The start of it all.
My sister and I were horse mad from a young age, cantering on-foot around the backyard, making jumps and pretty much “hobby-horsing”, before it was a thing. We went to a riding school weekly, got our pony club certificates and convinced our parents that we could definitely have our own.
It was my beautiful dog, Patsy’s birthday this week turning a big 5 (which is apparently the equivalent of 40 years, making us both the same age - nyaww). It had me being all nostalgic and thinking back over all our adventures and where life has led us. Obviously Patsy had zero say in having horses in her life, but unlike her I wasn’t born into a horsey family.
My sister and I were horse mad from a young age, cantering around (on-foot) the backyard, making jumps and pretty much “hobby-horsing”, before it was a thing (if you haven’t heard of it, be warned, it is a very serious sport now and they have championships all over the world…). We went to a riding school weekly, got our pony club certificates and convinced our parents that we could definitely have our own.
Smartly, our parents decided to lease a horse first through a riding centre. With their help we landed an old, underweight, rainscald ridden and leech bitten horse to take on. Probably not so smart.
Glen was a 15.3hh, 21yo arab x standardbred gelding. Red bay with a star and two socks. He had been around, seen many things and learnt much more in the process. Glen was as tough as they come, and he promptly picked up condition, grew all his coat back and the sparkle in his eyes returned.
We learnt the real basics of horse ownership with Glen… vet bills, horses having an opinion (especially older ones), saddle fitting, feed, more vet bills and most importantly how smart arabs are and how stubborn standardbreds are.
Glen was a real character. He was mostly very un-enthused about riding and would flop his bottom lip and ears like a goofball, making sure we were absolutely certain in our riding plans for the day. While kind, he had a cheeky side and regularly used it to his advantage. If we were jumping, or trail riding, or if he was just feeling fresh, his ears would prick forward (also a lesson every horse rider learns… pricked forward ears = “oh no”) and you knew you were not in for a relaxing ride. Even into his mid-twenties, he’d have his fresh days and would shy and bolt at whatever he thought might make a reasonable excuse… shadows and boogey men.
My sister and I convinced our parents to build stables and paddocks at home, and with that Glen (and our second horse, Shorty) moved in. Moving from the social stables to having horses at home was an initial adjustment, but very quickly we were able to witness their personalities on a more personal level.
As my sister and I moved onto other horses, Glen was ridden every now and again by our mum. Learning all the riding basics like eyes up and heels down (mostly so you could keep an eye on his ears and hang on when he shied).
Shorty and Glen (double dinking)
Living with them at our back door we could see the way they interacted with each other, their routines, their foibles. Who they were. And they became part of the family. On weekends Glen used to park himself under the verandah, and watch the tv through the window. We had to make sure all the doors were closed, because on a couple of occasions, he let himself inside the house and we had to figure out how to turn him around and get him out safely without spooking him or hitting a fan or wall or door! He (and Shorty) also loved all the treats that came with home life. Especially when my dad specifically bought packets of finger buns to watch them be inhaled.
Glen lived to the age of 30 and was the top of the herd until the day he died. I have so many amazing memories of him that still make me smile and giggle. He really was the start of it all and my affinity with arabs.
I started photography after Glen, but below are some arabs and partbreds for your viewing pleasure.
Meet Charlotte
Meet Charlotte, a 12 year old ex racehorse who hails back to some of the greats.
I’ve been thinking what to write next and trying to let go of the anxiety to be creative again, and then yesterday I saw something that made me mad. Mad and sad. It was (another) post about someone having to put their loved thoroughbred to rest.
This beautiful OTTB (Off The Track Thoroughbred), also known as an ex-racehorse, a loved family member and therapy horse was put to rest ‘in his prime years’ after racing from the age of 2yo and winning over $1 million dollars in prize money. Why? Because of a malformation in his spine that deteriorated quickly.
But he is only one of many ending in similar circumstances. And the reason why so many don’t buy OTTBs… Because the risk of them breaking down is so great.
This graphic, created by Naomi Tavian (@equinaomi), illustrates how long it takes for a horse to become fully mature.
There is evidence out now about the damage 2yo racing can (and is) having on horses, particularly their pelvis and spine (Becks Nairn has some great dissections and data). Horses don’t finish growing until they are 6yo+ and the pressure of racing and training has incredible detrimental effects on their young bodies. I am not advocating for an end to racing, but an end to racing 2yos.
