by Kelly Wilson
DOUBLE CLEAR — When a horse or pony jumps clear in both the qualifying and jump off rounds of a showjumping competition.
FORMATION RIDING — A group of horses and riders (usually four) performing choreographed manoeuvres to music.
GALVAYNE’S GROOVE — Galvayne’s groove is located on the lateral surface of the upper third incisor and is useful in ageing older horses. It appears first near the gum line at about 10 years of age. The groove extends halfway down the tooth at 15 years, and all the way down the tooth by 20 years. By approximately 25 years, Galvayne’s groove is halfway gone, and by 30 years, it has disappeared completely.
GELDED/GELDING — Castration/A castrated male horse of any age.
HALTER — A device made of rope or leather straps that fits around the head or neck of a horse and is used to lead or secure the animal.
HANDS — A measurement of the height of a horse. It was originally taken from the size of a grown man’s hand, but is now standardised to 4 inches. The measurement is usually taken from the ground to the withers.
HEAD-SHY — A horse that fears movement near its head, or being touched on the head.
LATERAL WORK — Movements made by a horse where the animal is moving in a direction other than straight forward.
LUNGE — To work or train a horse at the end of a long rope, teaching it to exhibit good ground manners and to exercise it when not ridden.
MARE — A mature female horse, usually four years of age or older. Also any female horse that has given birth, regardless of her age.
MOUTHING — Getting an untrained horse to accept a bit.
NAP — Refuse to go forward.
OXER — A jump with two verticals close together to create a wider jump.
POLL — The point immediately behind, or right between, the ears of a horse.
PONY (vs horse) — A pony is a member of the horse breed that typically measures to 14.2 hands high (148 centimetres) or shorter.
SHOW HUNTER — A type of horse and horse-show competition, judged on the horse’s movement, manners and way of going, particularly over fences. A hunter should be graceful and maintain a long frame on the flat and while jumping fences.
SOUND/SOUNDNESS — A sound horse is one that has no lameness or illness.
SPLINTS — Ossification (additional bone growth) of the second and fourth metacarpal or metatarsal bones in the leg of the horse, which often occurs after impact injury to the area (such as from a kick).
STOCK HORSE — (1) A horse or pony used in herding cattle. (2) A recognised breed which has been specially bred for Australian conditions.
SURCINGLE — A piece of training equipment which goes around the barrel (middle part) of the horse. It is usually padded at the top, and is buckled around the horse to get a horse used to wearing a saddle, or to secure a saddle blanket to make a horse more comfortable when ridden bareback.
WALER — A breed of riding horse that developed from those brought to colonial Australia.
WEANLING — A young horse that has been weaned, usually between six months and a year.
WITHERS — The ridge between the shoulder blades of a horse. It is the tallest point of the horse’s body and is the standard place to measure their height.
WOLF TEETH — Small, non-functional teeth that can cause problems for the domestic horse due to their location in the ‘bars’ of the mouth (the area between the incisors and the grinding cheek teeth) where the bit sits.
YEARLING — A horse between one and two years old.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
WE WERE ONCE TOLD IT TAKES A village to save a Brumby, and this couldn’t have been more true in our experience. Our adventures with the Brumbies, more than any other wild horse breed, was a true team effort due to the costs involved and also their small stature. By working together we ensured the best possible outcome for these horses, and we are so thankful to everyone who aided us in their journey.
Our biggest thanks goes to Isuzu Utes New Zealand. Your belief in us has been inspiring and we are honoured to be part of the Isuzu family — the D-Max and MU-X are always in the middle of our adventures and we can’t imagine life without them. Thank you for supporting our work with the Brumbies; everything that has happened in these pages was only made possible thanks to your support and generosity.
During our lives we have been privileged to cross paths with some amazing people who have a genuine love of horses. Colleen O’Brien, the president of the Victorian Brumby Association and our host during our time in Australia, is one of them. A huge thank you to you and your beautiful family for everything you do for the wild Brumbies … the horses are lucky to have you.
