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Home2014 Year In Review - Horseriding North Coast NSW
2014 Year In Review - Southern Cross Horse Treks Australia
Dear Horse Riding Friends,
Happy New Year to you all and wishing many happy horse riding hours in 2015. Here is a short Kerewong 2014 year review of life at my little horse riding business.
New Dynamics
I started the year with ten horses and one old dog. I added one horse and am now officially a horse collector. Manni’s nephew Valentino (pure bred Arabian) arrived in February and started work in August - without any brakes, but I found them by the end of the year and he soon will be available for horse riding guests to enjoy smooth gates, eagerness and stamina.
The year started with a very special riding week with US photographer Katie Kaizer taking some amazing photos of the horses and rides. With so many good new photos I have been trying to get a new website up and running which has been constantly delayed for various reasons but 2015 will very soon see the new website launched.
The old horses moved into their separate retirement paddock, so there are now 2 herds of horses. I hope to have 5 horses aged 20 yrs or older by the end of 2015; no comments there please about retirement village, except hooray! After all, the horses' work contract states 10 years work followed by 10 years retirement. And they still help out in times of need.
So 2014 resulted in adding 1 horse, but losing 1 dog so so sad - my dear Jambo, I still miss you so much. After 12 years of never being far from my side Jambo’s time was up. I’m proud of him when some previous horse riding clients tell me that my Jambo inspired them to get a Ridgeback too - he was such a great dog. Jambo’s final gift to me was choosing as his successor the magnificent Jedda, a dog so good, I wonder how it is possible that I ended up with a good dog like that, was it not for Jambo's good taste.
Then towards the end of the year I lost my heart to a handsome special little man. I normally like them big and strong but this special little man just has the most beautiful eyes, cheeky face and smirky smile and he will roll over for me and give me high 5. His name is Bowie and he also has a very annoying high pitched bark when he gets scared of strangers as he had a bad life before coming to Kerewong and he is still only a puppy.
This little dog has taken me on a roller coster ride into the world of dog rescue. I’m lucky Jedda helps me raise him. Sometimes I think I see some Ridgeback in him, or is it just wishful thinking? So now Kerewong has found a new vibe with 2 energetic young rescue dogs of mystery mix breed that addd a lot to the entertainment on the horse farm.
Weather was good, we did the usual 20 week-long horse tours, met some very nice new riding guests and also were honoured to welcome return guests from Australia and far away Europe, but I did not manage to fill many groups.
I finally found a new farrier (yes yes finally finally).
All horses have been well, except Charlie struggled with his tendons (getting too old to go so fast) and Kamal was on sick leave for most of the year after being kicked by Jimmy in a bad spot, but both have now recovered fully. Nadal and Kuta did a few 40 km endurance rides.
So all I can say for 2015: Kerewong is the place where the guests sometimes have to wait because the horses really come first (as soon as I’m finished with the dogs). And I probably have to get another new horse by the end of the year....