What About the Workers?

Twenty-three year old Shaun Dillon works with international eventer, Shane Rose in his breaking and pre training business. Shaun, a rider himself and horse caught a lift to Warwick with Shane and partner, Nikki Chapman. The trip to Queensland has lasted a lot longer than he thought, with Shaun acting a groom, cook (well almost) and maybe bottle washer, as well as making himself generally useful at Morgan Park. Horse Deals spoke to Shaun today to get the Morgan Park story from a ‘lifer’.

So Shaun, how is life at Morgan Park?

“It has been quite interesting really, rather like a commune. Nikki and I are up here with the horses and I have been helping Blair (Richardson). The first few days were quite busy, but now we have got into a bit of a routine and now everything goes smoothly. All the horses have the flu and are getting over it.

What’s a typical day for you?

We get up and get going at about 6.30am; we are first on the vet’s rounds and they get to us at 7am. By then we have to have taken all the horses temperatures (they have eight), recorded whether they have eaten and how much discharge is coming out of their nose, so we are organised for when the vets arrive (pictured right), so they can get through their rounds as quickly as possible. That is finished at about 7.30am, and then we muck out and feed and do various chores that are necessary. At about 8.30-9am we wander down for breakfast.

“The Red Cross and the Hospital have been cooking the meals, like roasts and regular food. We haven’t had to do the washing up, but a few of us young ones have been helping in the kitchen at lunchtime, serving up lunches. It’s been OK, like boarding school.

Have you been behaving like you are at boarding school?

“Oh we have had a few entertaining nights up here! But we have been making ourselves useful to the committee up here too, doing odd jobs like unloading hay and setting up the yards. Another semi load of yards came in today and now every horse has a yard and they spend most of the day out in them.

How is morale and what do you do to amuse yourselves?

“The morale has been excellent and everyone has pulled their weight and made the best of a bad situation and have all pulled together. There is a good feeling amongst the people up here, we are all in the same boat and we just have to get on with it. There are aerobics classes conducted every couple of days by Melissa from Warwick, and they are pretty intense. Blair and I managed to slither out of it today, as we had to unload hay. There is a touch football match organised for tomorrow and there is a recreation tent full of sporting equipment that we can borrow and do our own thing if we want.

“The Level I coaching is really good for me as I am at intro level and will be able to do some work towards my NCAS certificate.

If Horse Deals are ever thinking of a commune, Shaun will certainly be on the list of invitees. The ability to make the most out of a bad situation is a valuable life asset.

A Week Later at Morgan Park

Blair Richardson

Blair went home to Scone to check on the situation there and returned to Warwick today.

How are you horses at home and how are they at Morgan Park?

“It is interesting, as the horses who have the flu at home have had a very mild case and have just has a slight discharge from the nose and a minor cough. They are out in paddocks and can move around and get their heads down. The vets say it’s the stress of the trip to Warwick and being away from familiar surroundings and being confined, which has made it harder for the horses up here.

“While I was away, one of my horses here, Clifton Zengarie, developed pneumonia. But the antibiotics the vets gave him are working well and he is on top of it now. My advanced horse, Maximum Overkill is out in the yards at the moment and is standing on his hind legs. He had such a mild case of it; he was vaccinated last year, as he was reserve (New Zealand Team) horse for the WEG. Shane Rose’s WEG Team horse, All Luck (this time last year was third at the famous Burghley Horse Trials in England) was vaccinated and he has just had a mild bout as well.

It sounds as if Maximum Overkill is not far from being put back into work, but he has nothing to go to this year as the Adelaide Four Star has been postponed. How do you feel about that?

“I’m relieved really as I was concerned that some horses would not be properly prepared for Adelaide. I was having discussions with the EFA yesterday and there is talk of running Adelaide in April. The postponement does not really affect me as my horse is experienced and qualified for Hong Kong. Clifton Zengarie, which just arrived from New Zealand the Wednesday before Warwick, was set for the One Star at Sydney, but like all the other horses that have had the flu, I will have to take my time about bring him back into work.

What’s new at Morgan Park?

