• 25 December 2022
• general
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Lots of interesting things happened in 2022, including a public display, reenactment stuff, new foals and some horses leaving for new homes.

From the start of the year, we had regular training sessions with the King’s Horses, to prepare for the SA Medieval Fair in May. We also did lots of nice trail rides to give the horses variety. The fair at Paracombe was the first reenactment event for Phoebus and for one of the other horses. The steady preparation paid off and we put on a great show of jousting, skill at arms and arming the knight.

In February, the Standardbred gelding Altus arrived. Avaldi from Narrawin (Icelandic gelding; Lotto x Brana) went to his new home in the Blue Mountains in May, and Rico NS (Paso Fino gelding; Rev x Emperatriz) left for Bathurst at the end of the year. Aliyana NS (partbred Andalusian; Ramirez x Candi) was picked up to start a new life with my friend Cherilyn and will stay within the King’s Horses group to become a skill at arms, mounted combat and jousting horse.

During the year, I worked a couple of visiting horses, started Rico, Altus and Aliyana, progressed Romeo’s education, and did regular work with various other horses.

The prolonged wet and cold weather made riding and looking after the stud difficult all winter and for most of the spring and caused some events to be cancelled. However, we ran a September fun day with the Military Equitation Association at Unicorn Park indoor arena, where some of us did a bit of joust practice. In early December, our King’s Horses group ran the inaugural Mounted Combat Gathering. This had been planned for the Dean Recreation Reserve but had to be relocated to Unicorn Park at short notice to avoid the rain and sodden footing. The event was a success and we hope to run another next year.

We finished the year with a nice trail ride and picnic at the edge of the Wombat State Forest, at a location that is the beginning of a new adventure.