To Gaia and Shanti, thank you for reminding us of ourselves when we were your age. You are incredibly special and talented young riders and will go very far in life. Your innate feel and passion for horses can’t be denied and we consider it a real privilege to have had your help with the Kaimanawas, Brumbies and showjumpers — you are so much fun to have around. Of course a special mention to your beautiful mother, Anna. Thank you for sharing your kids with us — you should be incredibly proud of them.
To Nina, thank you for loving Shyla as much as I do. It makes me so happy to have her back in New Zealand and to see her most weeks when you come out to ride. You are doing a fabulous job producing her, and every time I see you ride I am blown away by your talent — not only with horses but also your writing. To Lily, although you don’t appear often in this book, you are equally valued; your help with the showjumpers has been amazing — it is a pleasure watching you develop into a kind, thoughtful and extremely talented young equestrian.
To La’Moza and your amazing mum Danielle — we feel so privileged to have crossed paths with you. Thank you for giving Ballarat a dream home. It’s not often you find 10-year-olds so talented and willing to give a young pony a go. Your partnership with Ballarat has been one of the biggest highlights of our journey with the Brumbies; we eagerly await every update of her adventures and are so thankful she continues to have such a diverse and adventurous life with you.
To both Dans at Double Dan Horsemanship, thank you. Dan Steers for introducing us to Moza and helping us find Ballarat the perfect home, for lending us horses during our time at Equitana and for having Vicki for a week’s training in the lead-up to Road to the Horse 2017 — we are beyond grateful for the friendship and hospitality you showed. Dan James, thanks for making us feel welcome and recognising in Vicki a talent with young horses. She was honoured to have you scout her for Road to the Horse 2017 as the very first English-style trainer to compete. Thank you for having her at your property in Kentucky in the week leading up to the event — her win at the World Championships of Colt Starting wouldn’t have been possible without you.
Thank you to every Brumby supporter who crossed our paths. A special mention to the wonderful Brumby groups that make up the Australian Brumby Alliance — although you don’t always see eye-to-eye, you are all passionately fighting for the same cause and the wild horses are lucky to have such a committed community.
To our fellow trainers in the Australian Brumby Challenge, thank you for opening your homes and your hearts to the wild Brumbies you trained — they quite literally owe you their lives. To the Victorian Brumby Association, thank you for everything you have done to ensure the success of showcasing the trainability of wild Brumbies to such a huge audience. The Australian Brumby Challenge was one of the most inspiring displays of horsemanship we have ever seen and you should be incredibly proud of how many happy and well-adjusted horses there were because of your tireless efforts.
Of course we can’t forget the special horses that crossed our paths. Thank you Arana for reminding us that some wild horses will always have a better quality of life if left free to roam, and Shyla, Ballarat and Zali for trusting us and embracing the changes you faced. All three of you have such beautiful souls and it has been a pleasure watching you transform from your wild states. Being able to compare three different breeds of wild h
orses and also domestic horses has been the opportunity of a lifetime, and it’s taught us so much. We are so grateful to all the wild horses for what they have taught us, for the people we have met because of them, and for the insights they have given us about horse behaviour.
A very heartfelt thank you must of course go to Argo, one of the most noble and intelligent wild horses that we were honoured to have as part of our lives, however briefly — you meant the world to us. Your time with us was far too short and we miss you every day. Thank you for everything you taught us and the special place you continue to hold in our hearts. We loved you deeply and continue to grieve you — may you gallop the plains once again with Major and the rest of the horses we have lost.
Most importantly, a huge thanks goes to my sisters and the team that works with us behind the scenes; our parents for letting us run riot as children and make our own adventures, encouraging our intuition, Kiwi ingenuity and intelligence. To Paula for holding the fort and managing our horses while we were based offshore, and to Alexa for your witty humour and friendship during our travels. It’s an honour to do life alongside you all and we appreciate everything you do.
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First published by Penguin Random House New Zealand, 2017
Text © Kelly Wilson, 2017
Photography © Kelly Wilson, Amanda Wilson and Alexa Dodson, unless otherwise credited, 2017
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Design by Rachel Clark © Penguin Random House New Zealand
Map by Rachel Clark, using an outline by FreeVectorMaps.com
© Penguin Random House New Zealand
Cover photographs by Alexa Dodson and Kelly Wilson
A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand.
ISBN: 978-0-14-377058-9
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