Three weeks on the road with 10 horses, two trucks, one float and four equestrians. Jayden Brown and Jenny Gehrke led Team Willinga Park’s first incursion from NSW into Victoria since lockdown – and brought home the booty!
Willinga Park’s Dressage Team made their presence felt in a big way in their first interstate campaign since borders reopened and interstate competition opened up, attending The Dancing Horse Dressage Championships at Boneo Park and the Hygain Victorian Dressage Festival at Werribee in December.
Consisting of rider Jayden Brown, coach and mentor Jenny Gehrke, and two amazing grooms in Madeline Leeden and Lillie Connelly, Team WP took 10 horses ranging from Preliminary to Grand Prix on their successful mission! Arriving back at Willinga Park, they headed straight to the beach for a swim and a glass of champagne still the best of friends. This camaraderie does not happen by chance; it has developed over years at Willinga Park. Fighting fires, floods, helping at competitions, raking arenas and, above all, working tirelessly through the Covid times with not a competition in sight but the shared bond of a love of the horses and all things dressage their saving grace. It’s a team that moves to the beat of its own drum… as hectic as that beat may be at times. They chip in and do what is needed to get the job done efficiently, professionally and effortlessly. Jayden and Jenny can often be seen mucking out, cleaning gear, tacking up and putting horses in and out. The two grooms are meticulous in turning out the horses, not just at the shows but every day. It’s how they roll!
Terry and Ginette Snow are full of admiration and appreciate that their special horses – which is what Willinga Park is about – are in the best of hands. The proof was in the results from the two competitions on their Victorian campaign.
Jenny says the team’s cohesion has a lot to do with each member’s work ethic, especially Jayden’s. “Jayden works equally hard as anyone, if not harder, and being in charge he has the most amazing work ethic. He is an outstanding rider, yet he remains unassertive and humble and always attributes his success to the entire team. He diffuses the attention on his success to include all.
“It is very rare that four people can be so intertwined and see each other every day and remain friends and accept the hierarchy of the team with total acceptance and approval. They are the most fun and jovial group and nothing is ever too hard or difficult. It was an amazing three weeks that I will always treasure and I look forward to more. Jayden is a very special character and an even more special rider – and to be eyes on the ground for him is a luxury!”
MEET THE HORSES
WILLINGAPARK MIANA
Miana is a five-year-old who was imported as a broodmare. She is by Franklin x Bordeaux and has three foals due, one by Dante Weltino and two by Vitalis. She seemed too fabulous to leave as a broodmare. Being green she was taken along for the experience and started at Preliminary and scored in the high 70s. She is quite outstanding with extraordinarily good gaits. It is interesting to see that horses score in the high 80% in the Young Horse classes and then only in the 70s for a test. Why is it that at Preliminary these outstanding individuals are only scoring a ‘fairly good’ mark? Are the judges just not brave enough? It seems incongruous. Miana was excellent.
“Never dampen this enthusiasm,
just channel it.”
WILLINGAPARK TITO
This six-year-old gelding is a brilliantly balanced good looker and quite the favourite of Jenny’s. She believes he has it all for the highest level. “You need them to be a little on the hot and excited side as baby horses,” she says, “and never dampen this enthusiasm, just channel it in the right direction.” He is by Top Gear and out of a Florencio mother.
Jayden likes Tito’s quirky character, describing him as a “little kid who needs entertaining and who demands a lot of attention. He is like driving a crazy fast sports car”. He says Tito’s legs take over his mind and the hind legs would love to overtake the front ones! Tito is a sports model and has all the power and reactions to be an amazing higher-level horse once he learns to wait.
“He gives me glimpses of what he has in store for the future,” says Jayden, “and now with more competitions it will be good for him to become more worldly and less excitable about being on show! I spend a lot of time with him on the trails at Willinga as it’s good for his mental happiness. It also helps with the walk as he still finds it hard to find the off button. Children eventually grow up and sometimes you just have to be patient with the special ones! This trip did him the world of good as he had to settle in to the team routine and suck it up! He travelled well and ate well and was Champion Novice horse at Boneo and Reserve at Werribee.”
