Austral Park

Open Day - Sale

AUSTRAL PARK

CLEVELAND BAY STUD

Welcome to the Austral Park Cleveland Bay stud website. 

In 1993 Rowan and I ventured over to New Zealand to look at some pure bred Cleveland Bays.  We visited Ron Chapman's Wetherby Stud, where we saw paddock's filled with big bay horses.  We visited the Clarke's and Imm's who both bred and competed on part bred Cleveland Bays.

I was 7 months pregnant with our eldest daughter Sophie.  We brought home 4 pure bred Cleveland Bays, 1 stallion Wetherby Pierre and 3 mares, Wetherby Katherine Mansfield (in foal to Heslerton Farmer), Wetherby Gabrielle and Wetherby Cambridge.  Katherine produced a colt for us, Wetherby Lord Lochinvar.  We were fortunate to have used two imported stallions, Gillshaw Caliph and Forest Field Day, resulting in two more stallions with outside bloodlines, Austral Park Midnight Magic and Austral Park Fieldmaster.

I never would have dreamt that we would eventually be breeding competition horses for our daughters, who both have their own team of Cleveland Bays.  I am consistantly amazed with their wonderful temperaments, and natural athletisicm.  Both of our daughters Sophie and Caroline, started riding our Cleveland Bays from a young age.  Sophie was 11 and Caroline was 9 years old, this was mainly because it was so hard to find a suitable horse for them to go onto from their 13.2hh super pony.  The transition from 13.2hh to 16hh horses has been very easy, when you have horses with lovely forgivable natures, that have the patience and super temperament to give a young rider confidence.  It's not only our daughters that have thoroughly enjoyed our horses, I am having a ball, and as I get older, I realise how important it is to have a horse that has a reliable temperament, and yet still has the talent. 

Over the years we have sold many horses to various people, from higher level dressage riders, showjumpers, pony club kids, and adult riders.  We always get great feedback, and have had some lovely emails and phone calls thanking us for breeding such lovely horses.

All breeders dream of producing the next olympic superstar, however our goal is to breed horses that can be enjoyed by the every day rider, who wants to participate in a variety of disciplines, and take their rider to whereever they want to go.  That's what I love about these horses, they will take a lower level rider, and will go up the levels as the rider becomes more competant. 

We take our horses out trail riding, we use them for stock work, we go to the beach and competitions, they really are wonderful allrounders, and they are extremely efficient and good doers, and have fantastic feet.  We don't put shoes on our horses, and haven't since 2005.

Hope you enjoy, if you would like to know more about our horses and stud, please contact Vicki on 03 56 299 214 or mobile 0448 511 336