I love Thoroughbreds. They are generally incredibly willing to work with you, are stoic and put their heart in everything they do. I’m always in awe watching their power as they run, and they love it. Much like a working dog loves to naturally herd stock, thoroughbreds naturally want to run and be the fastest.
Quick interjection here, I don’t think this competitiveness is isolated to thoroughbreds. I once thought I was going to Silver Brumby it off a cliff during a trail ride when my arab, Elvis decided he was faster than a friends OTTB and he was going to prove it galloping up a trail. The fact that this trail did a sharp 90 degree turn, otherwise you went off the cliff really didn’t bother him as much as it did me. Somehow I managed to convince him our lives depended on him slowing down and not continuing to prove a point. We survived, but this competitive nature has always stuck with me.
Charlotte at dusk
This leads me to introduce you to Charlotte, a lovely bay OTTB mare I am priviliged to be caring for. Charlotte raced as a 3yo and was wildly unsuccessful. She raced a total of 4 times, for $1000 prize money. Charlotte is beautifully bred, and is very much the stature of a classical thoroughbred. Her gallop although powerful, has a lot of airtime, and to run fast, a gallop needs to be flatter and cover more ground with greater efficiency. Her gallop and movement, while not so good for racing, is very good as a performance horse. That power and impulsion going up, is exactly what makes for a good showjumper, eventer and dressage horse.
Charlotte racing as a 3yo. She is in the green and red silks, 4th from the left.
I was given Charlotte by a friend, as a horse to ride while I currently didn’t have one. Charlotte was his favourite, and was lined up to be a polocrosse star, but after some very controversial tactics from an opposing team, the high pressure pushed her over the edge and it was too much. Charlotte was dropped off here and I started the journey in re-building her confidence under saddle.
Charlotte is very much my type of horse. Highly strung, stoic and sensitive. I love a real people pleaser where it is my job to ask them to try things and then tell them what a great job they’re doing. And this is what Charlotte is. For those that have an interest in thoroughbred lines, Charlotte has Sir Tristam, Star Kingdom, Danzig and Tudor Melody (and she moves like it too). Our rides went from her barely breathing, to big regular breaths. Not standing still at all, to happily being stationary while mounting and mid-ride. And now stretching forward over her back and trusting me.
Charlotte is still a spicy miss and while she has come leaps and bounds, she unfortunately has injuries that limit how much further she will progress. She is perfectly comfortable galloping around the paddock and enjoying herself, proving to everyone that she is a thoroughbred and the daughter of many legends :-D . She’s even started to show her softer side and just want to hang out, which makes me so happy. For now though, I will carry on and see where we get to and monitor her for any pain signals. Like us, physical therapy is the best way to prevent further deterioration, and we’re both on that journey!
Ningaloo ho-Le-day
Who starts an equine photography business coming into winter?? That would be me. Rookie error, but here we are, so for those horsey nuts who love adventuring, wildlife and landscapes, here’s a little sneak peak into my other life.
Who starts an equine photography business as it’s coming into winter??? Me. Let’s just clock this one up as a rookie error and look forward to spring.
Thankfully I already had something else planned for June. And hopefully (surely??) we have a few horsey nuts on here, who also enjoy a bit of adventuring and the beauty of landscapes. Turning 40, I decided to run away to a far away destination all the way across the other side of Australia. Exmouth to be exact. 4,456 kilometres away.
My first tip would be book in advance… well in advance. Don’t do what I did and think “we’ll just arrive, and sort it out from there”. Luckily the husband suggested I should just double check the tours I wanted to do… specifically the whale sharks, and 3 months out, nearly all the tours were already booked! In short… book accommodation atleast 6 months prior, whale shark, diving and snorkelling tours atleast 3 months prior, and book a hire car atleast 3 months prior. My second tip is book a 4wd. So many of the spots are only accessible with one. We booked a 4wd for the whole trip and while expensive, don’t regret it a bit. It gave us the freedom to explore where, when and what we wanted. Ningaloo is a 30 - 60 minute drive from Exmouth, and the closest canyon is 20 minutes.
We spent 1 week in Exmouth and it was the perfect amount of time.