“The hind legs would love to overtake
the front ones!”
KASJMIR
She is a really hot character with plenty of engine and bounce. Dutch-bred by Jack Sparrow and from a Totilas mare, she is not owned by Willinga but is here for Jayden to compete. Jayden is a big fan and says she has that feeling of making it to the GP ranks with ease. Everyone said Jayden was crazy thinking she would be a good one to continue with. She was so exuberant in the early days and wanted to show off as a younger horse. Jayden says there were a few moments when he feared for his life but now everyone is starting to take notice. Kasjmir is super-sensitive and you dare not ask too much, otherwise she will certainly let you know her take on things. She is already training the PSG movements and the changes are a real highlight for her.
Jayden is passionate about Kasjmir’s ability and he loves that she is so keen. She was Champion Elementary at both competitions but was beaten at Boneo in one test by Lillie Connelly riding Cillaniro by De Niro, a really nice horse who was bred and owned by her aunty, Josie McGuire. “That won’t happen again!” laughs Jayden.
“Fangio is a little surprise package.”
WILLINGAPARK FANGIO
This chestnut stallion is by Flannell out of a Laurentio mother. He is a so tractable and a lot of fun. He gives his all and has more to offer but needs to learn more about waiting, so he stays in balance as he tries too hard and gets carried away. “Fangio is a little surprise package,” says Jayden. “As he gets trained and learns to control his balance, he simply gets better and better. He just keeps surprising us and ticks every box as you go along. He is like the jumper that jumps the cross rail then the metre class then the 1.2 and then the 1.3 and then the Grand Prix tracks and does it all in great style and so keen with little fuss. He piaffes so well and the trot lends itself to passage and he sits and carries so well in the pirouettes.
“He is well on the way to Grand Prix and he simply wants to do it! He was great the whole time and was champion Medium horse at Werribee and reserve Medium horse at Boneo. He also had an Advanced start at Boneo scoring 72%. He is ready to have a PSG start and Grand Prix is in his sights as well.”
WILLINGAPARK EMOTION
Jayden says that sometimes it is easier to start with a horse that no one else has trained, as taking over from another rider is often fraught with time spent getting to know each other. ‘Emmie’ carries the E line being by Equitaris from a Florestan mother, so it’s no wonder she is such a beautiful mare. She is sensitive and easily frightened, and takes time to offer her trust. She was really good on the tour and Jayden believes that mares need a little more time and deliberation. Emmie is a beautiful type that carries herself in a good-looking outline with active paces but still needs quiet and considerate work to match her nature! She also needs to learn to wait, but all the same was Champion at Boneo and third overall at Werribee in the Medium.
“She looks super active and she is that, but to get her forward and at the same time to be loose in her body isn’t easy,” says Jayden. “When she gets in the ring, she wants to hold her breath. She gets nervous and lacks the coordination when she holds against you. It is a work in progress but I have to say in the last test at Werribee she actually let go and I was really pleased for her that she relaxed and allowed good work to show. She has a talent for piaffe and has great strength to hold her balance in the pirouettes. She is a super elegant and tall mare and has a foal by Sezuan and one by Amicelli Gold. Time will tell, and she simply needs to gain self-confidence.”
“Spot On is adored by the public
and he loves the attention!”
WILLINGAPARK SPOT ON
He is the gentle giant of the team and what a talent! By the famous Sezuan from a Solos Carex mare, Spot On is another that Jayden is taking his time to change his ways. It is hard to take over a successful ride and get to know each other as there are always differences in riders’ aids and feelings of frames, forwardness and contact. Spot On has only been with Jayden for six months and is inexperienced in competition, so the three weeks helped him grow in confidence and gave Jayden time to get him to relax in a test environment where the movements keep coming up quickly. He is inexperienced at test rides but has huge potential for the piaffe and the passage tour.
