Zalman Challenge Ride

Home from our journey to the Toft endurance event, the Zalman Challenge FEI ride.  We left home on Wednesday taking 2 horses for the FEI * ride, seasoned horse Shades of Shagrir and relative newbie Pioneer Park Azaylia.
Arriving Thursday mid-day, Shagrir had a midly swollen leg from a minor surface cut sustained just prior to leaving so the decision was to over-react and treat the leg and therefore with drawing him from entering the ride.
Peter Toft to the rescue - Toft Endurance offered Steve one of their up and coming super stars to ride along with me and Azaylia in the one star event, the Arab cross Appaloose Rupert TE.  Rupert is a well built grey gelding with forward moving attitude.

Friend Nicole Cameron arrived to stay for a few days and help us strap - lovely catching up with Nic and fabulous to have her on hand to assist us...still recovering from her broken shoulder she was a massive help during the weekend.  Thanks Nic!  Mid ride Friday night also seen the arrival of Ashley Ross and Carmel Trevorrow also to assist strap.  Azaylia is sired by Ashley's stallion, Turingal Park Nijinksi who we used to own.  Ash also has a gelding we bred, sired by Shades of Shagrir, so she was interested to see these 2 horses we had brought down.

The ride was great, and we were both successful in completing - Azaylia had terrific recoveries which is really encouraging, I think she's gonig to be every bit as good as her older half brother Navarone and then some.

We were able to bring home something very special - our mare Tractor (aka Agecroft Sahara).  Tractor had been with Toft's to visit Sadaqa with the hope of another special foal; but she had other plans and visited not Sadaqa but Sh'Tann!  Terrific to have her home, she looks fabulous and looking forward to having her PTIF today.

Pioneer Park Azaylia pre-ride

Revamped Website

Pioneer Arabians website is being totally revamped again by our good friend and very talented artist Nicole Cameron .  With just a few finishing touches to be made and the addition of some professional photos we plan to be able to launch the site in the next week.

Nicole is probably more known for her amazing portrails of animal life, mostly of the equine kind.  Her ability to capture the subject's true personality within her work is really spectacular.
We are very fortunate to have a number of Nicole's works here at home, mostly portriats of our beautiful arabian horses.
However she is really starting to make herself known building well desgined, bright, refreshing and functional websites as well - all touched with her artist flair to ensure they are totally unique.

So if you are looking for a website, new or revamped, a team or business logo or a portrait then we suggest you check out Nicole's website to see some fine examples of her work.

Fernvale Zalman Challenge

Very much looking forward next week to the Oz Endurance FEI Zalman Challenge at Fernvale in the SE corner of Qld.  Although it has only been a few short months since we last competed it feels too long!
We have had a better prep than I anticipated tho the horses are still nowhere near being fit but believe they are fit for both the trip, and for the ride.

The horses we are taking - Shades of Shagrir who is now into his third season of endurance.  He has previoulsy completed successfully a FEI 80km* and 120km**.  Also Pioneer Park Azaylia who is the baby of the family, being only newly qualifed into endurance during 2010 this will be her first FEI* ride.  Azaylia is a half sister to our well permormed gelding Pioneer Park Navarone.

Much more exciting is that we will be bringing home our very special horse, Tractor aka Agecroft Sahara.   She has been away in the excellent care of Toft's, spending time with a special man called Sh'taan.