“These regular horse and pony sales have increased in numbers over the past twelve months and we are seeing a good quality of both horses and ponies going through the auction now,” said Julie. “In the past, people have often thought of sales as selling horses to the meat market but as the quality of the stock increases we are finding many buyers are looking to these sales for their riding and breed horses. There were over 40 horses in the last sale. We plan to continue to grow in both size and quality of stock by encouraging vendors to put their horses through an auction in the future. People are also invited to have a tack shed clean-out and include their excess saddlery, rugs and horse items in the Tack and sundries section of the auction.” HOODED SULKY ......a vehicle to promote Cleveland Bays A turn of the century Hooded Sulky has found a good home with Brenda Boaden of Ferndale Springs Stud in Coolup. Restored in 1975 by a Queensland carriage maker, the buggy, went for $3600. Brenda was pleased with the auction, and deemed it an honour to be able to purchase this piece of Australian history. The Sulky will be used to help promote the versatility of the Cleveland Bay breed, being specifically purchased with Ferndale Springs’s four year old purebred mare, Ferndale Springs Topsy in mind. Broken to saddle and currently being harness trained, the 15.2 hh mare was the first purebred filly in Australia by the imported Cleveland Bay, Tregoyd Topper. A World Champion Stallion in 2007 at the prestigious UK event, King George 5th Cup, the 16hh Quality Assured and licensed stallion was bred in Wales. Brenda purchased him sight unseen prior to the King George Cup and after the cup went to the UK for a final inspection. Despite Topper’s Brenda Boaden with neighbour and harness enthusiast Ross Walmsley. win generating higher counter-offers, the stud is a very successful showjumper, Tahlia Piper with Impeccable honoured the agreement and the stallion arrived in Australia Unchained Melody is an under 25 rider competing Prix St at the end of 2007, after a five months delay due to the Georges level dressage, the 2010 Vaulting Horse of the Year Equine Influenza outbreak. was a Cleveland Bay partbred, and the list goes on. Ferndale Spring Stud’s interest in the Cleveland Bay breed began after purchasing a partbred mare in 2005 to breed to Brenda’s interest in harness stems from the belief that it their Thoroughbred stallion. Brenda was so impressed with is important to show not only the partbreds but also the the foals’ temperaments and trainability that she became purebreds from this breed. As there are not many purebreds involved with preservation of this endangered breed. they are often just used for breeding, except at Ferndale There are just over 500 purebred Cleveland Bay horses left Springs Stud , where the purebreds will be out proving their in the world today, and only 13 purebred foals registered versatility. worldwide last year. Brenda and Tregoyd Topper made the long journey to Despite the fact that there are not large numbers around, the Equitana, Melbourne in November as part of the promotion Cleveland Bay partbreds are very evident in the top levels of to make horse owners aware of this versatile breed and their the disciplines. Neil Ozanne’s Sarnia Park Flaunt, CBxTB, endangered status.