There are only a couple options flying in to Exmouth and we had to do a stop over in Perth. After a couple of delays, we flew in around 3pm. The airport is something off an Australian movie. It is a big tin shed with louvres to let the breeze through, one conveyor belt for the suitcases that went in and out of the shed wall and a sign cautioning everyone of dingoes in the area.
We spent the rest of the afternoon doing all the adminny things like picking up the hire car, checking in, unpacking and getting some food essentials. Exmouth is quite an expensive location. There are plenty of cafe and restaurant options for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and coffee) and two IGAs. The IGAs are almost opposite each other and not even the locals could tell me why there were two… If you know, pleeaassseeee spill the beans! My third tip is Bamboo do very good (and early) coffee and Whalers Restaurant has amazing dinner and cocktails.
We stayed at Exmouth Escape Resort and did the 10 minute walk to Town beach to watch the sunrise on a few of the slower mornings. I was surprised how many came to do the same thing, except everyone else drove and sat in their cars. I feel that the bitter wind and sand stinging your legs was part of the experience though.
We had to cancel a couple of our tour bookings due to (very) high wind, namely the manta ray tour and scuba diving. I’ve included where we would have done this in the itinerary. We used the extra time we had to do some extra snorkelling and ended up seeing an octopus!!!
Itinerary
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Whale shark tour. We went out for the full day with Ningaloo Blue. They were one of the more expensive options, but included free photography and a smaller group of people. After a lot of googling and searching, all of the tours up there are top notch. You won’t be dissapointed whichever you go with.
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Vlamingh Head, Lakeside and Turquoise Bay. We stopped at the light house (Vlamingh Head) and had a little looksee and then carried on to Milyering Information Centre and then Lakeside to snorkel. Lakeside is full of bombies, coral and hundreds of thousands of fish. We then went down to Turquoise Bay and did the famous drift swim. The current is surprisingly strong, but we saw a snoozing green turtle, 2 stingrays and lots of fish.
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Jurabbi Sand Dunes, Yardie Creek and Sandy Bay. The sand dunes are a bit tricky to find, but worth the effort. They look straight into the ocean and standing on them we saw a turtle swimming by. The dunes would be cool for a sunrise or sunset photoshoot with someone in a big floaty dress. We did the Yardie Creek hike and boat tour and recommend both. It’s definitely worth seeing from both above and below. Yardie Creek is a bird haven, we saw flocks of cockatiels, ospreys, corellas, galahs, doves and seagulls.
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Charles Knife Canyon, Shothole Canyon, Badjirrajirra Loop Trail. We got up for sunrise and watched it rise out of the ocean over Charles Knife Canyon. It is an easy drive from Exmouth, with plenty of parking spots. It is quite the popular spot. We then went on the Badjirrajirra Loop Trail and did the 8km hike. It was amazing and the views over the Shothole canyon were incredible. On our way back, we did the 4wd into Shothole canyon and it literally feels like another world. Such a cool experience. If I had my time again, I would do Badjirrajirra for sunrise (at the Thomas Carter lookout) and Charles Knife for sunset.
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Mandu Mandu Gorge and scenic flight. The gorge is another Level 4 hike with beautiful views out to the ocean. We saw black flanked rock wallabies and a little joey jumping about the rocks. The scenic flight was a great way to see the canyons, Ningaloo reef and the ocean from above. If hiking isn’t your thing, I would definitely recommend.
You could definitely fit a snorkel in at your favourite spot on this day, or combine with Day 3. I like my days jam-packed with minimal downtime
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Coral Bay (Manta Ray Tour). We drove to Coral Bay and the scenery on the drive down was unexpected. Beautiful golden grasses surround hundreds of termite mounds! Coral Bay is much more of a sleepy town. We had a lovely walk along the coast and lunch at one of the pubs and headed home. We had booked a manta ray tour for this day, but unfortunately was too windy.
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Jurabbi Coastal Park and snorkelling (scuba dive). We had to come up with something else to do on our last day as our scuba dive tour was cancelled due to strong winds. We had a look at the beaches on the Gulf side of Exmouth, Jurabbi Coastal Park (we saw 4 turtles swimming in one spot!) and then did some more snorkelling. Lakeside was our favourite so we finished here and saw an octopus! Like wow.
While scuba diving Muiron Islands or the Navy pier would have been epic, seeing the octopus made it the salt sting a little less.
You can see some more videos of our time here.