March 2008

March is always the best month of the year because its time for the Kelt Capital Horse of the Year show!  This year Landioso put in a cameo appearance in the Eventer's Challenge class, to the admiration of all the audience.  Not only did he show the likes of Mark Todd and John Twomey what dressage was really about, but he also showed them a thing or two about showjumping as well!  This stallion really is a class act!

Landioso won the Grand Prix class for an unpresidented 4th year in a row, and in doing so received a Certificate of Capability score for the Olympic Games from the visiting "O" judge Cara Whitham.

However by the last day of the show Landi's 21year old legs were getting a tad tired and he only placed third in the freestyle despite being a crowd favourite.  This placed him second over all and for the fourth year in a row this wonderful horse was Runner-Up for the major title.  Although disappointed, Jody was thrilled with his performance and proud that her training shone through to everybody who was watching over the show.  Such a willing and happy horse that behaves impeccably in such an atmosphere was a joy to behold.  The photo on the right is from the Grand Prix class.

Donnerwind also had a great show with a strong performance in the Intermediare II class and some of the best GP work he has shown to date. 

Later in the month Nicolette had her 21st birthday celebrated with a party in Pukekohe.  As part of Jody's present to Nicolette and in appreciation of a year of hard Yakka, Jody has allowed Nicolette to begin learning to ride advanced level dressage on Landioso - her first Prix St Georges start will be just around the corner...

February 2008

This month saw the return of Dr Andrew McLean to NZ to spread the word further on Equitation Science.  It was more than fun to have him back with us for another short stay!

The 7th of February was one of the most monumental days for dressage in New Zealand.  For the first time ever NZ had the chance to qualify a team for the Olympic Games, all we had to do was beat the Japanese!  (This is quite a tall order as they are on some serious horse flesh!)

Unfortunately we never quite made the scores we needed as a team, but  Landioso at least finished the competition in 1st place.  Donnerwind competed here too and scored very well from the European judges who were present.  The photo on the right shows Landioso and Jody before the trot up in the NZ team uniform.

At the end of the month it was back to Taupo for the National Champs which, like last year, didn't go quite according to plan.  Landioso was completely off form and had to be retired from the Grand Prix.  Such is sport with horses!  Donnerwind put in some solid performances and we took some positives away from the show.

January 2008

Well this year got off to the worst possible start with the death of our wonderful breeding stallion Ramazotti.  Jody had collected semen off him on the 27th of December and put him away in his field as usual.  An hour or so later she noticed he was rolling and laying down.  Upon investigation she found him in acute severe pain with a destended scrotum, and immediately called the vet suspecting an inguinal hernia.  The diagnosis proved correct and the stallion was taken immediately into surgery at Vet Associates in Takanini.  Unfortunately although he survived another week or so, he was humanely destroyed on the 7th of January following complications with the surgery.  It was certainly a harrowing time for all concerned and the letters and flowers sent from around the country gave comfort during what was a very sad period.

Landioso did his best to cheer things up later in the month when he won all three of his classes  at the North Island Dressage Champs to become champion for the third year.  In doing so he won the right to represent NZ at the Olympic Qualifier the following month.

December 2007

Nicolette rode King Leopold (pictured right) at the Waikato Dressage Festival with several top four placings.  These were their best results together at elementary level.  Sadly for us, Leo is now back into his eventing career, so we may not see him for a while.  Luckily Nicolette still has the lovely Anamour gelding "Adonai's Gifted" owned by Janine Wilson to bring on and compete. 

The first Donnerwind babies began to hit the ground in late December, a very exciting time for all those involved.  We were lucky enough to get a wonderful colt foal from our mare Belmont Ballerina - we look forward to his success as a sport horse in the coming years.

November 2007

Another month came and went - Jody flew up to the UK and Ireland for another brief visit - teaching a clinic in York and helping friends out with a difficult pony in Northants.  She also had the opportunity to go hunting in Ireland with the Island Foxhounds in Wexford.  This is ditches and banks country - a vastly different experience to hunting in New Zealand.  Unfortunately we dont have any photos to prove just what was jumped that day!

October 2007

This was another huge month for Jody with herself and Jenny Scotter heading off to South Africa to represent New Zealand at the Tri Nations Derby in Johannesburg. South Africa is an incredible country, and has a strong equestrian scene.  Most of the horses put forward for the derby were imported dutch horses, and Jody got to ride some very good mounts.  After three days of close competition Jody was awarded the prize for Top Rider of the dressage section, after three top three placings.  The picture on the right was taken after the awards ceremony.

