Banjywon Park

Horses I have known

Courage, wisdom born of insight and humility, empathy born of compassion and love, all can be bequethed by a horse to his rider.
~Charles de Kunffy

More of these wonderful horses from my past.


Turtle after her Buckskin Classification Show

Turtle was an Buckskin and Australin Pony that my then fiance, now husband - Neil and I bought from a friend in Berwick. She was a very dark and about 11.2 hands and the only real "pony" that I have owned. I had a lot of fun with her and she was very successful int he show ring. I used to work at Victoria's Farm Shed which was a sort of animal display place and she lived/worked there with us. She had a delightful temperment and was such fun to break in - so quiet and reliable. A family from Bunyip came in one day and asked if they could buy her - and they did - they had 4 or 5 kids and she was starting at the oldest one. A home for life assured she still lives with them 11 years later.




Black - one month after purchase.

Black - as we called this pathetic thoroughbred filly that came to live with us about 10 years ago was the true victim of human greed and negligence. My husband wanted to replace a horse I had lost and we saw an add in the paper for a Thoroughbred clearing sale. If I could remember the name of the "stud" and I use the term loosely, and the owner I would tell you because I think they should be known - however I cannot. So we went to this stud to look at horses by Arch Arkle - a well known sire of the time - with horse float on back.

We arrived - signed in and went to look at the stables. Disgusting! There were about 12 horses there that were in poor condition in the true sense of the word. Skeletons with hieds thrown over then, dull coats, listless eyes. My husband is not a horse person but he was horrified - as was I. I had chosen to buy this filly becuase I felt she was the best type. I looked passed the obvious and the fact that she had varocous veins all up the side of her face and a scarred neck. I just liked her. So we bought her for $265. Outrageous for the horse and the time but I could not let her go to the person that wanted her - he was going to race her - how could something with a start in life like this ever race? She was 2 years. Just as we were heading off this even more pathetic excuse for a colt was led out. Neil looked at me and said "we may as well fill the float" so we bought him for $110 and went home.


Jack one month after joining us.

I will not give the details of how these "horse people" loaded our new purchases. Suffice to say that they particularly did not like mares and acted as such. I wish I was then as I am now - but I was a lot younger and softer - never again.

So we took these horses back to where I then agisted and installed them in 2 stables. That night we only gave then a couple of dippers of chaff each - they were so poor I was scared that more would kill them! The vet came out the next day and the long slow haul began - and the cost. They were put on a very strict and slowly increasing diet - blud suppliment - paste drench as they could not handle a tube yet - and lots of T.L.C. The next week the vet came again and we tube drenched them (must have been a worm city in there). My vet told me that he had gelded 2 colts purchased from that sale - both in the same condition as my guys - the day after purchase. He had advised the owners not to but they did. I never found out if they survived.

Anyway - Black and Jack, as we called them, slowly slowly put on weight, had their split and long feet trimmed and went for daily walks. Finally they were allowed out in the paddock and it would break you heart to watch them. Jack went to live with a friend of mine and I broke in Black to saddle - many months after getting them. By this time I had learnt what the true meaning of "big vet bills" were - but they were safe and that was what matter. Or so I thought.

Troubles began when Jack would not hold his weight when in light work. No matter how he was fed or spelled the minute a bit of pressure came on he could not take it. He ended up going to another home as a pet.

Black injured her near front foot quite badly early in her riding career and, as she was 3 years old and quite fat by this time we decided to join her to a stallion that we really liked. This was fine and 11 months later Banjywon Paigen was born.

Black aged 4 with "Banjywon Paigen" at foot.

However, as "Peggy" grew and the demands for milk got more and more, no matter how much we fed her (2 huges buckets per day plus all the hay she could eat) Black got thinner and thinner. I called the vet out (we had moved and it was another vet) I told him her story but I could tell he did not believe me - he thought that I had been starving her - which I suppose is natural as he did not know me. However, when he took blood tests and chekced her over he found no worms, as he was expecting, her teeth had been done and the final diagnosis was that the original worm damage was so bad that she too would never be able to take any pressure. He advised putting her down.


Peggy with Black in the background - obvious how much weight the mare had lost at this time.

Peggy was only 4 and half months old at this time but we weaned her and tried to feed up Black but she would not make it this time so we had her destroyed. It was a heart breaking exercise with both horses - the unseen damage so often greater than you can ever realise. But I am glad we did it and gave them some crack at life.

Peggy (reg ASH) at Sale Show in 1991 - I showed her for her new owners four weeks after they took posession. They kept in touch for a couple of years but have since moved away.





More Past Horses




Go to:
Home Page
Our Current Horses
Philosophy, Aims and Training Methods
History
Endurance Info
Links

Sign Guestbook View Guestbook