Wilga Park Morgans:
This page is evolving ... this is the beginning of Notes & Quotes from the people who have experienced a Wilga Park baby. It will continue to evolve, so please visit again. We have more Notes to add ....
August 2011 - Sue Bendotti ... about Wilga Park Golden Ash (aka Flynn) (RanchBoss Cortez X Red Bluff Paprika) - 4.5 years old
I LOVE my Wilga Park boy.
Wow! What a happy horse he is ... confident, communicating, comfortable. He is so smart and so ready to cooperate, at times I really have to remind myself of how green he is in the usual (hours under saddle) sense of things. So balanced mentally and physically in himself that he feels much more mature.
I am so impressed with how much stronger/more balanced he feels in his gaits in a mere 8 rides in the past fortnight after 2 months off, preceded by about 6 weeks riding , preceded by 6 months off. His ability to just go with 'the deal offered today' is great. "Easy-going" doesn't do him justice. There are times this year, and last, when I have felt pretty nervous when we pick up the canter in the bush. He looks after me, waits for me to get my balance, sort out everything and then he 'asks' if he can stride out a bit.
Anyway, under his care, I am over my nervousness and our rides are just fun! fun! fun! I can't tell you how good that is.
Thankyou for breeding the kind of horse that even I, as a nervous rider, was able to take on from his early hours of starting through to now, with the minimum of fuss. I feel safe, we have fun. I know that he listens and responds, naturally he asks the same in return and we work to find the compromise. Of course, I credit Tammy-Lee with a major role in reading him/me and providing on the ground (well horseback actually) advice over the past 2 years. We could never have achieved this without her, and in fact, I wouldn't have dreamt of taking him on without her knowhow and shared riding.
But full credit, too, to the horse and his breeding. He is a great horse. Brave as a lion, soft as a lamb. As beautiful as a (Morgan) horse . :)
Sue Bendotti
July 2011 - Amanda McGill ... about Wilga Park GoldenSolidago (RanchBoss Cortez X Red Bluff Paprika) - 16 months old
photo at ANMS April 2011
Thank you Kathy and Greg once again for my little Morgan.
Solidago has been such a pleasure to own and is so much easier to do anything with than any other horse that I have owned. He is such a beautiful horse. I love to watch him have a run and play in his paddock. He has such a long easy stride and a beautiful stop.
I took Solidago to all of two shows this year (his first two outings) and he was an absolute dream to handle, nothing seemed to phase him. Brought some blue ribbons home too!
I entered him in the Led Obstacle Class at the National Morgan show in Toowoomba (his second show) which meant that I needed to teach him how to go sideways between two rails on the ground while straddling a third. I actually didn’t start teaching him until a week before the show and wondered if I was being a bit unfair to expect him to pick it up so quickly.
Well, I was so proud of him. He picked it up so much easier and more quickly than other horses that I have taught. I spent about 10 minutes a session maybe 5 times in the week leading up to the Nationals and that wasn’t just working on sideways. Solidago was so good at it that I only had to hold my dressage whip (only used it for the shows) upright in front of me and he would go straight sideways for me. He is just so willing.
I have always loved horses but I don’t think that I have loved a horse as much as I do this one. He’s very special!
Amanda
June 2011 - Tammie Pike ... about Wilga Park Golden Glory (RanchBoss Cortez X Red Bluff Paprika) - 16 months old
(written to someone to describe what owning a Morgan is like)
Well, where do I start! I had always seen Glory from the day she was born, but she didn't grab my attention as I wasn't looking for another horse. I thought her cute and full of personality like all of Greg & Kathy's foals.
It wasn't until a year & a half later that she REALLY grabbed my attention. It was at the Toowoomba Royal of all places. Each year the QLD Morgan Owners get together and do the Morgan Spectacular, which showcases the quaility & versatility of the breed. That year I had my son and didn't have my Morgan, Red Bluff Royal Mail, aka RM, ready for the show, so I went to just help out where I could. Well as fate had it, Kathy asked me if I would like to look after Glory for the event and I was more than happy to.
It was Glory's first ever outing (The BIG Toowoomba Royal, of all places!!) She was tied up to the float like she had been doing it for a long time. Then I had to lead her (which was only about the 3rd time being led) to the Ring, and she was amazing, she was so confident and so willing. Other horses around her were getting freaked out about different things including some concrete bollards which we had to walk past. Instead of following the herd and getting scared, she walked straight up to it (me following) and put her nose straight on it and sniffed and chewed it! That blew me away. I bonded with Glory that day like I have never bonded with a horse before, and she just had to be mine.
I have to tell you, too, that I have been around Morgans for 8 years now, and they will never cease to amaze me!
Tammie Pike
May 2011 - Tammy-Lee Penny ... about Wilga Park Summer Beauty (RanchBoss Cortez X Eagleview Skybeau) (aka Chance - 4 yrs old)
Wilga Park Summer Beauty (aka Chance, 4 yrs) and Tammy-Lee
Hi Kathy & Greg
Just wanted to tell you, again, how AWESOME Chance is.