One of the best things about going to the African continent was being able to go on Safari - this for Jody was a once in a lifetime experience that will not be forgotten.  The zebras pictured here were just one of the species she got to mingle with up close.

September 2007

This month saw the final selection trial to pick the NZ team for the Olympic Trial in Sydney take place in Palmerston North.  Landioso performed well with a win in the Grand Prix and Donnerwind although placing further down did not disgrace himself.

Unfortunately this month also marked the beginning of the catastrophic Equine Influenza outbreak in Australia which in turn made the trip to Sydney an impossibility. 

Manu McLean from the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre came to visit us in Raglan for a clinic which was, as usual, fantastic. 

The photo on the right is of Nicolette and Jody hitting the slopes of Whakapapa for a well earned day in the snow!

August 2007

The highlight of this month for Jody was heading to Michigan USA for the International Equitation Science Symposium.  She couldn't resist a day of sightseeing in New York first off though, nor a side trip to Dublin for the Royal Dublin Horse Show - a huge showjumping show with a particularly good party scene at night.

At the Symposium Jody was lucky enough to meet world renowned scientists such as Prof Hillary Clayton who is a leading equine physiologist.  The symposium also played host to the inaugural AGM of the ISES - the international society for Equitation Science.  A website has now been launched at www.equitationscience.com   

The end of the month was taken up with the stallion parade at Cambridge Thoroughbred Lodge.  Once again the Karioi team presented the stallions in fantastic form and many bookings for the upcoming stud season were made.

The photos on the right are from Michigan - the first shows Jody learning to ice skate with her good friend, Canadian dressage rider Marilee Moss.  The second photo is of Jody at the symposium, testing out the rein-pressure gauge apparatus on one of the University horses.

July 2007

July was taken up with Jody teaching various clinics around the country.  One of the highlights of teaching at these clinics is getting to meet new pupils and their mounts.  Jody particularly enjoys working with young riders like Courtney Winterbottom who is pictured here with Jody on her lovely pony Brisco. 

Our young Belmont Golden Boy gelding "Goldson" went to his first non-graded dressage start with Nicolette, and we were happy with how he handled himself.

Jody took a few well earned days off to watch the Tall Blacks NZ basketball team play Veneswela in Hastings and Wellington - a great change from horses. 

At the end of the month Dr Andrew McLean paid NZ another visit - teaching in several venues including Hamilton.  It was a great chance for Jody to catch up with the man that is not only her mentor, but a very good friend.

June 2007

June was a typical winter month.  We sold a couple of youngsters which is always good to reduce numbers at that time of the year.  Dressage conference was a particular highlight - this year it was held in Napier and the theme for the awards evening was fittingly "Art Deco".  The photo on the right is of Jody and her student Alex hope of Tauranga.  Alex won a good few National Awards that night which is always a proud moment for any coach.

May 2007

May started on a bit of a bitter sweet note with the sale of our lovely Holsteiner gelding "Cormabo" to Michelle Innes of South Auckland.  Jody had owned this fella since he was a yearling, and it sure was sad to see him go.  We are sure Michelle will have oodles of fun on him - he's a superstar!

Jody then boarded a horse plane up to Europe for her birthday - and treated herself to a week in Ireland at the Punchestown 3Day event - a show she hadn't attended in quite a few years.  On this occassion she helped out NZ riders Tim Price and Jonelle Richards with their horses.  After that it was over to Holland for a few days with Donnerwind's family and then back to New Zealand for another round of work.

April 2007

The highlight of this month was without a doubt the trip to Las Vegas and the World Cup dressage and Showjumping finals.  I was extremely lucky to be the tour leader of this trip organised by Robyn Naylor of Innovative Travel in Christchurch.  It was my first time leading a tour, and I was lucky to have a great bunch of 20 eager and experienced travelers at my side!  For those of you who have never been to Vegas - what an experience.  Its hard to pinpoint what the best parts were - either the breath-taking equine displays of excellence; or the amazing shows and displays at casinos such as Bellagio, Circus Circus and Paris; or perhaps the helicopter ride up to the Grand Canyon.  There is so much to do and see in that city, you really have to go there to appreciate it.

March 2007

This month saw the business end of the competition season with two international shows for Grand Prix horses held in New Zealand.  Whilst we went to the Taupo CDI hoping for a repeat of last years winning performance, alas it was not to be.  Poor Landioso was not at all happy about traveling with his arch enemy Donnerwind, and he became basically impossible to do anything with.  Its a tough life for an older breeding stallion like him - he would be prepared to fight to the death to protect his supremacy.  Donnerwind on the other hand put in some good performances at PSG level, with Jody on a steep learning curve as to how to ride this new boy.

