In my wildest dreams I thought maybe in ten years or so I may be able to home some horses. And even then, I thought getting my partner to want to live ‘on the land’ was a bit of a stretch. We were finally renovating our home and were toying with the idea of investing in a little rental. Just as we started to look, property prices were going up and up. For a bit of fun I suggested we look at a run-down place out of town. Perhaps it would spark an investment idea outside of the box.
Well, we bought it. Many years earlier we were poolside in Kakadu and joked about buying a little place in the middle of nowhere. Being at the end of a long dirt road, this was our little place in the middle of nowhere. We hadn’t even been looking for land. I was over the moon. Now I could home some of my beloved Brumbies.
Firstly, I am not an experienced horse person. Twenty-five years earlier I had some very quiet, older horses, and that was it. Among them was Troj, a standardbred who became my heart horse. He was in his late twenties when we met, and still young enough to teach me a little about horses and enjoy leisurely bush rides. He always looked after me. We would sit for hours together in the paddock, and he enjoyed joining me for a vegemite-on-toast breakfast at the back step. He would even stick his big tongue in my black coffee (without sugar) if I left it in reach. Troj died at thirty-three and I believe that I shut horses out of my life after that.
Since then, I had not even haltered or led a horse. I was practically a horse novice, and wild horses were a huge dream. I needed to ease my way into getting wild horses. The plan was to firstly home two quiet standardbreds. They are reputably a placid breed with many needing safe homes after racing careers. We soon opened our hearts to two beautiful STB geldings but unfortunately the person for one changed their mind last minute. The other, Baz, arrived on the 10/1/22. He was a beautiful big glossy bay Standardbred gelding, standing well over sixteen hands.