History

This whole breeding enterprise started because of one very special horse named “Dazzling Delta” or known to his friends as “Bug”. He is now a 13yo 16.2h brown/black gelding by Aloha Bobby Dazzler and out of a W/B mare by Hanburg Attila Rex (by King). I bought him as a gangly weanling with an enormous trot from a stud in Young and he has turned out to be a wonderful riding horse that I have totally under utilised in recent years due to the demands that setting up the stud (as well as working full time) have made on my time. He combines the absolute best qualities of the Arabian and Warmblood – intelligence with a relaxed outlook, flair and dazzling movement with power and strength, he can collect into a divine passage or explode into an extension to blow you away - even with unfit old me sitting on him.

I broke him in myself and started competing on him as my older FEI level horse was nearing retirement. We had some ‘interesting’ moments the first few times we went out but as he settled he started to achieve consistently good scores and wins in official tests. We cliniced under Heath Ryan during these days and he described Bug as being ‘almost freakish’ in that he was so talented but also so damned trainable. I am totally out of competition condition now but Bug still performs like a champion in my arena at home and I’m thinking it’s about time we got back out and competing again – yikes!

He’s also had a bit of a fun stint having some showjumping training (with a proper SJ rider – my jumping days are long behind me) and he just loved it – was jumping well over a metre after a dozen lessons or so. 

But anyway I went looking for another youngster like Bug to buy only to discover that the stud that bred him had closed and all the horses had been sold. Then I saw his half-sister, “Elle”, for sale on an internet site and I zoomed up to Sydney and bought her, thinking vaguely that I might try breeding another Bug from her one day and also she would be a friend for Bug on our new property in Yass. Well, they loathed each other on sight and fought like cat and dog so the ‘friend’ plan went out the window and so she was put in foal to Rituel – a stallion I have adored since I saw him at the very first DWTS in Melbourne. For the rest of the story – check out the mares and foals pages……..

Facilities

Our Arab/WB stud is now located on 112acres on the outskirts of Yass in NSW.

Chaminda and I purchased it 3 years ago and are well into the process of turning it from the cattle property it used to be into a functional horse stud. Prior to purchasing our current property we had 18 acres closer to town – but we simply ran out of room there and had to find something bigger!

Our first priority after moving was planning the set out of the new paddocks and then fencing, fencing, fencing. We did all the work ourselves (Chaminda is a fencing wizard) - improving all the existing fences and building all the new ones - to make the entire place as horse safe as possible. Our standard fencing is now 5’ high with equifence and bayco. This fencing is high visibility and has already proved its worth on several occasions!

The next step was the foaling paddocks, of which we now have four, safely fenced with post and rail and diamond mesh (that stuff is a mongrel to strain but oh so good once its finally up).

The ‘Chaminda-built’ facilities now include an American barn style stable block, with mare crush and tackroom (woo hoo) – however, the washbay, yards and feedroom are still under construction....

The roundyard has been finished (double woo hoo) and has a lovely wood fibre/granitic sand surface that is excellent to ride on. The arena is still a little way off but maybe later this year...