Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the land down under! It's been a great one so far and I couldn't have asked for better! The eve of New Years began with a party with a bunch of Aussies where I had a great time meeting many from the region and learning all kinds of new things. I've done fine understanding the accent thanks to working with TJ, only some of the "slang" to Americans has thrown me a bit. However if you think about it, it always makes sense.

The following morning I headed to a friend of a friend's place for some Australian horsie fun. Upon arrival and meeting all of the fun animals (to include George the Cockatoo, a dingo pup, and trick ponies) I watched the 2nd day of working with a Brumby mare named Indy (coincidence?). The methods used were very similar to what TJ (guy that breaks horses at Bannockburn Farm) uses, which was interesting to see again since it is still a modern method in the states. Following the riding session, Robert, Darrell, and I headed out to "ride the bush" (ride through the mountains and brush) for a few hours. It was about a three hour ride in rough ground that few Americans would ever want to take their horses through yet isn't given a second thought by Aussies. Along the ride we saw some Aboriginal rock art that was quite a treat and so interesting! I rode a Standardbred gelding named Smurf who was quite the trooper the whole way. There were many times that I didn't trust my own instincts to choose the right path, so I let Smurf lead the way through the rocky paths. What an amazing ride!

After a three hour ride and a wonderful lunch, Robert mentioned that he had been researching and documenting Aboriginal art in the area and asked if I wanted to see some of the rock art in the area. Of course I did, so he showed me to a beautiful rock covered with carvings in the rocks and explained his research and theories of what each meant. It was so interesting! Sometimes I wish I would have followed my childhood dream of being an archaeologist. Oh well, I suppose there is still time. I took plenty of pictures and I will get them up on my Flickr account as soon as I can.

After the trip to the rock, he took me to a park called the Walkabout Park that was an Australian animal sanctuary that he had also been doing some research about. There were kangaroos of all types, Wombats, Koala and plenty of other fun animals from the area! This was quite the amazing start to the new year and I still have a few more days in Australia for more adventures! Happy New Year everyone!

Riding through water on Smurf

A footprint, Aboriginal art

Visiting Kangaroos at the Walkabout Park