Halado Park Performance Horses

December 2009

After a quiet winter where Titan continued to show his good character and versatility on the hunt field, he has had a spell before returning to the show ring on 13th December at Breed-O-Rama (MCDC grounds) and then on January 10th at Hambletonian (Mt Pleasant).  In the meantime, Magic has been served by Titan again to hopefully produce a full sibling to Halado Wicca.  Ricky (Halado Warwick) has tentatively been sold to one of the lovely riders from the Haigh Trail Ride back in April and will be started under saddle in the new year.  He will also attend the Hambletonian show. 

In general, things have been quite busy with lots of improvements being made around the place, horses everywhere, and a couple of breakers already booked for the new year.  As a result, there are no places available for training/lessons until further notice.

 

~ Congratulations to Richard Mintz on winning the service to Halado Werdun offered at the 2009 Adelaide Hunt Blub Ball. ~

Halado Wicca

July 2009

Well, it seems safe to say that the drought has finally ended.  After four years in Springton, this is the first winter where we've had a decent rainfall and the first chance to see what this land really has to offer.  While the horse numbers are low, I am taking the opportunity to work on paddocks and fencing and just generally tidying up the place.  Looking forward to one helluva bonfire!!!

The Haigh Family Trail Ride was a very wet affair, although it was a very enjoyable two days amongst friends old and new.  The final day of the ride was very wet and it rained pretty much the whole 15kms to Mt Pleasant.  Yet again, Werdun has proven himself in yet another scenario and although he must have thought his mum had gone nuts, he thoroughly enjoyed his day out.  As a thank you for hosting this section of the Haigh Family Trail Ride, I received a beautiful timber sign with "Halado Park" on it to hang outside the gate and it really has provided the finishing touch.  Thank you Hal!

Magic will be going out on lease for a while, although she will most likely be put back into foal this November to Werdun again for a full sibling to Halado Wicca.

On that note, Wicca is back at Halado Park.  Farrier and owner of Wicca, Ron Oldenbeuving, is now sharing the house and for those locals who
are needing a farrier at short notice, Ron is able to take new clients.

April 2009

On 11th April, the Haigh Family set out from Pt Augusta on horseback to make their way 330km to Mt Pleasant.  They are raising money for the neonatal ICU at Women & Children's Hospital.  On Friday 24th April, they will be stopping at Halado Park for their final night's stopover.  To mark the occasion, there will be a fundraising BBQ ($5ph) and raffle.  All are welcome.  Riders are expected around 2pm and the BBQ will be from 6pm.  Anyone wishing to ride out on the Saturday is welcome, and there will be a group of us who will only be going as far as the Springton pub (~ 9kms, there will be an Anzac Day BBQ there).  Riders will be charged $20/day.  For more information, email haladowerdun@hotmail.com

As an added bonus, I'm on holidays for 3 weeks so in preparation for the BBQ, there is a very big cleanup going on.  All the trees that have died during the drought have been removed, and there are lots of plants and trees going in to replace them.  The conifers planted by the original owners have proven to be an impractical choice and will be replaced with natives.  That, and a splash of paint around the place, should have the place looking spot on in time for the BBQ.

Another notable event in April is the opening of the Fire & Flood Stallion Auction, the largest online stallion service auction ever held in the southern hemisphere.  Over 250 services to many different breeds of stallion have been donated and it is expected to raise well over $1M for victims of the Victorian Bushfires and the Queensland floods.  Halado Park have donated a service to Werdun, and as it turns out, he is the only Warmblood stallion that has been donated from SA which admittedly leaves me a little disappointed in my fellow SA WB stallion owners.  The auction commences 20th April, is being run by Inglis, and can be viewed here: www.ffstallionserviceauction.com

 

March 2009

Sorry for the lack of updates, but there simply hasn't been anything to report!  Still no rain, a poor selling market and with the economy not looking that great, the decision was made not to breed this season.  Ricky is still on the market, and Magic is available for lease until next breeding season.

