Made in Australia

8 / 12

MADE IN AUSTRALIA
SUMMERSEA
As restful winter, with early nights and relatively small
workload for a breeder, gives way to spring with it comes
the onslaught of foals. Armed with torches, foaling
halters, lists of emergency contacts, a world of patience
and the wisdom of half a lifetime of foaling we brace
ourselves. Seeing out each sleepless night with the very
real irony that we deliberately set this up the year before
and had no one to blame but ourselves for the fact it is
4am and we are covered in horse placenta.
In the last 7 or so years Australasia has seen an
explosion of extraordinary jumping breeders set up, the
majority breeding youngsters genetically as capable as
that in Europe.
The Australian breeder does not breed purely for
money. I think it starts with a vague intention of making
money. But after the property, the feed, the mares, the
semen, the dead semen, the dead mares, the vet bills,
the injured foals, the bigger vet bills, the learning curve
reality sets in. It isn’t a world to get rich quick in.
It is a labour of love, an intent desire to be part of
designing a creature made to jump. There is no question
that each and every one of our foals will jump. It is not
just the hours lost in deep conversation over a liquid
nitrogen tank, selecting each sire and weighing up
the potential crosses with available brood mares that
make us sure. It is the cumulative decades of these
conversations creating generations of purpose bred
boutique creatures that makes us certain - we know our
horses will jump with talent of their bloodlines.
And when our youngsters, and those of other Australian
breeders also, prove themselves and that fact time and
time again, why is the breeding industry disintegrating
to the rapid trend of imported, pre-trained pre-packaged
showjumpers? Why then do people travel to Europe
to purchase horses? Not only does this devalue and
disrespect those breeders who had the foresight
and passion to produce sound, healthy, well grown,
genetically equivalent youngsters, but it also removes
equestrian income from the coalface that could go to
Australian trainers, the training of future trainers and
more young horse classes.
There is a serious argument that Australasian grown
horses are healthier, sounder and more trainable purely
due to the weather, space and easy environment that
they are raised in.
Summersea has had the pleasure of watching many of
its stallions and mares rise among the ranks of imported
competition to win. One of the most notable mentions
going to the progeny of the late Camelot Ego Z, who
provided many rising stars with the means to hold their
own against imported European pre-packaged horses at
a fraction of that cost.
The great irony is that yearly we will have overseas
enquiries about our stock because of their rare and
talented bloodlines. We often wonder if that horse was
then shipped to Europe, would it then be bought by an
Australian at a 200% mark up to be brought back, now
seemingly a better horse?
There is a trend to buck now. There is an industry with
all the talent to create champions here in Australia. We
urge all buyers to look within the continent for the benefit
of themselves, and every breeder, trainer and supplier.
You will find everything you need here, if you look to
see it.
THE MAKING OF THE
MODERN WARMBLOOD
From Gotthard to Gribaldi
From Gotthard to Gribaldi is the product of over 20 years of research by
equestrian journalist Christopher Hector, in all the major breeding areas of the
world. Over that time he has interviewed most of the more important breeders
and breeding experts to produce a work that brings together – for the first time
in the English language - the most influential performance horse stallions in
all Europe’s major breeding areas, from France to Scandinavia, through Germany,
Holland and Belgium over the past 50 years. 144 Stallions are individually examined with pedigrees and photos,
all of the major studbooks are profiled, and many of their key players interviewed. This is a work destined to
become the standard reference for students of the warmblood breed.
Available at or (03) 9421 3320
Sample of TheMaking of theModernWarmblood byChristopherHector Page 1
CHRISTOPHER
HECTOR Christopher Hector
THE MAKING OF THE
MODERN WARMBLOOD
...to Gribaldi
From Gotthard to Gribaldi
The Making of the Modern Warmblood
From Gotthard...
Only $50.00
delivered to
your door!