Big Brother House at Condobolin

We all read with relief on Tuesday 4th that the horses kept at Condobolin for a week had been given a clean bill of health and allowed to go home. That was indeed true, unless home was in Victoria. Via Vanessa and Ken Weir and Pam Smith, we learnt about the plight of Vanessa’s sister, Kelly Lees, who lives at Wodonga, but is unable to bring her four horses across the Murray from Albury. Kelly takes up the story, which although causing problems for the marooned Victorians, is no without its lighter side.

“I live in Wodonga and work in Albury and had taken a truckload of four showjumpers to do the Western NSW run of shows and was traveling with Rachel and Scott Wessel from Clonbinane near Kilmore who had five horses, (including Rachel’s lovely grey hack Nasqueyo pictured). The trip out west is a holiday for me and there are plenty of riders from NSW and the ACT who do the shows. We started the run at Derdgerbong (40km west of Forbes) on the 17th August and did Peak Hill on the following Tuesday and Wednesday. We arrived at Condobolin on the 22nd for the show on the 24th and 25th. On the 25th we were told we were not allowed to go anywhere. We had no idea at that time what was going on. Rachel came up to me and said we are not allowed to go anywhere, OK whatever, I said; no really we are not allowed to go anywhere! And then we were informed what was going on.

“We were told that some horses from Centennial Park went to Parkes and there was initial concern that some had come to Condobolin. So we had to sit and wait while the DPI traced the movement of horses before we could go anywhere. The showgrounds are beautiful and there are plenty of stables and yards and a well watered arena. We have living areas in our trucks, with showers and cooking facilities etc. (a far cry from the camp stretcher in the back of the truck with a card table, kettle and toaster of not so long ago). We were allowed out to shop, washing in and out and vehicles were sprayed both in and out. We were not an infected site, so our concern was not to let the virus in. When the DPI realised they were not going to let us go in the short term, they brought in hay and feed for the horses.

“We were due to go on to Parkes Show, but because we were stuck here and about 98% of the 150 horses here were showjumpers, Parkes let us run their showjumping programme here on Monday and Tuesday. So then we sat tight. It was rather like the Big Brother House, but we were all hoping for the first eviction!

“On Saturday 1st September, we all got together and decided to have a young horse day, as there was nothing stopping us from riding. There were a few people with show hacks and Rachel said she wanted a go at jumping. So with the help of the locals we had a 40cm (cross-rail) event for the showies and a 60cm, 80cm and 90cm class. We had a fun day and everyone paid $10 entry fee and that went towards a lamb spit roast on Saturday night. We had a big party and a fun night, with a competition for the Condobolin Lockdown King and Queen. We all made the best of a bad situation, what else can you do?

“On Monday 3rd, the day before we could leave, the DPI washed all the trucks inside and out and all the gear, and when we left on Tuesday washed rugs, water and feed buckets and the trucks were sprayed again. All the Victorians have gone to various camps and I am looking after Rachel and Scott’s horses and my own in yards in a 100 acre paddock at Derogery about 20 kilometers from Albury. Life is chaotic at the moment as I am moving house as are the Wessels. They had to go home as they have a business to run, but Rachel hopes to get things set up so she can bring a laptop up here and work, so she can give me a break for a few days.

“I enquired about a permit to get my horses across the river (about 15 minutes) and was told that no permits to travel to Victoria will be issued under any circumstances in the foreseeable future. We have been told that no horse will be allowed into Victoria until after the Melbourne Cup (unless of course it is in the Melbourne Cup).

“It is a pity the Racing people are blaming the pleasure horse people for this outbreak, as it was not our fault that the virus got out of quarantine, and there are plenty of people in our industry that are experiencing great hardship and they are not given a thought”.

Horse Deals will try to keep you up to date with the biblically abandoned Victorians sent wandering in the NSW wilderness.