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Results
South Island Endurance Championships, Marborough
Samson II 3rd 100km and best overall lag times
Daisybank Wairarapa
Aspen Hills Yamaha Q 30km Intro ride carrying 100km
Orica Q 30km intro ride
North Island Championships Waiuku
Samson II 4th 160km 3* Championship ride, five minutes behind the winner, and fastest last loop (21kmph)
Orica Q 57 km
Aspen Hills Yamaha q 57 Km
Tautane Station Wairarapa Premier Ride of the Season
Aspen Hills Yamaha Q 40 km
Aspen Hills Santa Ana Q 2 X 40km
Orica Q first 80km
Aspen Hills Sir Ullrich (AH Elegy x Shu String) anglo, Q first 40km
Christmas 2009 Update
Trans Tasman
Chris King and Marion Tylee organised the Trans Tasman Endurance event between Australia and New Zealand at Whangaehu in November this year. The last Trans Tasman was in Australia, and before that it was last held in, and won by, New Zealand.
This time it was a little different. The course was deceptively tough and took its toll on horses at the end of the 100km Trans Tasman event. The Australian team had been lent very competitive horses so right up till the last loop, the race was on.
Even after the vetting no one was sure who won, as one of the NZ team was eliminated for being over time, although the horse passed the vet inspection. Then another NZ horse collapsed after passing the vetting, and some thought that meant it was eliminated. However the 2 hour rule does not exist under the new FEI Rules. In the end the Australian team won as they had more horses and riders qualifying.
 Santa Ana and Wade Burgess (Australia) in the Trans Tasman at Whangaehu. |
Samson is now theoretically qualified for Kentucky as he has done the required number of two and three star rides, one within the qualifying time of 13 hours 20 minutes. He did his 160km in just under 9 hours.
Orica also came out for the first time this year and was still full of spook after 20km carrying a good weight.
Other Performance
 Dell Talia as a youngster.
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Talia was retired after injuring her hocks, and though she achieved 100km with the injuries we felt it was asking too much of her.
However, she is very pleased to be part of the action again. She is going to Himatangi and may do some vaulting though I suspect she might be a little old to learn such tricks.
On the Sunday she left, she competed in a CTR ride at Battle Hill, with Santa Ana and won it.
She had previously won the Rhona Frazer Junior CTR ride at the same venue. Talia has some illustrious full siblings, some of whom are very pretty.
What she lacks in the glamour department she makes up for in willingness. She just goes. Santa Ana came second - her second CTR ride, and her second second.
Aspen Hills Olympia will be trained in. Sir Ullrich, Yamaha and Brio are doing some basic work.
Nureyev is resting for the time being.
 Aspen Hills Shell Fire 
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Aspen Hills Nada bint Racca, Aspen Hills Santa Ana and Samson II trekked up to Taupo on 30th October to the annual Taupo endurance ride. This year it was an FEI ride with four CEI events, two 80km, one for open and one for Junior/Youth and two similarly in the 120km.
Tessa elected to ride Santa Ana in the 80km and qualified in the Junior/Youth and Samson II in the 120km.
Samson also qualified after a glitch at the start where the time was moved forward half an hour and not everyone picked up on this. The horses all recovered quickly and could have done it again the next day.
This was the second ride for us this season as it has been too wet to train properly. We met Aspen Hills Hope n Glory at Taupo - it was a decade since we had seen him. He is Santa Ana's brother and he was looking really well. He seems to love endurance but is being taken slowly.
We have for sale a lovely 14.3hh dark brown/black gelding from this family, Aspen Hills Shades of Night. Enquiries welcome.
Other performance
Aspen Hills Shell Fire was Supreme Champion at the Waikato Show, a great achievement and a credit to Collette Hosking. He is not a big horse so this is a special achievement, measuring 149cm. His next step is to start work under saddle.
He is by Redwood Lodge Firewalker from Sunnybank Anashelle, who is by Lyric, a full brother to Brian Ross' good producing stallion Iliad.
He left some lovely foals while with Anne Marie Garcia. Firewalker seems to be producing very well as a sire, having offspring exported for endurance, as well as siring Sarah Hamer's good endurance mare Velvet Fire. Plus he has multi champions in the show ring.
We have for sale a beautiful 15.1 hh gelding out of a Firewalker mare by Advocate. Enquiries welcome.
