“Are you flying your horses to Australia with you?”

“Are you flying your horses to Australia with you?”

When I went to Australia in 2011 the most asked question leading up to the event was, “Are you taking your horses?”

The short answer was no. 

I’m headed back to Australia THIS WEEK and the answer is still the same. The horses get to skip the really long flight and all of the other challenges that traveling internationally would bring.

I’ll be happy if my suitcases all arrive safely and on time!

If you have ever seen me at a horse expo you’ll remember that I very frequently have other riders with me. When I am teaching I like to show the different stages horses go through regarding whatever subject I am covering. The best way to demonstrate all of this in a short time is to have horses of different levels all available. 

Stacy Westfall & Blaze at Equitana 2011

While I’m in Australia I’ll be coaching horse and rider teams that have applied to ride with me. I’ve selected teams based on the talks I plan to give and the illustrations I plan to make regarding the varying training levels. 

In my Horsemanship Masterclass on Sunday, November 17 I’ll be packing in the information by using multiple horses and riders.

While I love taking my horses along I have to say I was very happy with the horses I worked with last time I was in Australia. I even performed bridleless on an older show horse that I had only met the day before Equitana began. Blaze wasn’t quite sure if I knew what I was doing for the first couple of days and then a lightbulb went off in his mind and he was ‘game-on’ from that point forward. I think it perfectly illustrates how much a solid foundation plays in the ability to go to the highest levels. 

• I’m looking forward to meeting a new group of horses and rider. 
• I’m looking forward to seeing Melbourne. (Last time we were in Sydney.)
• I’m looking forward to the animals. (there were PARROTS at the bird feeders!)
• I’m looking forward to the food. (my hamburger had an egg on it:)
• I’m looking forward to the coffee. (I started drinking coffee there in 2011)
• I’m NOT looking forward to the flight. (sooooooooooooo looooooooog)

I think if my horses were given a choice they would turn back to their hay and their friends and swish their tails as a goodbye wave and enjoy their holiday (aka vacation in my normal vocabulary. Did you know McDonalds is called ‘Mackers’ over there?)

So, if you (you know who I’m talking to…you’ve been waiting for an excuse to visit Australia…:) get your tickets by visiting: www.equitana.com.au/ticketing

Or if you want to visit their site to see what a horse expo in Australia looks like go ahead. Jesse just told me tonight that there is a class on handling snakebites. I haven’t seen that at an expo here. Or campdrafting. That was impressive last time too!