Pawing At The Gate.

30th October.

Kim Durante’s tsunami like dominance of the Australian Royal Hack Championships was set to continue at Melbourne Royal this September. Kim claimed the Brisbane Royal Championship with Aaron Woolard’s beautiful chestnut, Tate and was planning to take the two time Melbourne Champion (2005/2006) south to have a crack at a hat trick. That is until Equine Influenza stopped everyone in their tracks. Kim and Simon Durante, with children Sabrina and Cody live half way between Brisbane and Surfers Paradise. Horse Deals caught up with Kim to see how they were coping.

“We don’t have EI ‘yet’, but we have battened down the hatches here and have been very strict with our bio-security. We have not let anyone in or out. We had to have the farrier and he looks very funny in his white suit. He is very particular and does all the horses in his white plastic bio suit. We have had so much rain up here and there have been storms, so the horses have been spending a lot of time in the stables. The rain is good but it has been very wet. We have been able to work them a little which has been enough. They all came home from Brisbane well and they are just blooming, it’s a bit sad there is nowhere to take them. EI is a disaster and it is difficult for me and a lot of other people. I am losing income like so many people. Simon has the coffee shop and I do the horses, so I am very lucky to have Simon. If you just did horses you would be finding it very very hard to survive. I have applied for vaccination and I’m all for that and I think we need to vaccinate and get on with it.

“One of the benefits (of the shutdown) is that I have had the opportunity to be a full on mother and do all the things other non horsey mothers do with their children. I have been to the school and done a bike-a-thon with Cody. I go to school luncheons and the other mothers say, gee I haven’t seen you much at school before. I always drop them off at school, but usually someone else picks them up, as I am giving lessons. We have done things in the holidays and I am going to school meetings, it’s been really full on. I’m a bit of a cleaner too and I clean all the time, I love it. (It is not hard to imagine, as the Durante Team turnout is always immaculate).

“I am enjoying it all, as it has been full on for us for so long with the horses, but I am looking forward to getting back to it now. I’m pawing at the gate and if there were a show on tomorrow, I’d be there. Everyone is getting a bit bored and Aaron (Woolard) suggested we have our own show. I tell them they should think themselves lucky that they have had a good show season in Queensland. Imagine being in Melbourne where they were just about to start the season. All our horses are well and we are going OK, so far”.