Spot On is adored by the public and he loves the attention! He still finds the changes difficult but is starting to become better established as the days go by. If anything, he also needs to learn to wait. Forward attitude is great but not without waiting – they need to wait to be ridden forward! He was a little out of his level competing Advanced, but he coped and soon he will be on Small Tour where he will come into his own as he is imposing and bold.
WILLINGAPARK QUINCY B
What can you say? Quincy (by Quaterback with a Desperados mother) was ridden as a young horse by Jayden before coming to Willinga Park. He is admired at every show, including the two in Victoria where he was unbeaten at Small Tour level; he was Champion at both. Constantly scoring in the mid to high 70s, he is a talent with the most imposing harmony with Jayden! All eyes are on Quincy for his start at Grand Prix. He has run through it at home with a clean test and has all the movements under his belt, but as Jayden is aware it’s important to get the real carrying strength and the mental approach established before stepping up into this Olympic test.
Jayden believes all horses have their own schedule and he is prepared to wait. Talking about Quincy, his face lights up: “I started Quincy out when he was three and I so remember telling Jenny that he was the best horse I had ever ridden and I believe it still to be true. The best way I can describe him is, he is ‘normal good’. He had good paces and good work ethic, good trainability and good conformation – in all that’s an 8 and that’s where he sits and so it’s up to me to make the ‘normal good’ into the best it can be.
“And being normal means he is understandable. He is not tricky and has plenty of engine and appeal, not to mention ability. He is a bit of a spooky horse as he is sharp and very self-aware. Quincy and I are on the same page and have a great understanding. He really helps me out, and if he does push back, he isn’t offended when told to try again. He is a very special character and one that I hold in the highest esteem.”
SENATOR NYMPHENBURG
Senator (Starnberg x Mon Cheri) is owned by Jenny Gehrke and Rose Deo, with Jenny originally training and riding him. She was recovering from an ear virus that upset her balance, and asked if Jayden could compete the horse and he was granted an exemption through EA. Jayden only had five rides before his first Big Tour test.
At Boneo in the Inter II, Jayden proved that he was not super human at riding 39 tests without a mistake! He rode the old medium canter on the diagonal; this year the test has a flying change at X. Remembering 39 tests is a feat in itself and a tiny mistake like that was so easy to do. It interrupted the flow and Senator, not one to hang around, became unsettled and made a mistake in the twos and the ones. Despite that, they still scored 68%. Senator is a sensitive horse who now has a good grasp of all the GP movements at only 11 years old.
Despite his limited preparation with Senator, all went well and Jayden credited Jenny with his training: “We know each other extremely well and our training methods are along the same lines. Senator is wonderfully trained and I didn’t find it hard at all to get the feeling. Changes are always a movement that has its own personal touch and perhaps this is the only movement of the test where there was a little confusion – but not a lot. He knows the movements but just not me, so the preparation was easy and it worked. I didn’t doubt it and of course Jenny was there to aid me along the way – as she was with every one of my 39 competition tests!”
FLEUR DELACOUR
Owned by Rose Deo and ridden by Maddie Leeden, Fleur competed at Small Tour and they were Young Rider Champions at Boneo. Maddie makes time to train at this level, and with Jayden and Jenny around to help she has surged ahead in the past 12 months. An amazing feat by her to look after the team of 10 and still compete and be so successful; she is a rider on the up-and-coming trail.
CILLANIRO
Ridden by Lillie Connelly and owned by her aunt Josie McGuire, Cillaniro was really successful in the Elementary level and beat Jayden in the first test at Boneo! To combine grooming and then riding and competing and keeping it all in perspective is quite a feat. Lillie won the Elementary Young Rider classes at Boneo and was champion Young Rider Elementary horse at Werribee. Another rider to watch, and with the support of Jayden and Jenny, what an opportunity for her.
