For the first two days of camp, the kids fussed over the Brumbies, excited to see them in person after following their progress on social media. They were firm favourites. While lessons were being taught, the Brumbies would stand in the middle with the kids, watching. Wondering whether Shyla would lie down in front of an audience, I gave her the signal by bending down and tapping her front leg. Within seconds, she was on the ground and rolling in the sand. One of the 12-year-olds, Olivia, asked whether she could try; curious to see how Shyla would respond to a stranger, I handed over the lead rope. Again she was down on the ground within seconds. Even Argo, Vicki’s star Kaimanawa, often took longer. I was stoked — there was a real possibility that Shyla might win the Lay Down Challenge in the Battle of the Breeds in just 10 days’ time, which would be pretty remarkable because everyone had picked Argo as the favourite for every category.
Shyla hanging out with some of her fans during our Spring Showtym Camp.
Kaia riding Shyla during a lesson at camp.
Katie and Ballarat learning to carry a flag in preparation for her Freestyle class.
Katie falling off during Tip ’n’ Out.
Some of the riders at this camp were attending for the first time, but others were regulars; kids we’d seen grow up over the years. We always loved catching up with our regular attendees. As we were too busy to ride ourselves, with so many kids to teach and entertain, and since Gaia, Shanti, Nina and Lily weren’t at this camp, we asked two young riders, Katie and Kaia, whether they would like to have a few extra lessons on the Brumbies. Both were very honoured and took their responsibilities seriously. Kaia was paired with Shyla, and Katie rode Ballarat who was still very green and had only been ridden about 15 times by then.
Katie’s first ride was an individual lesson riding bareback, with Amanda along to help her get used to Ballarat. Katie rode very well and displayed remarkable balance — it’s very difficult to stay balanced on such a small pony without a saddle. To finish, Amanda had Katie trot into a small crossbar a few times until she was confident jumping over it.
The next day, both girls rode the Bru
mbies out on the arena with the other ponies. Zali, whose holiday was now over, also joined in, being led through the obstacles by one of the riders; although she hadn’t recovered enough to be ridden, she was much more comfortable wearing a halter. Rather than just jump every day, exhausting and boring the horses, one day of camp always focuses on having fun, such as the riders and their ponies navigating our obstacle course, followed by a small timed challenge as a team. Ballarat and Shyla were two of the best ponies on the obstacles, having done most of them before; they bravely walked over the bridge, onto the tyres, weaved through the cones while carrying a flag, stepped onto a sinking mattress and then balanced on a box.
Next was a Tip ’n’ Out jumping competition, with two categories: bareback and saddled. A few of the braver riders stripped the gear off their ponies to increase the odds of their winning, and soon the competition was under way. The jump started at 20 cm, to give Ballarat a chance to compete, and was quickly raised as the ponies jumped clear. When it got to 50 cm I watched Katie get a bit too competitive, kicking Ballarat into a canter. The poor pony, who had only cantered a few times under saddle and never into a jump, got a huge fright, leaping into the air and sending Katie flying. Jumping to her feet, she caught Ballarat and remounted, this time approaching the jump at a trot. Much happier, Ballarat cleared it easily and Katie gave her a pat before finishing. Shyla was still jumping clear, but not wanting to overwhelm her with a strange rider on I called Kaia over after they had cleared 80 cm and suggested that she end on a good note. Nodding, Kaia gave Shyla a pat and walked her around the arena, letting Shyla stretch her head long and low as they cooled off.
Camp was good for all three ponies, although somewhat tiring; we gave them two days in the paddock to recover. They now had just four days before we made the long journey south to Equidays, at Mystery Creek near Hamilton, and all of them were exactly at the stage they needed to be: we were sure that they wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the crowds or the atmosphere, and nor would they object to being patted by strangers during the Meet and Greets — camp had been good practice for them. Just before we left, Nina and her sister Lily, came out for a final lesson. It was Nina’s last chance to ride Shyla before the decision about buying her back needed to be made. I was 100 per cent sure what I wanted; now it was up to Nina to decide whether she’d be Shyla’s rider. Having seen them together many times over the past few months, it was obvious that Nina loved Shyla as much as I did and that Shyla worked well for her, but I wanted them to have one more ride together just to be sure it was the right fit; Nina would be riding Shyla more than I would in the coming years, so it was important that she could see Shyla fitting into her future.
We finished the lesson with a quick Tip ’n’ Out competition; it was an easy way for Nina to get used to cantering Shyla into the jumps and also give her the opportunity to try her over a few bigger fences without tiring the mare. The oxer started at about 65 cm and both girls jumped it with ease. With each round I increased the height by 10 cm, and soon it was 95 cm. Lily approached it first; although the rail stayed up, her pony nudged it just a little with her hooves. If Nina could clear the jump, she’d be the winner. Shyla cantered in with her ears pricked forward, her rhythm remaining consistent. At take-off the little Brumby tucked her knees up and flew over the jump with room to spare. With a huge grin, Nina settled back in the saddle and brought Shyla back to a long-rein walk.
After giving Shyla a huge hug, Nina dismounted. We led the ponies back to the stables to unsaddle them; then, turning to me, she couldn’t contain her delight as she said that she would love to help me with the next chapter of Shyla’s training and that maybe, just like me, one day she could write a book about her adventures with Shyla. Until this moment I hadn’t realised that Nina and I shared a love of writing, and I started asking questions. Amazingly, this 10-year-old was already a published author, on Amazon, and had earned $100 from her first three books. Blown away, I left the girls to unsaddle and put the ponies away while I hurried back to the house and downloaded her books; I had some reading to do!