Horse of the Year show was only one week later and thats not much time to turn your worst ever performance into your best ever.  But thats pretty much what Jody and Landiso did.  It was decided to take Donnerwind in a separate truck and we were very lucky that Mane Horse Transport came to the rescue and offered to ship the stallion for us.  We are indebted to this company for their generous support.

Landioso was back on the top of his game with a clear win in both the Intermediare II and the Grand Prix.  Alas the Title once again eluded him though with a second placing in the Kur and therefore being given the runner up sash for the 4th year in a row.  Jody was extremely proud of the horse though, and also Donnerwind who made his debut in Grand Prix and qualified for the Kur.  He just needs time now to build up his strength.  The picture opposite is Donnerwind at Taupo.

February 2007

This month saw another return visit of Dr Andrew Mclean, and like the visit from his wife the month before it was great to have him here at the farm.  Andrew is a great mentor to Jody and is a great guy to share a few beers with too.  Jody helped Andrew out on three of his clinics, acting as a demonstration rider to help show how the techniques of the McLean system can be put to use.

Jody was also asked to compete "Palisade" at the NZ Arabian National Championships in Cambridge.  We are pleased to report they did extremely well - winning every class and finishing up being crowned NZ Champion Ridden Purebred Arabian.  The picture opposite shows Jody and Palisade at the show.

January 2007

Well the year started out with a hiss and a roar, the usual festivities and a set of New Years resolutions just begging to be broken.  As Donnerwind started to settle in Landioso was off to his first competition since Sydney last May.  The Taranaki champs is always a great show, and its nice to be indoors for a change.  We had two wins in the GP and Kur so that was a good start to the year indeed!

We were then lucky enough to have Manuela Mclean visit us for some much needed lessons, and she ran a clinic in Hamilton as well as staying out at Karioi Sport Horses.  Manu had just returned from spending time with Kyra Kyrklund in the UK and had lots of new and exciting techniques to use on us.

The stud season was also at its peak this month and we were pleased to see mares taking first time to Donnerwind - the long journey not harming his fertility in the slightest.

At the end of January we took Landioso up to the North Island Championships where he convincingly won all three classes despite missing a shoe behind and not having competed outdoors in a long time.  My hard working groom Nicolette had a ball as well as we managed to fit in both a rodeo and a rock concert that weekend - a welcome change from watching dressage!

January also marked the commencement of our sponsorship deal with Mitavite feeds.  This is very exciting for us and we look forward to being good ambassadors for the company.  The photo opposite shows Landioso modeling his new Team Mitavite rug.

December 2006

Well most definately the highlight this month was Donnerwind's arrival in New Zealand.  He flew in with IRT into their Auckland Quarantine facility which became Jody's home away from home for the next two weeks as she set about the task of slowly bringing the stallion up to fitness.  It was also an important bonding time for the two of them as they are on a very tight schedule to build up a partnership before the national championships and olympic qualifiers begin in 2007.

Donnerwind was looked after fabulously by the IRT team, and left the quarantine stables on December 24th bound for his new home in Raglan.  It was a really great Xmas for Jody and her family!

On Boxing Day Jody came back from the races to a pleasent surprise.  Frenchman Thierry Posty who is trekking through NZ on his mare Joey had stopped in on the off chance of a bed for the night and a paddock for his horse.  What an interesting man!  He had just travelled thru South Africa, Canada and the USA and was trying to complete a circuit of the world.  It was a fascinating and entertaining night listening to his stories.  Thierry is pictured on the right as he was about to leave Karioi bound for Invercargill (eventually!).

November 2006

Two more foals were born this month.  The imported Oldenburg mare Leilani gave birth to a super Landioso colt.  This is the fist colt by Landioso born at the stud in the third year of breeding!  The coloured mare Graffitti once again gave us a brown colt with great markings, but unfortunately not couloured like his dam.

Donnerwind's journey to NZ was further delayed with complications to his eye injury.  This was a very tense time for everybody involved.  It is not a pleasent experience having a horse stuck on the other side of the world - you feel very helpless indeed.  Thank goodness for ex-pat kiwi Mary Robins who looked after Donnerwind during some of his stay and helped ease everybody's minds that the horse was safe and well.

The World Dressage Challenge was held this month and Adele Chester who had been training intensively at Karioi Sport Horses took her warmblood gelding Candanz.  Jody went along as her groom / coach / support team and everybody was thrilled with the way the two of them performed.  The photo opposite shows Adele and "Beno" on the beach at Raglan. 

