Horse Breed: French Trotter
Name of breed: French Trotter (French: Trotteur français). Country of origin: France. Breed origin: The French Trotter was developed in Normandy, a northwestern region of France, in the 1800s as trotting races increased in popularity. Breeders crossed Norman stock with Thoroughbred, American Standardbred, Norfolk Roadster, Hackney and hunter-type bloodlines to create a horse with incredible […]
Copenhagen: The Horse who Won at Waterloo
Copenhagen was a chestnut stallion of Arabian and Thoroughbred breeding who saw the Duke of Wellington emerge unscathed and victorious at Waterloo. But that’s not all there is to his story. Copenhagen’s dam, Lady Catherine, was the war horse of a brigade commander at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807. Unbeknownst to her rider, she […]
Man From Snowy River Bush Festival – Corryong
Nothing speaks of Aussie bush heritage more than Banjo Patterson’s famous poem, ‘The Man From Snowy River’. Musicians have sung it, there’s been a movie made about it, and the town of Corryong, at the base of the Australian Alps, has created an entire festival around it. The sleepy little alpine hamlet swells in April […]
Horse Breed: Don
Horse Breed: Don Name of breed: Don (Russian: Donskaya) Country of origin: Russia Breed origin: The first recorded mention of this breed dates from the 16th century, when it was bred by the Cossack tribes near the Don and Volga rivers by crossing the semi-wild horses of the Russian steppe with Arabian, Turkmenian (today’s Akhal-Teke) […]
Zoë Vorenas, Para Equestrian
Zoë Vorenas is a para equestrian dressage rider who is part of the Victorian State Squad and the National High Performance Squad. A horse girl since she was first put on a Shetland at age 3, Zoë tried many different disciplines before falling in love with dressage. In 2014, during her final year of school, […]
Horse Breed: Coffin Bay Pony
Name of breed: Coffin Bay Pony Country of origin: Coffin Bay, Australia. Breed origin: The Coffin Bay Pony’s story begins in 1839, when Captain Hawson transported around 60 Timor Ponies from Sumatra to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. He intended to use the ponies for breeding, and in 1847 all of the ponies were […]
Globetrotting Health Guide: On the Road
Anna King, globetrotter and medical professional, has kindly written an in-depth guide to staying healthy and identifying and treating illnesses and injuries while travelling. She’s covered common complaints and their treatments, first aid, coping with long-distance flights, and a whole lot of handy tips. Keep this info on-hand for your horse riding holiday! (Make sure […]
Globetrotting Health Guide: Before You Go
Seasoned globetrotter and medical professional Anna King has very generously given us the ultimate guide to staying healthy on your horse riding holiday. In this article, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about preparing for your travels, from vaccinations to first aid kits. (Make sure you also check our article with our […]
Alycia Burton, Free Rider Extraordinaire!
Alycia Burton is a 29-year-old New Zealander who rose to fame almost by accident when videos of her free jumping – jumping bareback and/or without a bridle – went viral. Together with her beautiful gelding, Gold Rush, she now runs Free Riding New Zealand, giving demonstrations and lessons at home and abroad to help people […]
The Godolphin Arabian
Few horses can claim to have had more effect on the modern Thoroughbred than the Godolphin Arabian. Now the subject of poems, novels and paintings, this stallion had a pretty rough start. From what history can tell us, it seems he was a small, golden-bay Arabian horse born on the Barbary Coast of northern Africa […]
Horse Breed: Manipuri Pony
Breed name: Manipuri Pony, or Manipur Country of origin: India Breed origin: The Manipuri Pony is an ancient breed indigenous to India. Its origins are disputed, with some saying it descended from Mongolian horses crossed with Arabians and ponies, and others saying it was developed from the Tibetan pony. What is undeniable is the breed’s […]
Wild Tracks Update: Clemmie Wotherspoon’s Aussie Endurance Epic
Hey Globetrotters, You may remember our post back in March where we introduced Clemmie Wotherspoon, an extraordinary rider traversing the 5,330km Bicentennial National Trail with three brumbies. Clemmie’s main goal is to increase awareness of the healing power of animal-human connections and equine therapy, especially Riding for the Disabled. Three months in, it’s time for […]
Australian International 3 Day Event – Adelaide’s Best Kept Secret!
Hey Globetrotters, did you know that an FEI Classics Series three-day event happens right in our backyard every year? Right in Adelaide’s backyard, to be precise! Every November, the parklands that circle Adelaide’s CBD are taken over by this internationally significant equestrian competition. Three-day eventing, commonly called eventing, originated as a way to test military […]
Philip Barnard-Brown: Aussie Coachman of the Royals
A little over a week ago, the world witnessed the spectacle of His Royal Highness Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle’s wedding. And while the wedding was just beautiful, to myself and no doubt all the other horse-mad people out there, the carriage procession through Windsor afterwards with the stunning horses and their shiny […]
Horse Breed: Alter Real
Name of breed: Alter Real Country of origin: Portugal Breed origin: In Portugal, there was a royal stud in Alentjo that supplied horses to the classical riding academy for the Royals to use. In 1756, the stud breeding was moved to Alter and 300 Andalusian mares from Spain were introduced into the line. In the […]
Bijmin and Jess take on New Zealand!
Come meet the amazing horse guiding duo known as Jess Mullins and Bijmin Swart! You may have bumped into them or had the pleasure of riding with them on board the Glenorchy Back Country Ride or the Howqua River Ride. This awesome pair has a love for horses and is taking on the trek of […]
Badminton Horse Trials 2018 Winner- Jonelle Price
The Badminton Horse Trials is held annually in the first week of May and showcases the elite eventers of the equestrian world! It is one of the toughest events in the eventing calendar and sees plenty of thrills, spills and amazing horse feats and displays of horsemanship. This year the winner was Jonelle Price riding ‘Classic […]
The Philippaerts Family
The Philippaerts are a Belgium family who has horse riding and show jumping in their blood! Ludo Philippaerts was a showjumping wizard and his wife Veronique was a master in the dressage arena before they had their four sons (Olivier, Nicola, Thibault and Anthony) to carry on their name in the equestrian world. Their passion […]
Horse Breed: American Miniature Horse
Name of breed: American Miniature Horse Country of origin: United States Breed origin: The American Miniature horse was first imported into America in 1888 and is thought to be from a cross of different mine horses from England and the Netherlands. It is thought that the miniature horse also drew its small size from the […]
Prometea- The First Cloned Horse
Prometea, the first-ever cloned horse, was born in a province of Italy on May 28, 2003. This year, the Halflinger cross mare will be 15 years old! It was declared the turn of a new century for the equine world and saw the start of cloning elite horses in polo and the racing industry. But […]
Don’t leave home without…. A soft wheeled duffel bag
Packing for a horse riding holiday can be stressful enough (although we try to make it as easy as possible for you – check out our ultimate packing list here), let alone having to try and figure out what sort of bag you should pack into. There’s nothing worse than trying to lug a heavy […]