General News
29 November, 2022
Brumby success
TIMBOON’S Carly Loughnan and her daughter Asha are among the top 10 Brumby handlers in the country.
TIMBOON’S Carly Loughnan and her daughter Asha are among the top 10 Brumby handlers in the country.
Carly and 12 year-old Asha both showed a high degree of horsemanship during last weekend’s Australian Brumby Challenge.
The two day event, held in the Yarra Valley, was organised and ran by the Victorian Brumby Association and attracted a quality field of competitors from all over the country.
“It was a wonderful experience for Asha and I and we were absolutely thrilled to finish in the top 10 despite having only worked with our Brumbies for less than four months,” Carly said.
“As per the current regulations, we had to apply to take on a Brumby and we did that just over four months ago and were fortunate enough to receive two Brumbies; mine is an eight year-old gelding called Pirate and Asha has a two year-old filly named Dawn.
“You don’t get to chose your horses, they are simply delivered to you if you’re lucky enough to be selected for the program. It has been an amazing journey for us both; they arrived on our property in Timboon completely wild but we were keen for the challenge and I’m really proud of how Asha has risen and developed a great bond with them.”
At last weekend’s event, competitors accumulated points throughout the day in various categories including the relationship between horse and rider, general handling, loading, obstacles and a freestyle event.
Carly finished ninth overall while Asha finished second overall and also won the champion lead category.
While both Carly and Asha had never owned yet alone trained Brumbies before, they were by no means new to the world of horses.
They currently have 17 on their property and have been involved in many aspects of horse riding and competition, ranging from pony clubs through to eventing and breeding
“We both absolutely love horses and have a passion for saving Brumbies. Last weekend’s event, and our results, were pretty special. I’ve been riding since I was nine years-old and Asha was riding before she was even walking,” Carly said.
“Many people sell their Brumbies but we haven’t yet decided what the future holds for ours. For now we will hold on to them and see how they progress. We’re just loving having them here and developing that special bond with our animals.”