“I work in a team of great horses and have to appreciate that first and foremost,” says Lillie. “Then with Terry Snow – who is the best boss and allows me the privilege to work at the horse’s own pace – there is no pressure. I never feel pushed to get out and prove a point and so I am able to make sure all the basics are in place. That takes time.
“Jenny is instrumental in pushing me… well, really getting me to slow down a little and to think more! What more could a dressage rider want?”
Lillie says they are all looking forward to more competitions this year. “Let’s hope that we can get some competitions under our belt and Covid doesn’t get in the way. We will have Sky Diamond in Grand Prix and Quincy is all but there now, and so maybe a start for him at the end of 2022. Then there is Fangio, Spot On, Emotion and Kasjmir, who will all have Small Tour starts soon. It will be so good now to season our team in competitions and new arenas, as we have been hard at work doing all the lead-up work for what seems like forever and to get out and compare to others is going to be exciting.”
What a well-oiled, fun, professional and seriously competitive team. There is no doubt that Willinga Park will set the pace with dressage scores and competitive horses in coming competitions. It has been a while in the making and a credit to Jayden Brown, who stepped in when Brett Parbery chose to leave Willinga Park after laying the foundations.
As with any sport, Team WP is not about short-term success, it’s about consistency. Jayden is single-minded. Words can’t really sum up his attitude and work ethic, it’s something within him, his soul. All horses get the same attention, whether Preliminary or Grand Prix. Jayden not only rides and cares for them in the day-to-day stable duties, he is attentive to each one’s individuality.
This team is a rare and cohesive group of soul mates. They have a common goal, and that’s not a gold medal but that every horse under their care is healthy and happy and their schooling is in keeping with their ability and temperament. Their job satisfaction comes from seeing the horses improving. Wins are a bonus, but not the be-all and end-all of a dressage horse’s life.
FAREWELL MIGHTY FUSION
WillingaPark Fusion has been laid to rest after several intensive months and exhaustive treatment for a paddock accident that cruelled his life. Fusion seriously injured a stifle galloping around his small paddock and was acutely lame.
By Rubiquil out of a Krak C mother, Fusion was bred and trained in Holland before Terry Snow imported him to Australia where he began his career here under Brett Parbery. He was extremely hot and sensitive, to the point of being a handful of energetic enthusiasm. His mind was forever active and with such movement and talent – especially for piaffe and passage – he was often trained in these paces and his enthusiasm became overwhelming. When Brett left Willinga Park, Fusion was still a talented but difficult athlete.
Jayden Brown took over and the combination were well-suited for each other. “Fusion was my favourite horse,” says Jayden. “He was so special, willing, sensitive and talented in all the Grand Prix movements. It was totally heartbreaking for myself and all of us at Willinga. There is neither rhyme nor reason to horses and I feel for Terry and Ginette who also loved Fusion. We all put our hearts and souls into him. He was a full-time job and for sure he gained confidence through doing very simple exercises and believing in himself instead of panicking and not knowing what to do with all his exuberance.
“He loved the long trail rides and the easier life and really had come around to being a superstar. At his last competition, Quincy won the PSG and Fusion was second, and then Fusion won the Inter I and Quincy second. His future looked so promising and he was cruising then.
“It happens and we were all shattered and spent a long and trying time with exhaustive veterinary attention to no avail. His stifle was basically crumbling and everyone had grave fears that he may lay down one time and on getting up totally disrupt his hind leg. This would be catastrophic. The decision to put him down was not easy and fraught with tears.
“He was a very special horse and whenever I rode him I always knew that he turned everyone’s head. He had that awesome presence and impressive athleticism. He was the modern dressage horse who so wanted to do his work for nothing less than a 10 every time! I miss his charming face and joie de vie every day. I have to thank Terry and Fusion for being so lucky to ride such a talent… I wonder if I will ever have another as good as him.” EQ