August 2008

Down to three horses on the property means that the paddocks are finally getting a really good rest.  We've had plenty of rain which is great for the feed, but I haven't had a single day yet where the weather has been suitable for spraying!  Most of the new fencing is up with the yards now having mesh to make them foal friendly.  The serving yard is now meshed to make it much safer and suitable for teasing.  I have also eliminated a "black spot" in on of the paddocks by fencing off that corner to make a 20m2 wire mesh yard with no corners.  This is a perfect all purpose yard which will be great for foaling, weaning and it could even be used as a dog run.  The section of the stallion paddock with star droppers has now been replaced with wooden posts and with the addition of a few gates, the refencing project will be complete. 

July 2008

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, something which has hit home hard after my partner and I broke up after four years together.  It has been a struggle and will be for a while longer, but it looks promising that I will be able to keep Halado Park running by myself.  However, I will have to make some sacrifices and this, combined with the lack of sales brought by drought and high cost of living, has brought about the decision to stop breeding...at least for now.  The change of direction means that the property will be utilised more for agistment, and I have been taking advantage of the low horse population at the moment to undertake some fencing changes and spray the paddocks.  I will also be looking for someone to share the house with me and for those interested, I can be contacted on haladowerdun@hotmail.com

Pottie has found a new home out at Port Augusta where she is enjoying life as a kids' pony, something which I'm sure she is absolutely thriving on the cuddles and attention.  Magic and Ricky are both still here, but there has been interest in both of them.  It's just a matter of finding the right homes.  Changes at Halado also include the erection of a new hay shed which is long overdue, and my trusty old Falcon has been replaced by a later model.  I can't recommend the Ford Falcon enough.  Even my old faithful - at 426,000kms - still had life left in her.

May 2008

Most of last month was spent working with the weanlings and continuing their training.  They were both very enjoyable to work with and showed the typical intelligence and trainability of the Werdun progeny.  The fact that I was able to handle and train these babies with a broken arm speaks volumes for their temperaments. 

Wicca is now at her new home and from what I hear, has well and truly made a place for herself there.  She also decided to reassure her new owners that she will indeed make a jumper after clearing the 4' rail of her yard! 

With the AWHA Gala Day coming up, I had both foals entered and Ricky was right on track with his training and looking a treat.  So what does he go and do?  Has a growth spurt right before the show!  Argh!  Hoof angles changed, legs pointed in different directions, and he generally turned into a mule.  The joys of young horses.  Anyway, he was an absolute star on the day.  Loaded straight onto the float in the dark and happily munched his hay all the way there.  At the show, he behaved beautifully and had many admirers.  Both he and Wicca came second in good company and how interesting it is to see that the local sires are very much holding their own against the international frozen semen sires.

There is a lovely young warmblood here for training who is a son of a Godswalk mare I used to own.  He is such a fun little character and is so much like his mother.  He is progressing at a rate of knots and will be starting some jumping this month. 

Congratulations to Amanda Fechner (owner of Matty) who got married early this month.  Amanda has been a huge help to Halado Park and we wish her much happiness for the future!

March 2008

March was going to be a big month at Halado with foals being weaned and given some intensive handling before going to new homes.  Unfortunately, I had to go and stuff up that plan by breaking my arm.  Weaning still went ahead thanks to some fantastic friends who have been very generous in offering their help, and the foals are getting used to the "big kids" lifestyle. 

Wicca has been sold to the daughter of my farrier, which speaks a lot for his opinion of her sire and dam.  She will be heading off to her new home next month.  Ricky has attracted a lot of interest, and will no doubt find a human before very long.  I am hoping to take Ricky to the AWHA Gala Day in May (pending arm repair), and we will possibly see Wicca there too.

February 2008

Things have been very quiet over the last few months with the horses.  I have settled into my new job at Lindsay Park Stud, and am enjoying it immensely.  Halado Park is really struggling with the drought and the aim is to have horse numbers down to only 1-2 over the next year.  As a result, I have advertised Magic, Rae and Pottie as leases/give aways on the for sale page.  With the ground so hard, Titan's dressage work has been limited, but he has been showing some really good work and I'm looking forward to the winter months when the softer ground will allow us to move up a level.  Last month, we had a visit from Irish Showjumping correspondent Jan Heine and her daughter.  Their feedback on Titan and his foals was very encouraging and it's great to know that we are "right up there" in the Australian performance horse market as far as quality goes.