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We have started the season late, since my hospital visit planned for 5 days ended up as five months of illness and recouperation, swine flu being the final straw. But Aspen Hills Nada Bint Racca and Samson II have had their first ride. It was a rocky start with lots of wind, some hail and rain. Both of them qualified in the 40km and 80 km respectively. The next ride is Taupo, an FEI ride. The riding horse team is:
Feedback from the departed Aspen Hills Concord produced a beautiful colt for Shiree Palmer born on 1 October. He will be a registered partbred and may be for sale. Concord is by the influential sire Simeon Shomer (dec) out of the Gai Cadet mare AA Katalina, considered a very good cross. Concord shares her home with all sorts of wonderful creatures and is very happy there. Aspen Hills Gaia has a new home in Auckland and is doing some endurance. Gaia has matured a lot from the very athletic and beautiful youngster she was here. Aspen Hills Hope n Glory and Star Ling are continuing their endurance and pleasure riding careers. Aspen Hills Nita Juanita left here in September in her woollie winter coat and is being subjected to some first class attention in her new home. She is our last filly by Elegy and is very affectionate. She has a great pedigree for endurance and CTR. The very pretty Aspen Hills Ada (Advocate x Rosewood Marika) has gone way down south and is being trained in.
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 Orica - picture by John Fitzgerald Iorns
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Season's Review
 Jordyn and Pacifica (exp) at the 2008 Nationals. |
One is always sad to see them go, but it's great if they can provide their new owners with the fun that horse owning and riding can bring.
Jordyn Piripi, who has ridden so successfully with us for so many years, has moved on. This was a sad parting for us as well, but we wish her well in her University studies. Jordyn had great success with Starlight Express, winning the NI and National Junior CTR in the same year, and then taking her on to endurance with many wins and placings. She had her share of disappointments, I recall her and Tessa doing a rip roaring 80km in under 4 hours at Waitarere, only to have Star vet out. She represented New Zealand at the Trans Tasman in Nelson (NZ won the Gold there) and later Jordyn travelled to Australia to ride in the reciprocal event. Jordyn also had success with AH Concord, AH MoonShadow, Dell Talia, AH Nada Bint Racca and she also won the NZAHBS sash at the Ruahine Nationals with Pacifica being the first purebred Arab home, and took Orica on her very first ride, a 30km CTR ride at Waitarere.
 AH Sir Ullrich |
The season saw Nada go out with a problem behind, though she was tough and competitive and it never stopped her trying to take Ebi over the finish line first. It saw Orica complete her first 120km in promising fashion, AH Santa Ana go from a Novice to a two-star horse and Starlight Express come back to win an 80km ride at Whareama, though she vetted out at the Nationals with a stone bruise.
Sam gave Kirstin the first 160km on a horse she trained herself. Kirstin loves Sam and this was her swansong. Sam was 9th in the 160km at the Nationals, completing the distance easily in under 9 hours, about 35 minutes behind the leader. With more experience he will be able to improve on this.
 Aspen Hills Monarch |
The end of a season gives you the chance to look forward. Endurance New Zealand has published the ride calendar much earlier than maybe ever before, certainly earlier than in the last few years, so we can plan our rides. There will be a change of focus with AH Yamaha and AH Sir Ullrich and maybe AH Nureyev starting at the beginning of the season, along with Sam later on and Orica. Nita Juanita may also do some CTR.
Aspen Hills Monarch is with Bonni Paul for some pony kindergarten. Now called Archie, Bonni says he is very bright and intelligent and a bit of a poseur as the photo at right shows.
 Eclipse
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We still have Aspen Hills Eclipse by Shalom La Ish, and AH Santa Ana by Wind n Fire. And two geldings from Eclipse by Advocate, Shades of Night and Orbiter (paddock name Rocket). Santa Ana apart from now being a 2* CEI endurance horse bred AH Yamaha by El Kheir Galal and AH Spanish Flame by Whitestones Silver Flame.
AH Hope n Glory, Santa Ana's brother grew into a fine gelding. AH Echo Dynamo (by Waimiha Viscount) is having a great time with CTR in Wellington and will do some endurance in the future. He has the best Waimiha breeding on his sire's side, and the best Crabbet on his dam's side.
 AH Hope n Glory
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 Top left: AH Santa Ana Above: AH Santa Ana and Nada at Castlepoint Left: AH Yamaha (El Kheir Galal x Santa Ana) |
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Santa Ana completing the 120 CEI** at the Nationals
Orica on her first 40km
Starlight Express - 2009 Nationals
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Orica - 40km club ride - Nationals 2009 | |
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Samson II completing the 160km (8:58) Nationals 2009 | |