Rajah

© Derek O'Leary

Words and photos courtesy of Abbie O’Brien

I wasn’t sure of where to start so I figured I would introduce myself. My name is Abbie O’Brien. I am 22 years old and currently living in Victoria competing my two dressage horses. I want to give you all a bit of history on where it all started and where I hope things will lead.

I am from Penguin on the North West Coast of Tasmania and from a very young age, I was hooked on the idea of having my own pony. Mum frequently attended hack and breed shows with her horses who were mainly Arabian derivatives and stockhorses and I of course followed her around at home like a bad smell – helping feed up and just being a general supervisor. She told me I wasn’t allowed a pony until I was 16 (thinking it was just a phase I was going through). She stuck to her guns for many years – she finally caved in when I was 8!   My first pony was Jasper – a solid 12.2hh welsh cob cross.

At that time we lived on a 50 acre farm and I started off like most kids – riding around a paddock and eventually going to pony club, joining the Fernpark Club as a lead rein rider. Over the following few years I participated in most equestrian events such as hacking, eventing, showjumping, mounted games, breed shows and of course dressage.  Later we made the move to a smaller property at Penguin where Mum and Dad built an arena (a 40x20) and it was the only flat area to ride on the property. Eventing had introduced me to dressage and I turned my attention to focus on this and began lessons with Yvonne Downes who was an instructor at Pony Club.  It was her invitation to attend a clinic with Heath Ryan which was being held at the Pony Club grounds that really began my career in dressage.

Long story short: after attending that first clinic with Heath, I contacted Heath with the idea of doing my School Grade 10 work experience placement at age 15 with Heath in NSW in 2009.  He of course was most enthusiastic!  Those times at Heaths were an amazing eyeopener as to what hard work is all about.  My days started at 7 and would continue until all the work was done – which was often quite late! My day was spent cleaning out boxes, tacking up horses, cleaning gear, cleaning out drains and all the other jobs that are necessary for such a large equine establishment to function smoothly.  For my day of work I got in return my meals and accommodation and a lesson on one of their horses. Most of the time it was with a schoolmaster type but on one particular day they put me on a 3yo breaker. Tall, plain chestnut warmblood with no white. His name was Rajah. From then on for the next couple years I attended Heaths clinics at Burnie every year and went to his place once or twice a year during the school holidays for further work experience.

Six months later, flicking through Horse Deals, I recognised the big chestnut horse that I had ridden. I immediately showed mum and dad. Rajah had actually been purchased by an Indian couple for their son not long after my ride on him and he was set to be exported. Luckily for me their circumstances had changed and Rajah was on the market.  Mum was not impressed – a chestnut! At least he was a gelding and he had no white!

The following school holiday I went on my usual work experience trip; this time mum and dad came with me. By that stage I had joined NW Dressage Club but had only competed to novice level on one of mums Arabian derivatives. Mum and dads thoughts were to get me a schoolmaster that could teach me something - Heath also thought this a sensible path if I was serious about improving my dressage.

Too late - I was already hooked on the gangly now 4yo Rajah.  The time at Heaths was the usual hard work, but instead of getting a lesson on a schoolmaster, I requested to be given a lesson on Rajah each day. The decision was made to purchase him.  Heath did warn us we were taking a hard but not impossible path – a novice rider on a young and green horse – and I wanted to get to Grand Prix!

There were times that Mum, Dad and myself regretted buying Rajah. He was spooky, not straightforward and overall quite frustrating. I had a niggling voice in my head that basically said I had bitten off more than I could chew and he would have been far better off with a better/more experienced rider. My coach at the time, Pia Nowell, encouraged and supported. And so started the journey of me overcoming my demons and Rajah overcoming his – mostly the ones that lived in the trees and in his shadow and of course the judges’ cars. Our early competitions were not outstanding as Rajah proved to be tense and spooky.

A few months after purchasing Rajah we attended our first competition :  Burnie Show: we did ok in the dressage but were nothing spectacular but I did however win Champion Hack and Supreme Ridden so perhaps if his dressage career ever came to an end then he would make an awesome showhunter!  In 2011 we attended our first State Open Dressage Titles: I placed in all my preliminary and novice tests and won the Young Rider divisions as well as winning the Ray Webster Award for that year. It was at this competition that I was introduced to David Shoobridge – an ex Tassie who had been invited to talk at the event about his successful warmblood stud, Revelwood. 