November 2007

Even though South Australia remains free of Equine Influenza, there are no shows being held so things have been very quiet on the horse front.  It has given us a chance to do some work around the property, and after two years, we have finally erected the feed shed!  Next on the agenda is a small hayshed alongside it which gives us much more space in the main shed.  Another "one day" project is well on the way with a new gate being added to the big paddock.

The foals are doing great and will be going out to the big paddock once the new gate is up.  They have been learning to lead and pick up feet and are both such delightful little characters.  Ricky is an absolute gentleman and is growing up into a very special horse, but it's Wicca that everyone falls in love with.  The Pocket Rocket has so much personality about her that poor Ricky tends to fall out of the spotlight!

Another big change is that I will be leaving my job to join the stud team at Lindsay Park, one of the country's top Thoroughbred breeding and racing establishments.  Only twenty minutes down the road, it means I'll be close to home and can start taking in horses for training again. 

Due to the current uncertainty with the drought and EI, I have made the decision not to breed this year, but hope to turn out the occasional Thoroughbred off the track for sale until things pick up a bit.  Groundwork lessons are now being offered whether it is to fine tune lunging or with a view to starting liberty work.  At the moment, Titan is my schoolmaster for the groundwork lessons, but due to the fact that some people may find him a bit intimidating to work with, I will be training Pottie the shetland up so that she can also act as schoolmaster if needed.

October 2007

Halado Park welcomes
"Halado Wicca"
(Wicca)

Born 7th October.  Magic's first foal, Wicca is a bay filly with a star and showing a friendly adventurous nature already.  Wicca is for sale and will be available after weaning.

September 2007

Halado Park welcomes
"Halado Warwick"
(Ricky)

On 22nd September, Rae presented us with a bay colt.  Unfortunately, he had a few hiccoughs to overcome, first with Sleepy Foal Syndrome, then constipation and a low grade infection made worse by not getting enough colustrum at birth (rectified with a plasma transfusion).  However, he has battled on and at four days old, is a strong, healthy and cheeky colt who has a lot of his father in him, both in looks and character.  Ricky is for sale and will be available after weaning.

August 2007

The crosscountry course is nearly completed and includes logs, a hunt jump, stone wall, ditch, drop fence, water crossing, rolltop, complex, and a brush fence.  The drop fence still needs the landing resurfaced, and a bank will be built when we find the materials.  When it is completed, the course will be available for hire.  It is suited to Grade 5-4 horses and several jumps are adjustable.  The course will test horses and riders, being over varying terrain and requiring accurate riding. 

Below: Werdun tests out the crosscountry course

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2007
Halado Walkyrie (Bonnie) has been sold and has gone to a great home in Sydney!

May 2007
Werdun at the Adelaide Hunt Club's Opening Hunt

Magic goes to Pony Club!
(Photos from May rally)

(Above: Magic's first oxer.  This was her third time over jumps)

Magic has been doing a bit more under saddle and is proving to be a very special horse!  At 6 months in foal, she is just starting to get a belly and has a couple of months riding in her still.  While she is not doing any serious schooling yet, she has been on rides down the road and has even been to Pony Club!  At Pony Club, she went out on the cross country course (her 6th ride off the track) and was calm and relaxed the whole time.  She didn't give a hoot about horses cantering past her and she even had a go at jumping some of the smaller grade 5 jumps - logs, banks and ditches.  This horse just gets better and better!!!

Mt Pleasant Combined Training Day
29th October

Timber -
1st in the 85cm
placed in the 65cm.

(October '06) Babies on the way....

Rae and Magic were both served in October so we shall hopefully have two new bundles of joy bouncing around next season.

(August '06) A new broodmare!

The Thoroughbred mare, "Alice Magic" arrived at Halado on 16/9/06.  Magic is by Deveraja (Sir Tristram) out of a Handcrafted mare.  She is a lovely girl - friendly and sensible - and just oozes quality.  She stands at 17 hands, but is quite a refined, elegant type.  She has a strong, elevated trot and a balanced, effortless canter.  Magic will have a few weeks to settle in the mare paddock before being served.  She will also work under saddle until she is too heavy with the foal.  More info and pictures of Magic here. 

               

2006 AWHA Gala Day