PG . 14
FEATURE ~ A GARRYOWEN JOURNEY
Sure A Fine Crystal Q-78145 and Angela Balfour
‘ WHEN I STARTED WITH DUNCAN ,’ ANGELA SAYS , THINKING BACK . ‘ I NEVER DREAMED THAT 12 MONTHS ON WE ’ D BE COMPETING AT THE GARRYOWEN ! the outstanding imported stallion , Sure A Fine Cowboy Q-70898 , and out of the mare , Good N Slick Q-64585 , Angela and her friend learned that Duncan had been sold to a buyer , 12 months prior . Rather than confront anyone , Angela ’ s friend simply asked her to take the horse , work him and sell him on for her .
‘ Duncan definitely had issues , but in August , 2023 , I felt there was something about him , so I decided to buy him myself , to train and show him in what I knew — traditional classes . Duncan , who was 16hh , was very naughty to show , often refusing to leave the line-up and trying everything he could to avoid doing as he was asked , to the point of going sideways , pig-rooting , rearing , backing up out of the ring , or simply freezing up . I sometimes thought we were never going to get through it , but in 12 months , I managed to turn Duncan ’ s behavior around . Karen Blythe , my wonderful Dressage coach , helped me through all of it and I so appreciated her help .'
Angela says he ’ s learned a lot , and that now , she and Duncan have a great understanding , but adds that he ’ s a horse that does like to destroy rugs and feed bins , so distracting him with paddock toys is a must .
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‘ Persevering with Duncan has been so rewarding , with all my expectations surpassed ! Today , he is a far different horse than the one I started with . We worked very hard in the short time we had , qualifying for entry to the Royal Melbourne Show by earning nine wins in Show Hunter for his height , and three wins for my Rider classes . We actually exceeded the wins required , all while competing against the more traditional breeds .'
AUSTRALIAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION - www . aqha . com . au