First ride out in over 6 months today, she was a doll. We followed Suz and Flynn along a new ‘trail’ that we made the day before, (you know – middle aged woman, ride on mower, saws and off we go trailblazing!), anyway they were trotting quite a ways ahead and so I let her go a bit - she is just so athletic and nimble and quick. I think at one stage she was doing lead changes every second stride as we wound our way through the trees. At no stage was she ‘leaving’ me or getting over excited, it was like I stepped off her last ride yesterday.
She has joy in her heart, wings on her feet and maybe just the tiniest little mischievious witch on her shoulder (apart from the ol witch on her back!)
I said to someone the other day my stockhorse is like a gale force wind – challenging and forceful but if you go with it and can direct it, the feeling is spectacular. My morgan is like a seabreeze on a balmy day sunny day – just a joy. ... Tam
May 2011 -Suzanne Bendotti ... about Wilga Park Golden Ash (RanchBoss Cortez X Red Bluff Paprika) (aka Flynn - 4 yrs old)
photo at 3 yrs old
Hi Kathy & Greg
We rode the uber-relaxed Morgan pair this afternoon. Totally deluxe...asked Flynn to trot for an hour with a couple of short breaks...good muscle building stuff. Took him to the final 5 minutes before he stopped thinking about grabbing snacks, so shows how much energy he has. A few lovely canters in there too. He just rolls along ... no rush.
And then coming home our new phone book was sitting on top of the meter box, so, unusually for me with my previous horses, I just plucked it off, showed him and marched it home on the pommel. Not a problem...I love how calm and brave he is. I will never tire of his 'whatever' attitude ...good boy ...oh and I had been admiring of how uphill he was until this wk when i realised his croup had done a catch up...is he still growing?? I am already finding humps to stand on! and he was 15.3 last time I measured!! stop! oh well...he feels gorgeous to ride and as long as i can clamber on , all is good, once up he feels just right...
Just had to tell you that I am LOVING riding the buckskin boy...he is sooo rock steady to ride. he is light off my leg and quick to respond either up or down the gears and really just a total delight. And I've worked out that he thinks verbal praise is the bee's knees, so he's getting that in bulk. Tam commented the other day about how pleased he looked with himself while we were riding and I said I hope he always does. It should be fun for both of us, beyond anything else, so I felt really good about that.
I am officially wrecked for any other horse...oh well. :) ... Suz
June 2011 - Jan Tucker ... about Wilga Park Serjania (aka Jack - 3 yrs old)
Adult Riding Club!! He was an absolute star!!!!!! He is the most divine creature, he takes everything in his stride. They had a group of horses doing a quadrille class nearby and Jack was enjoying the music.
The children's group was next to us ... he could not care less, he was actually better behaved than a couple of other horses in our group. The lesson went for an hour and we even had a nice canter at the end and then I called it quits for young Jack
When we got back to the float and I took his bridle off he was standing there half asleep - poor baby! He had a nice feed of hay and then back on the float with my daughter's pony (Robbie) and back home. He travels very well on the float. The instructor thought he was lovely and I think a bit surprised at how well he went considering his age. The people in my group could not believe how well behaved and laid back he was for such a young horse ... as well as being so cute and gorgeous :)
cheers ... Jan
June 2011 - From Annabele Rose (8 1/2 yrs old) ... about Wilga Park Chambourcin (RanchBoss Cortez X Mt Tawonga Natasha) (3 yrs old)
Dear Kathy,
I am Annabel Rose and I am learning to ride Champy at Gill's place (Shibui Morgan Stud, Victoria). I rode her for the first time on Sunday the 12th June.
I loved riding her and she helped me to trot really well. I was good enough to go on a little trail ride with Gill and my mum. I also started to learn how to jump, with trotting over poles on the ground, I found that hard but on the last try I talked to Champy and we did it.
I absolutely loved riding her, she was even better than Pancho.
Annabel (aged 8 1/2)
From Gillian, Shibui Morgans, Chambourcin's owner ... July 2011
Hi Kathy,
We have had a great day today. First fine Horse Riding day for a while. Took Champy (3 yrs old) on a trail ride today with 3 others. My friend Tess, who only rides a little, was on Pancho , the supposedly bombproof Pinto I have had for years, another friend on a too expensive Palomino was having issues, and Pancho followed suit. Champs just stayed calm, looking at them like 'what the hell are you doing' !!!! In the end I got off Champs, put Tess on her, and sorted out a side stepping Pinto. :)
Gill
From Michelle Moller about Wilga Park Tibouchina -18 months old - (RanchBoss Cortez X Mt Tawonga Marrella)
Tibouchina has now changed in temperament ... from baby to teenager ... and I can't wait to see what kind of young lady she is. It is amazing how you can see them change in mind, not only physically.
The only thing I say about Tibby is that she is a 'feisty, feral, flirty, filly' who stands her ground (with other horses). This is one thing that is not changing about her. She is funny to watch with the others. If they give her cheek she just tells them to bugger off or you will get a pair of heels in your face. She can buck and kick and loves it. Can't wait until she is old enough to ride.
Michelle.
MORE TO COME ......