Horses & Ponies
Ardis horses and ponies are loved as individuals and treated as such. We are not and never will become a large and 'typical' commercial riding school.
Our school horses currently comprise:
Tom
10yo 16hh Clydie x quarter horse. Tom joined the Ardis team in May 08. He is exceptionally kind and loves cuddles! He is easy to handle and is proving himself a capable all-rounder, having attended local show jumping and dressage days as well as local trail rides. He too successfully completed his first ODE in Mar 09.
Lucky Tom! So many people to love him ... Linda, Nat (who is back), Jen, Tristan ...
Solly
17yo 15.1hh ASH (stock horse), after initially being loaned to Ardis by a friend, we are delighted to announce that Solly has become one of us! She is a kind horse who settled into her work at Ardis with ease and who quickly became popular.
Izzy jumped at the opportunity to part lease Solly and has joined the Ardis Saturday helping crew!
Scandal - For part or full lease
15.1hh 5yo shire x ASH x QH mare, Scandal is a very sweet but green youngster who is the latest recruit in the lease/school horse herd. She is currently enjoying all essential ground work, trail rides, some arena schooling and a little jumping. She is progressing very well with her training, demonstrating what a sensible girl she is. In fact, so sensible that when used for a float & truck loading training session she presented absolutely no issues whatsoever, walking calmly onto both!!
We were very excited when Tori took a part lease with Scandal. Unfortunately due to personal circumstances this has had to be put on hold for now. We very much hope to see them back together in the very near future.
Buccaneer
21yo 15hh ASH (stock horse). Bucc spent his time before Ardis as a Riding for the Disabled horse as well as being used for vaulting. He is educated up to and including elementary dressage and enjoys a bit of everything. His intelligence and tolerance make him an amazing school horse.
Lucky Bucc - again! Blessed once with Tori as a lessee who has remained a part of his life with her involvement at Ardis, Bucc has been blessed again with Kathy who has taken over his lease. Kathy has been involved with Ardis for many months and, as demonstrated by her commitment to RDA, will love Bucc as he deserves. We very much look forward to watching another happy and successful relationship develop.
Cherish - available for part lease
22yo 14hh ASH x (stock horse cross). Cherish was privately owned before joining the team at Ardis. She is soft, gentle and has the most beautiful, kind temperament. She gives her riders huge confidence.
We wish Britt every happiness & success with her new horse
Midnight
17yo 13hh Aust Riding Pony. Midnight was Tamsin’s first pony and together they were successful in dressage, show jumping and eventing. Very dear to our hearts, Midnight now encourages other kids to ride. Her passion is cross country!
Part leased by Jess (pictured left), Midnight is looking forward to more competition & outings this year, following a fantastic recovery from her shoulder injury.
Nipper
12yo 12.3hh Aust Riding Pony. Nipper is another fantastic little allrounder. His intelligent, cheeky personality attracts attention and he loves cuddles and carrots.
Nipper is part leased by Katie (pictured left). Nipper loves the one-on-one time he gets with Katie. They are looking forward to getting out & about this year.
Other Ardis horses in training (some are currently competing, others are youngsters learning the ropes):
Dom
An honour & privilege to own! 12yo Dom has and continues to teach Soo more than any other horse probably will. Currently trained & competed by Soo at Medium dressage (WDA 2009 Medium Reserve Champion) & 1.15m show jumping. Prior to EI the pair qualified for 2* eventing but changed disciplines because he loved the cross country too much!
PJ
PJ is a kind, loving, cheeky and amusing 8yo TB gelding. Bought off the track in 06 he is currently trained & successfully competed by Soo at Elementary/Medium dressage (WDA 2009 equal pointscore to Elem Reserve Champion), Prelim eventing & 95cm show jumping.
Pops
Trained & ridden by Tamsin, 9yo Pops has now recovered from a serious accident in April 09 that took him out of the work force for many months. Back with a vengeance, the pair won their first elementary test at Warringah Dressage in November.
Lena
Lena will stop at nothing to pose for the camera! A 4yo clydie x percheron filly she made very successful dressage & show jumping debuts in 09 (WDA 2009 Prep Reserve Champion). Started and then campaigned by Soo, plans were to begin the search for a suitable person to part lease her, when she unfortunately had to undergo colic surgery. She is home & recovering well, is desperately keen to get back to work but being told she must wait a little longer!
Galen
Mr Personality Plus! Galen is a very smart 6yo TB gelding who is being slowly prepared for the competition scene. Unfortunately his journey in life thus far has not been what could have been and he needs time to heal & move forward. We have high hopes for him on the eventing circuit.
"The Babies" - Dobbs, Mozart & Amigo
Recently turned 3yo, Dobbs & Mozart have both been started lightly under saddle & are currently enjoying 'grow & rest' time in the paddock. Amigo, 2yo (who had Tamsin on his back Christmas Day 09 for the first time) is keeping them company.