“There are now 10 x 10 meter yards for all the horses, so they can all get out of the dusty under cover yards and move around. It’s raining, but the horses seem to like it. They have built a containment bank around the stables, so the water does not flow into them and all the feed and hay is in the shipping containers. So it’s just going to be a bit muddy, but they are trying to make it as pleasant as possible.

We know about the school for the kids, have there been any other education initiatives?

Yes, they have started giving coaching to people wanting to do their Level 1 NCAS exams. The Queensland EFA has organised coach educators and there were about 15-20 people at the lesson today.

When do you thing you will be able to take the horses home?

They have not given us an exact date, but I think we will be able to take them home in early October. I don’t want to be here all the time, as I have a lot to do at home. My horses are all OK, so I hope to be able to get people to look after them and just come up here when and if I need to.

Parked in Parkes

Swift action by the Parkes Agricultural Show Society and the DPI limited the number of horses in the Parkes lockdown to 38. Show Secretary, Kay Bird recalls, “ I had a call from someone at the showgrounds on Saturday (25th August) morning to tell me that the gates has been locked, as six of the horses which arrived at the showgrounds on Friday for the annual agricultural show had come from Centennial Park. None had displayed symptoms at the time of their departure from Sydney.

“We had the DPI there within half a hour, as one of the members of the show committee is a DPI officer. All horses to arrive were turned away.

“All 38 of the horses here have had the flu and none has been very ill and they will be kept here until the end of the month.

“There are 13 trucks here and about 26 people attending to the horses. Families have organised one member to stay and look after the horses and they may change over. There are DPI personnel camped here and 24 hour security. You have to have a good reason to come in to the grounds and to get out you have to go through a thorough washing process.

“The amenities are good at the showgrounds and the DPI have brought in a couple of washing machines. Everyone is getting on and coping pretty well, they don’t have much of an alternative really. There is a cricket ground here and I see they are making good use of that”.

Kay hopes to get Horse Deals some photographs of the Parkes lockdown and the on going Parkes Test Match.

Melbourne Royal Show

Hi Guys,

Further to our conversation. The Melbourne Royal show committee has made a decision not to refund Royal Show membership fees. Upon speaking to an RAS Councillor this morning, the only way this can be overturned is if the members send in letters or email the CEO (on email address below) indicating that the only reason for taking out the membership was because of the savings on entry fees and that we were intending to compete. Further, now that the horse events have been cancelled we are not intending to go and this is a very big outlay which has no value now. Adelaide Royal have made a similar decision in relation to cancelling their horse events. They have agreed to reimburse all entry and stabling fees paid. They have also agreed to reimburse membership fees providing they receive the members passes prior to the commencement of the show.

It may also be a good idea to let them know that a lot of us have purchased multiple passes because of family members accompanying us to the show not just a single pass.

With all the expenses we have these days if we can save a few dollars then why shouldn't we, given that we are all not now going to the show. We can let them know in our correspondence that we have all outlaid thousands of dollars in preparing our horses to this point ready to go to the show. We've all had them in and stabled for the last 3 months being fed, rugged worked, lights on. This all costs us money and I don't think they appreciate the time and money we have all outlaid to this point and it is through no fault of anyone in this state that the events have been cancelled.

It may also be of benefit to add that we have supported Melbourne Royal for many years and maybe it is time that they supported us during this time of crisis. they can show their support by offering to reimburse our membership fees if we aren't attending the royal show.

Melbourne Royal Show CEO email address: mark.o'sullivan@rasv.com.au

Darryl and Lynda Hayes

Congratulations on your extensive coverage re EI

As a result lots of campdrafts have also been cancelled. At this stage the big Warwick Gold Cup Rodeo & Campdraft is going ahead in last week of October. Organisers are proceeding with preparations, hopeful that horse's can again travel by then.

For further information re cancelled campdrafts go to Australians' Campdraft Association (ACA) web site www.campdraft.com.au or Australian Bushmen's Campdraft & Rodeo Association (ABCRA) site www.abcra.com.au. At this time two smaller campdraft associations haven't listed any cancellations.

There are also drovers on the "long paddock" with their horses locked-up on reserves, and they have to proceed with their cattle the best way they can. Horses can't be taken to saleyards either, so at Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre (and other saleyards) extra stockmen have had to be employed to do the cattle work on foot.

Best wishes

Jan Elder