I moved to Geelong in 2012 to study Horse Business Management at Marcus Oldham College. It was nerve-racking being away from home but I had one familiar friend with me- Rajah. He was agisted on site at the college.  We started training with Charlotte Pederson. Once or twice a month I drove on my own with Rajah nearly two hours to her property in Macedon for a lesson. Rajah and I attended the National Young Rider Championships at Werribee in the Elementary and Novice. Elementary level we were reserve champions and Novice level we were Australian champions! During the year at Marcus I was able to continue my riding and competing at some of the local competitions at both Geelong and Werribee with wins and placings at novice and elementary level, and in July of that year we had our first start at medium level: we were having issues with the flying changes and had pretty much hit a brick wall with regard to progressing in our training.

I received Dux of the course for 2012 and in December of that year accepted a job working for David and Amanda Shoobridge at Revelwood Stud NSW as a working pupil.  It was the usual 6 day a week position with long hours.  My duties at the stud included doing boxes and yards, tacking up, cooling down and untacking the competition horses and also riding a variety of horses. Along with this there were many breeding duties such as helping to scan recipient mares, organising semen collection from the stallions and helping Amanda with other reproduction vet work.   A benefit of working at such a large stud was being able to have the occasional mini lesson on one of the stallions: 00 Seven, Ferrero Rocher and Smash Hit : all different experiences with but my favourite being 00 Seven. Two months into our stay Rajah developed a severe and chronic case of Queensland itch. He was on swabbable medication so I was not able to compete and we had exhausted all treatment options. He was miserable; he would stand in his paddock and began not eating properly.  We had shown little progress in our training because of this and our flying changes were still erratic.   I had two options- sell him back down south or move again. I made the decision to pack up and head back to Victoria.

 On David’s advice I contacted Boneo Equestrian Centre and requested details of the coach he had recommended: Lone Joergensen.   But it wasn’t going to be just Rajah and I anymore! Whilst working at Revelwood I had gotten the ride on a really sweet 3yo Filly called Fleur. Standing at 16.1hh she was meant to be David’s next horse. I was given the ride on her when she came back into work after being broken in. David was busy with his new horse Agent de Jeu who had just been imported and also 00 Seven – he was competing at very successfully at Grand Prix. I overheard him on the phone speaking to someone saying he was considering selling Fleur as she would not be tall enough for him. I immediately got on the phone to mum and dad.

So began some more planning and a welcome distraction from what was happening with Rajah. Mum said she would ride Fleur in Tasmania for a few months until I was settled with Rajah at Boneo and had an established job and routine. Upon actually seeing me ride Fleur she withdrew from her offer of riding her! She is a seriously big mover. Dad was won over and so Fleur was purchased. She was transported to Tassie at the end of May to Bert Gibson at her new property at Woodend and I flew down every few weeks to ride her. She was finally transported to me at Boneo Park in Sept 2013.

Fleur

I arrived at Boneo Park at the end of May in 2013 and began receiving coaching from Lone Joergensen. Rajah was a good Elementary/Medium horse two years ago as an 8yo but is now a successful small tour horse. He really struggled learning flying changes but with Lone’s guidance we have overcome that with strategies to also help his tenseness. In 2015 we won both classes of the 21-25 PSG Challenge at the Young Rider National Championships and also finished 2015 winning the small tour championship at the Saddleworld Dressage Festival.  We are schooling most Grand Prix work now and will consolidate the medium tour level before moving forward and hopefully have our first start at Grand Prix in a year or two.

Fleur now as a 6yo is just under 17hh!! She has consistently scored over 70% at novice level and having just started at Elementary has scored up to 69% and is entered for her first medium level start.  It is certainly much easier to progress with Fleur having had my experiences with Rajah!

I have been at Boneo Park now for just under three years. Both my horses are paddock horses: I find that whilst they both cope extremely well being stabled when necessary for competitions, they are more than happy to live outside as they have done their whole lives. The only problem I have had with this is that both need to be watched that they don’t get too fat in spring!

I have a full time job at Wagners Saddlery as a trainee saddler and also work a few shifts a month at a local golf club – as all of you will know – you can never have too much money when you have horses!