CHAPTER 21
Battle of the Breeds
Vicki and Argo during the Lay Down Challenge in Battle of the Breeds at Equidays.
Equidays weekend arrived, and seemingly before we knew it we had 12 horses unloaded from their trucks and safely tucked into their yards at Mystery Creek. As ambassadors for the event it was a huge show for us, and we were especially excited to have all three wild horse breeds to showcase together! Apart from Shyla, Argo and Bragg competing in the Battle of the Breeds show, Amanda had Bragg competing in the 1.10-metre Derby, we had two horses in the Grand Prix on Friday night, three horses in the Grand Prix Derby, and Instigator and Mascot in the Kaimanawa Stallion Challenges — and Gaia and Shanti were also showcasing the two Kaimanawa fillies they’d trained.
Spotlight had also joined us for his famous performance as Pegasus, one last time before he retired. He was heading south to spend his last years trekking in the hills near Hastings and being pampered by his new owners. With Argo having learnt everything, and more, that Spotlight did, the older gelding was going to enjoy a quiet life while his younger protégé took over many of the public demonstrations and also assisted Vicki in training any wild or difficult horses that arrived at the property.
Before Equidays began, we had an afternoon in a park in nearby Cambridge so that members of the public could meet Argo and Spotlight. This would be followed by the premiere screening of Mustang Ride, a movie about our adventures taming wild horses in America the winter before. Like always, Vicki’s horses won the hearts of the people gathered at the park, as did Dan Steers and his Australian Stock Horse Double Image, an equine celebrity in his own right, who had just flown into the country from Australia for Equidays. Leaving Mum to load the horses and return them to the showgrounds, the rest of us piled into the car, getting changed, doing our hair and touching up our make-up while we drove to the cinema. We arrived just in time, and had an awesome evening: sharing our favourite memories from America, signing books, and then watching Mustang Ride; previously, we’d only seen rough edits and never in chronological order. We were incredibly proud of Amanda, who had filmed and directed the documentary, and also incredibly thankful that she’d captured it all on camera. Seeing it brought back a lot of good memories and we felt so nostalgic; we were missing the horses, the people and America more than ever. There is no doubt that it was one of the best times of our lives.
Vicki and Ngahiwi Showtym Premier competing at Equidays.
Amanda and Showtym Cassanova during their lap of honour after winning the Equidays Grand Prix.
We woke early the next morning to prepare Mascot and Instigator for their Handling and Conditioning class of the Kaimanawa Stallion Challenges; Vicki finished second and Alexa fifth. The afternoon was spent doing book signings and then clinics, with all three of us teaching in our respective fields: Vicki’s was working with young and sore horses, Amanda focused on rider position and sports psychology, and I worked with photography enthusiasts and did book readings. It was a busy first day for us, and the evening was even busier.
Amanda had been asked to compete Bragg in the Speed Slalom, a competition that pitches one horse against another in the ultimate display of speed over a small course of jumps. As Bragg had only competed at one show before, Amanda was worried that he would be stressed by being in the indoor arena in front of 2500 spectators. The organisers were sympathetic, and paired her up in the first round with our good friend Warwick Schiller, who was visiting from America. A renowned horse trainer, Warwick normally used a Western saddle but had gamely agreed to attempt showjumping on a borrowed horse. Not wanting to overwhelm Bragg, Amanda took him around the course quietly and the brave little pony valiantly jumped around clear. In the ring beside her, Warwick had survived a near fall at the start flags but recovered well, speedily navigating the rest of the course to finish clear and in a faster time than Amanda.
With Bragg out of the Speed Sla
lom, Amanda turned her attention to her showjumper. She was competing in the Grand Prix on Showtym Cassanova, while Vicki would be riding Ngahiwi Showtym Premier. For both, it was their first show of the season and a lot was riding on how well they competed; we’d recently announced that we were forming Team WS — a joint-ownership venture to acquire a team of horses capable of competing on the world stage — and knew that many people would be watching to see whether the girls were at the top of their game.
Amanda and Bragg in the Equidays 1.10-metre Derby, his second competition.
Shyla during our Meet and Greet at Equidays, a chance for the public to see all three wild horse breeds; a first of its kind.
Both pairs jumped clear. Vicki’s round was documented in a world-first — she’d been wearing a 360-degree camera helmet and it made for quite a trippy playback. In the second round, a dropped rail knocked Vicki out of the placings but Amanda jumped a fast clear round, catapulting her and Cassanova to the top of the leader board, and they returned to the arena for the prize-giving as the winners. Vicki redeemed herself the following day by jumping a double clear on Premier to place second in the Grand Prix Derby, with Amanda finishing fourth. It was a great weekend for the showjumpers.
Also on the Saturday, Bragg the Mustang exceeded all expectations in his Derby; although he was the smallest horse in the field, he simply flew around the challenging course. Considering that he’d only jumped a handful of times in America, of which only once had been over coloured poles, it was remarkable how far this Mustang had progressed since arriving in New Zealand four months earlier. Amanda couldn’t have been more pleased.
That afternoon, our Brumbies stood in front of thousands of people as we talked about our work in Australia and the plight the horses were facing. While we talked, we led the horses along the fence line letting people pat them. Although initially hesitant, the horses soon gained confidence and enjoyed greeting their fans.
