Nursery and Junior School

This page will be a mixture of the foals that have been born up here and a selection of the young horses being backed and started. Over nearly seventeen years I have found that it doesn't matter how many horses pass through our hands - they are all different, different personalities, different moods and all utterly charming and irresistable

G'Day! I'm Dusky And This Is My Mum Darky

There have been two foals born at Ardnadam since 1995 and neither of them, I'm ashamed to say, have been as a result of planned pregnancies! The first was Possum's foal born in 1998. We purchased three huge mares from the Molesworth Station in February 1998 and one of them, Possum, part station bred, part Clyde and part Cleveland Bay just got fatter and fatter as the winter went on and finally presented us with a bouncing filly foal in October. That was Sunrise, born at dawn.

The second foal was our 9/11 baby. Next door's stallion got bored with his own mares and hopped over the fence, and by the time we discovered his presence and evicted him he had made Darky's aquaintance and she gave birth one evening in September 2001. That night I was still fizzing with excitement and came inside to listen to Talkback Radio. Later in the night the presenter waas telling us about the World Trade Centre being attacked, so young Dusky's birth will always be a memorable date.

Boy! - What Did You Eat For Dinner Last Night?

Candy the Palomino pony was Darky's companion for the last few months. Kind neighbours had allowed us to have the two mares out on their property where the grass was knee high. As the birthday drew nearer the mares were brought closer to home to a paddock adjoining our boundary, where there was good access should we need the vet. Candy was absolutely pop eyed when Darky produced the damp and knock kneed foal! As you can see from the poor quality of the photos it was dusk in September, so the new baby had her new name.

Backing And Starting Young Horses

In 1995 when we bought the land and started to set up the horse trekking we knew we couldn't afford to buy "ready made" horses so we looked around and began gathering unbacked ex racehorses. We borrowed an old Standardbred from a neighbour's mother. This was our only ridable horse, and only if he felt in the mood because Rusty was a character with Attitude! A new aquaintance showed us how to back the ex pacers and trotters- you back them bareback, sling a saddle on and ride away! - and we were in business.

On the knowledge front, Rod had had ponies as a child and I had been trained, in the UK, as a stud assistant and girl groom and had had considerable experience with young stock and the training thereof., so we felt we knew enough to proceed. My job was sorting out what tack to use, fitting it correctly, and then doing the lungeing, long reining and mouthing, while Rod was the muscle when needed.. I was the first person on every new horse and rode it until it was quiet enough to hand on to a Volunteer.

These days Rod is the expert and he organises the handling of the younger horses, with a mixture of Monty Roberts, Parelli and his own brand of training. The horses don't use bridles any more, and the learning experience for them is different.

Backing Blueprint She Was So Good

I Am More Nervous Than She Is Fait Accomplie

Who Is A Clever Blooey! Done! Phew!

Blueprint is my big Molesworth mare, half thoroughbred, quarter stationbred and quarter Clyde. She was only three when she arrived and quite thin and very untouched and suspicious of humans. With good food available and lots of patience and kindness she settled down very quickly and has been a joy to handle and ride ever since.

Backing Roo

Roo In Mouthing Gear Roo Up At The Molesworth

The First Attempt To Back Roo At Last A Big Horse For Rod

Roo is Rod's big Molesworth mare. She was four when we bought her and the second picture shows her up at the Molesworth just before she was loaded on a cattle truck with Possum and Blueprint. She is half Cleveland Bay, quarter stationbred and quarter Clyde. She has been the Boss Mare of the herd ever since she arrived and was always the boss of these three horses. When I was legged up to lie over her for the first time we had problems. Rod had hold of the horse and my left leg and she went rapidly away from him, round in a circle.. He could neither let go of my leg or the horse until she stopped whizzing round in circles and I couldn't let go of my position until she settled down, so we went round and round and round until she stopped, many, many minutes later when we were all jolly dizzy! We had made our point though, when I was legged up again, from both sides, she didn't move away at all. She had learnt that it didn't hurt, wasn't frightening and also that we didn't give up. Horse successfully backed!

Possum and Sunrise

The Battleship In Residence Why Am I So Fat?

Brand Spanking New What On Earth Is That?

Upsadaisy! A Leg At Each Corner Like A Table

A Bit More Steady On The Pins Who Are You?

Me and My Friend Tina

Possum was Roo's half sister and was born in 1994. She arrived here with Roo and Blueprint in February 1998 and was deeply mistrustful of all humans. We won her trust with food which she was passionate about. As the months went on she got fatter and fatter and it turned out we had bought an in foal mare - two for the price of one! Sunrise was the bouncing baby.