About Narrawin Stud
Narrawin Stud was established at Bega in 1995. It all started with the purchase of two weanling Saddlebred horses, followed by a young Peruvian colt, Precioso. Soon after, another two Saddlebred fillies were added, then the Saddlebred stallion Tintalle Golden Demon moved to the property.
Initially David and I ran Thoroughbred, Arabian and a Warmblood mare to breed to the Saddlebred. The foals were pleasing but there was no chance of obtaining five-gaited horses and as we acquired addtitional Saddlebred and Peruvian horses, we slowly phased out the partbred Saddlebred sporthorses.
Now we concentrate on breeding gaited horses in the form of pure Saddlebreds, pure Peruvians and Paso Creole horses. Paso Creoles are horses which carry at least 50% of Paso blood, either Peruvian Paso or Paso Fino.
Christiane with Wildmoor Pilgrim Son
About myself
I have been riding since the mid seventies. Originally from Germany, I started with a year's vaulting and then went on to riding lessons. From then until 1982, I owned and rode Haflinger horses in the Eifel region of Germany. In April 1982, I came to Australia with my family.
I enrolled at VCAH Dookie, Victoria and graduated in 1985 with a Diploma of Ag.Science. This was followed by a couple of years work on a beef and sheep farm in the Albury area, a stint on an Arabian stud on the Murray and finally a return to study in 1988. In 1991, I graduated with a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) from CSU Murray.
Several years in a public accountancy practice led onto self-employment as computer consultant. After marriage, I moved to Bega, NSW in 1994. Contract programming and database design work was my main area of work until 2001. Occasionally, I gave riding lessons and ran short courses for beginner riders. Mid 2001, I came to Telopea Downs to manage a group of Paso Finos and other horses on a commercial olive grove.
Since coming to Australia, I have always been involved with horses. Initially attracted to Australian Stockhorses, I owned and campaigned a gelding for many years around the Albury area. Stock horse events, endurance rides, hunter trials, showjumping, eventing, dressage, polocrosse, tentpegging, bushracing, hacking and plenty of foxhunting were enjoyed by Horse and myslef. Of course, stockwork out on the farm was part of the deal. A second and third horse soon followed, both difficult cases which became useful riding horses again.
The interest in gaited horses had been there since visiting Equitana in Germany in 1977 and hearing about Peruvian horses. Several acquaintances owned and rode Icelandic horses but ironically, I never got to ride a gaited horse until we found Tintalle Golden Demon at Moruya, NSW. The purchase of this horse really set things in motion. And it was now obvious that the decision to breed gaited horses was the right one.
The following years saw mistakes, disasters and difficulties. But they also saw good luck, good decisions, an improvement in the overall quality of the herd and horses bred and, last but not least, the acquisition of three imported horses. Much was learnt about breeding, husbandry and training, especially with the gaited horses, as they are so new to Australia. Having the opportunity to work with several distincly different breeds of gaited horses was a great advantage.
We moved to Telopea Downs in 2001, where I managed the Paso Fino/Gaited Horse Stud belonging to OliVaylle P/L in addition to Narrawin Stud. My work included starting and training of youngsters as well as all stud work.
In October 2006, we moved to Dereel, south of Ballarat where we now run Narrawin Stud on 80 acres. Moving our 60 horses from Telopea Downs to Dereel was a challenge but they are well settled in now. We have been busy building a house as well as improving the horse facilities. There is a long way to go before the property is set up to our satisafaction, but we have made a good start with fencing and a reticulated watering system feeding automatic troughs. There are yards and a laneway system which services all paddocks so that horses can be moved safely and easilty. This system will be extended until we have rotational grazing established in all paddocks, with improved pastures and horse shelters in addition to tree shelter belts.
Christiane with VR Reina Real
Philosphy
I am a firm believer that a horse has to be started and educated correctly, in a way which enables it to carry the rider's weight comfortably and with minimum damage to it's body. The time-honoured principles employed in what is now known as classical dressage, strive to make a horses useful and beautiful under saddle through careful preparation.
Gaited horses are not different from any others. Dressage - based on the correct philosophy and with the right techniques - is there to improve the horse, to help the horse. Dresssage for the sake of dressage and worse, for the sake of those ribbons and trophies defies the purpose. I hear the dreaded "I'm buying a horse do DO DRESSAGE" far too often! If the true meaning and intent of dressage is to make the horse more capable to carry the rider, more useful to the rider and more beautiful to the onlooker, then EVERY horse can be a dressage horse. Gaited horses and all. After all, I want my gaited horses to be well educated and useful, a pleasure to ride and give me many happy years of service.
Having laid a solid foundation incorporating the principles of classical horse training, further training of the gaited horse involves exploring and developing the gait(s) on offer, aiming for cadence and achieving a range of speeds within in gait (collection and extension). Occasionally, I use bellboots or light leather straps around the pasterns to help the horse understand what I want it to do when we start gait training. This is more of an issue in less well gaited horses, such as Saddlebred horses and some of the partbred Pasos. Sometimes a small adjustment to hoof angles is helpful. But above all, getting the horse at ease, and working in collection will do the trick. Instant reward for any small try works here as well as anywhere else in the horse's education.
I start the youngsters in a noseband. For the initial groundwork and some preliminary work on the back of the horse, I prefer a well fitting cavecon. The horse learns lateral flexion quickly. Once under saddle work commences, I use a sidepull or a Paso Fino style noseband. Depending on the horse this may be a plain leather strap or a braided one or one with a metal insert. Less is best.
When the horse is going well in the noseband, we move on to a bit. My preference is a curb bit, preferrably the Maestro bit. But depending on the horse, the intended use and rider, a snaffle bit may be used instead. Many of our horses continue to be ridden in a noseband, especially for pleasure riding.
Christiane with Narrawin's First Lady (owned by Yvonne Lehey)
Where the intended use prescribes a snaffle bit (dressage, stockhorse competitions etc), I follow the ideas of the French dressage school, aiming for lightness and responsiveness, with plenty of attention to bending the horse and an active hindquarter. I've found the teachings of Phillipe Karl particularly helpful in this respect.
Christiane on Yallatup Regal Remedy (Australian Stockhorse owned by Olivaylle P/L)
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