October 2006

October is traditionally the month where the breeding season really gets underway for sport horse breeders.  Plenty of semen was sent out this month and the enquiries for Donnerwind were endless.  Jody was kept busy teaching lessons around NZ and Micheal settled in well to the set-up.  Unfortunately bad news came in from England that Donnerwind had injured his eye and would not be making the scheduled flight to New Zealand.  This was a major drama, and a very expensive exercise indeed.  Not only was Donnerwind's eyesight potentially in jeapordy, his stud season was slipping by, and the chance of having him ready for the National Championships at the end of the competition season became a very distant and seemingly impossible dream.

Corambo went out to his first Elementary show at the Tauranga Champs and excelled himself.  He won one of the tests with 72%. 

This picture shows Donnerwind about to leave Stal Nijenhuis in Holland to begin his journey downunder...

September 2006

This month got off to a busy start with the stallion parade being held at Karaka.  As usual this was a great success and much interest was shown in all the stallions we had on offer.  September also marked the start of Micheal Ostblom's 5 month stay with Karioi Sport Horses.  Micheal is from Denmark and has completed 1 year of a two year apprentiship at the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre.  Micheal will be breaking in horses and teaching riding / training throughout NZ.

We had two lovely foals born this month, both sired by Landioso.  One was a filly out of the TB mare Francesca (pictured opposite), and the other out of the Hanovarian bred Spidery (Wesserwolf / Haaji).

Also this month Karioi was lucky enough to have a Marcus Oldham College (Victoria) scholar join the team for a week of work experience.  Everyone enjoyed Nicolette Barrett's company very much and do hope she will return one day in the future.

August 2006

A quick trip up to the Holsteiner verband in Elsholm was a highlight for Jody this month.  Here she got to meet with many of the worlds top stallions who are based here.  Then it was back to Holland to finalise the purchase of the new stallion.  After saying goodbye to her new purchase Donnerwind, Jody spent the first half of the month in the UK on a brief holiday.  Here she caught up with her long-time mentors Mick and Sandy Fryatt and their children Max and Georgina.  Then Jody went across to Ireland for a few days to see her favorite Irish folk singer Christy Moore live in concert, and also got to go to the Royal Dublin Horse Show.  Here she met up with many old friends from her previous stays in the Emerald Isle and a great time was had by all.  By mid August it was time to get back to the "real world" and Jody came home to start work again at Karioi Sport Horses.  The month ended with Dr Andrew McLean's visit which further cemented his training methods as the way forward for schooling and rehabilitating horses.  The picture opposite is of Jody with the statue of Landioso's sire Landgraf outside the Holsteiner Verband headquarters.

July 2006

An exciting month for Jody as she jetted across to Europe to look for another breeding and competition stallion.  As usual it was a chance to catch up with many of her European and UK friends alongh the way which is what makes traveling so much fun!  The breif sounded easy enough - a 16.1 to 17hh licenced breeding stallion of favorable pedigree, trained to Grand Prix, easy to ride, and within budget.  However if you have been to Europe you will realise just how few horses there are for sale below the million dollar mark that fit this description!  Jody used her friend and agent Birgitt van der Eijken (see the sponsors / endorsements page for her details) to help her find the perfect horse and they did indeed come across him.  "Donnerwind" was for sale by his owner/breeders the Nijenhuis family from Noordwijk in Holland.  He was certainly a "find"as he was not advertised publicly.  So after his bloodtests and a strict vet inspection, Xrays and semen testing, the sale of Donnerwind to NZL was complete.  The photo opposite is of Donnerwind's dam Furinde who still graces the broodmare paddock of Stal Nijenhuis.

June 2006

June was a pretty quiet month for Karioi Sport Horses coming down from the high of Sydney CDI.  Landioso was given a well deserved rest and Jody was getting ready for her trip to Europe to look at horses.  Dressage Waikato hosted the NZ Dressage conference in Hamilton which was a big undertaking, but it all went off without a hitch.  There were quite a few horses in for training this month, and the favorite was Volley by Votaire II who Jody was breaking in for Abbey Wright of Taranaki.  There is a picture of him here being backed, first time in the arena.  You will notice that using the method of breaking in, taken from Dr Andrew McLean, there is no saddle for the first few rides, prefering instead to get the horse used to the go, stop and turn signals before getting them to habituate to the girth.

