When Merri Melde (US writer/photographer extraordinaire) visited Cosy Dell Arabians in the South Island of New Zealand, she wrote such a glowing report that I was bursting with envy reading about her exploits.
This was the place where Merri rode the Lord of the Rings horse, and where she and the Raven had such a great time. So, when Trevor Copland invited me to come visit and/or to send over some of my young riders for an experience of a lifetime, how could I refuse?
Last Friday, 30 November, Tarni Kittel turned 15 years of age. Tarni has been riding for 2 years, and this year gained the top placing in the QERA Junior Points list, as well as 4th in the QERA Junior Distance list. So on Saturday 1 December, Tarni and I set off to experience the best start to her 16th year of life that she could ever have imagined!
We flew from Brisbane to Dunedin with Air New Zealand, and were met by a couple of Trevor's riders who were returning from a ride. The bright red horsefloat pulling into the airport parking lot was a dead giveaway as to how we'd be travelling, and several hours later we arrived at Cosy Dell.
After a great evening getting to know the other girls, we dropped exhausted into bed, and slept like logs. The next day Trevor and Tori arrived, having successfully completed a 100km ride prior to coming home. Then it was time for the grand tour... visiting and meeting the mares, foals, 3 lovely stallions, cattle, sheep, deer, chook pen, working dogs, etc.
Monday saw Tarni introduced to the horses she will be riding while she is here, while Tori and I got to know each other. Everyone is full of stories about Merri and also about Alwyn Torrenbeek who recently spent a couple of months here. Bridget Stamm (from Germany) arrived on Monday, and there was lots more catching up and telling of tall and wonderful stories. I last saw Bridget at the Nanango FEI ride, and it was great to see her here in NZ.
So, my impressions of this place??? I'M IN LOVE! Yes, this area is just beautiful! Although I have been warned that the current hot spell is a bit unusual, and that the rain, wind and hail is usually enough to turn visitors off! The grass is soooo green it hurts your eyes. The horses are sooo fat and healthy that the shine off their coats hurts your eyes! The comfort level of the actual farmhouse is pretty damn amazing, and the peace and quiet are pretty damn wonderful!
We have been very fortunate so far with the weather... positively warm days, cool nights, lovely sunny skies and gentle breezes. There are several people in and out of the place every day, and everything runs on "Trevor-time", which is fairly laid-back. It's light at about 5am, and not dark again until 10pm, and every daylight hour is either spent with the horses or drinking tea and chatting. Then Tori cooks a great big dinner, and the festivities begin, lasting through to the wee hours.
Tarni is in Tarni-heaven. Riding 3 or 4 horses a day ( the kid has to get ride-fit again after not having ridden for the past 2 months), and following Tori around like a chicken. She will be doing her first 80km ride here next weekend, and swears that she will be ready!
Trevor is very proud of his new tack room that Alwyn designed, and is also proud of all his beautiful big horses... as well he should! They are lovely! The years he has put into breeding show. We have both been amazed at the constant top-end quality of each and every horse here.
Although I will only be here for a week, Tarni is staying for the entire school holiday period... through to the end of January. She is totally at home here now, and is really enjoying every day. As if actually riding horses is not enough, she is also driving the 4-wheeler, learning heaps of new skills from both Trevor and Tori, and is as happy as a pig in mud!
What a great opportunity for her, especially in light of the fact that she hasn't been able to ride at home since the EI lockdown commenced. This is truly a wonderful place for a youngster to get fully involved with the horses and learn how the Kiwis do things.
I'll try to keep you all informed as the next week unfolds.....
Best regards
Jay Randle SPLENDACREST ENDURANCE TRAINING www.freewebs.com/splendacrest