The Sydney CDI made May every bit as good as the two months that preceeded her.  After a somewhat disasterous time in Sydney the year before, it was time for Landioso and Jody to step right up to the plate and give it their best shot.  And thats just what they did...

Both the Inter II and the Grand Prix were held in the outdoor arena - the same used for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.  The weather was much warmer than Melbourne and took a bit of getting used to.  A good opening performance in the Inter 11 class saw Landioso in 3rd place.  But Australia pulled out all their best riders and horses in the Grand Prix and Landioso still managed a 5th place.  This was despite a few mistakes which Jody and him do not normally make.  The mark was good enough to secure another COC from one of the "O"level judges.

Jody got to ride for New Zealand in the International derby too, and drew a lovely Anglo gelding called Sienna Taylor Made.  He proved to be a winner with Jody taking out the idividual title and New Zealand the overall teams prize.  It was a great moment to see the NZ flag raised not once but twice in succession.  The other NZ rider was Charlot Bayliss who did a super job to finish 4th overall.

The last night in Sydney was the Grand Prix Freestyle, and Landioso was due to go at the unsocial hour of 10pm!  He took a bit of convincing to wake up, but the got inside the packed indoor stadium and wowed the crowd and the judges with his presence.  The final mark was 68% and good enough for third place, just behind Heath Ryan and the winner Rachael Sanna. A  truely amazing result amoungst the best in Australasia.

So in all it was a fantastic tour to Australia, and the pair came home deserving a little break from competing, and hoping they had done enough to convince the NZ selectors of a place at the World Equestrian Games.

(Photos kindly supplied by Main Event Photography)

This month saw Landioso and Jody jetting across the Tasman to start a month long campaign in Australia.  The mission was to foot it with the best in Aussie, as well as to gain a second certificate of capability for the World Championships in Aachen, Germany.

Landioso travelled well as per normal, leaping and playing as he disembarked on Melbourne soil.  Then it was straight on the transporter and trucked to Weibee, his home for the Melbourne CDI.  The stables here were magnificant and Landy settled in very well.  Once again he was ultra consistent, with a 4th placing in all three classes. He gained another COC this time from Australian "O" judge Mary Seifried.  Being the only Kiwi entered at the show he was very popular with the crowd, giving it a real international flavour.  He was beaten b three of Australia's best horses, ridden by Mary Hanna, Heath Ryan, and Racheal Sanna, all of whom are much more experienced than Jody.

After the show Jody and Landy travelled to the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre near Broadford in Victoria.  This is the home of Andrew and Manu McLean.  Landioso was treated like a star and given his own wonderful stable and turnout paddock.  He settled in here very well too, soon getting used to the kangaroos bouncing thru his paddocks and the cockatoos sharing his breakfast.

There was some serious dressage lessons given by Manu McLean, and Landioso also enjoyed hacking through the forest, popping round the cross country fences, and having some showjumping sessions as well.  Jody had plenty of time to study the training methods used at the AEBC and watched racehorses being barrier trained, breakers being started, plus many remedial horses brought in to be helped.  It was a sad day when they had to be packed away in another horse transporter, this time heading for the bright lights of Sydney some 900 kms away....  It had been a marvelous three weeks.

March was a fantastic month - after a couple of "straightening out" lessons with Dr Andrew McLean, Landioso and Jody were ready to take on the competition at the NZ National Championships.  Well it is fair to say that Landioso was the most flamboyant and consistent he has ever been.  He started off by winning the Intermediare 2 class, then never looked back.  He won the Grand Prix on the second day, gaining an FEI Certificate of Capability score from UK Olympic judge Stephen Clarke. 

The pressure was on by the third day, with a win needed in the Kur to clinch the coverted Burkner Medal presented to the NZ Champion.  Landioso was again on top form, and convincingly won this class by nearly 4%.  For her efforts, Jody also scored a brand new Bates Innova saddle for winning the class.  Their score of 68.65% is thought to be the highest ever score recorded for a GP freestyle in NZ.  On the final day there was a GP Special class held, and although Landioso was a little tired, he performed well enough to win this class as well.  Not bad when you are 19 years old!

It was then on to HOY show, where Jody rode Corambo in the Novice dressage and Landioso in the Grand Prix.  Corambo had only had one dressage start all season, but performed well enough to be placed third over-all.  He was also seen in the showjumping 1.10m class ridden by Catherine Cameron.  Landioso was once again awarded the runner up prize here - for the third year in a row.  Unfortunately the international judges he had impressed so much the week before at the national championships had gone home, and on this occassion he was narrowly beaten for the title.