Ann-Maree Lourey and her daughter Dimity – and her daughter Kara – not only made folk history by all competing at the same event on the same day recently, they all rode family-raised Byalee horses.

Byalee… home amongst the clouds! It has taken some time to come to fruition but now Ann-Maree Lourey lives on 50 acres on the top of a hill at Nulkaba in the Hunter Valley, NSW. The stud name ‘Byalee’ comes from Ann-Maree’s first horse, Byalee Mackennas Gold, a horse she bought with savings in coins and her first-ever tax return.

Ann-Maree was born in Maitland to a family with no interest whatsoever in horses. However, she says she always dreamt of riding and knew from an early age it would become her passion. After she left school and studied journalism in Bathurst, she started work at the Newcastle Herald and saved doggedly to buy her first horse. Byalee Mackennas Gold (‘Macka’), a 14.2hh Arab x Quarter horse, cost a mere $400 but proved to be a cracker. Ann-Maree took him to Prix St Georges/Inter I before selling him for $10,000!

Ann-Maree is a quiet, passionate, determined and single-minded individual who also dreams amongst the clouds then makes those dreams come true. She is not one to take no for an answer and is always looking for innovation, never afraid to look outside the square and take a risk. Her life has thus far been filled with adventurous schemes that are well ahead of their times. She is smart and witty, well-read and extroverted but never demanding attention, unobtrusively going about her life following her ideas and dreams through to completion.

It wasn’t long before it was time for her next horse, a thoroughbred she bought from one of Heath Ryan’s pupils for $2500. She took him to PSG/Inter I in 12 months, and again seeing an opportunity, sold him for $20,000. She wasn’t one to hold back when there was money to be made, knowing that she had the ability to get horses well trained. It was after this that she bought a Ludendorf gelding from Penny Wood, Byalee Tomorrow. Having already shown her expertise in getting horses up the levels, she decided to take ‘Larrikin’ to the UK. It was there that she trained with Bill Noble, who is now based in New Zealand as a Grand Prix rider, coach and trainer.

Larrikin was Elementary when he left Australia with Ann-Maree, husband Greg and daughter Dimity, who was only 14 months old. They stayed in the UK for three years with Greg working for PriceWaterhouse chartered accountants, while Ann-Maree trained with Bill Noble.

RIDING BEFORE BIRTH

Ann-Maree jokes that Dimity had ridden every day of her life from day dot until a few weeks before being released into the real world. In the latter days of her pregnancy, Dimity would lay content and motionless while Ann-Maree was riding, but as soon as she stopped she could feel her kicking – so it was back on another horse and Dimity would calm down again!

Byalee Tomorrow became Inter II after three years in the UK and he and Ann-Maree actually competed at Hickstead CDI in the Small Tour. They all returned to Australia three years later and Larrikin went on to be competitive in Grand Prix and was sold on as a schoolmaster. They moved back to Lochinvar and rebuilt their property next door to Heath and Rozzie Ryan. It was then that Ann-Maree rode the stallion Cool Cat, who was a wonderful young horse for her and placed well at big competitions and won young horse classes. Then there was Richmeed Medallion, a smaller, beautiful black stallion that Ann-Maree rode for a client for many years, and what a success story that black horse was; not big but ever so elegant and always a crowd favourite. Medallion, by May Sherif, competed Grand Prix successfully at CDI and national championships with much success. To add to his story, he had lost an eye to an abscess before she took him on.

Then came Byalee Magic, Ryan-bred by Medallion out of a Salute mare, who was not so easy in the beginning. With careful and trusting care and training he went on to be successful at Grand Prix and Ann-Maree trained with Heath Ryan, who also competed him at Grand Prix when he was offered for sale. He was sold to Kylie Riddell, who idolised the horse and was devastated when he slipped and broke a leg on getting to his feet post-surgery after being admitted for colic.

Ann-Maree was always passionate about the sport of dressage and along the way became a dressage judge, a Level III NCAS coach and coach educator, and a judge mentor; she also had a passion for psychology, having a degree in psychology and a diploma in sports psychology and is currently studying her master’s in counselling.

After Magic, there came Byalee Romance by Regardez Moi x Lanthan. He competed to Advanced and stood at stud producing many competitive horses. There are now several at Advanced and they too show great jumping ability. Byalee Briar is a tall and elegant palomino by the famous Björsells Briar 899, ridden by Jan Brink in Sweden and trained with Kyra Kyrklund. Ann-Maree imported him as a two-year-old colt sight unseen. He went to Advanced successfully before retiring after an injury, but had great piaffe and passage and was no doubt going to join the Byalee Grand Prix horses. He stands at stud and has produced hundreds of outstanding progeny in jumping and dressage with outstanding rideabilty characteristics. The best is Bronze Boy at five-star eventing and Small Tour dressage with Heath Ryan, ready now for Grand Prix, and in Western Australia is Byalee Breathless at Medium Tour with great results for Roz Tippett.

‘FULL-ON’ DIMITY

Of course, Ann-Maree not only had her life and her horses, the breeding program and riding to Grand Prix as well as the coaching at Byalee, she had to keep one absolutely competition-driven child at bay! At only five years old, Dimity was just full-on with her riding and Ann-Maree sent her interests and skills off to Rozzie Ryan to keep under control.

“Her mother had made Dimity a very independent child and she did everything for herself from grooming and preparing to ride,” recalls Rozzie. “The only thing she had a hand with was tightening the girth on her pony. She was tiny and not strong at all. She was simply quite amazing and being around resilient, independent, busy people it was ‘do it yourself or don’t ride’.

“Dimity had a great mind for the sport and was always an absolute sweet child with a will to succeed. She was mentally working towards Olympic selection from the time she rode. She dreamt dressage – it was just who she was. She was great to teach and tried so hard with a cheery attitude. She was always focused and fiercely liberated and very capable. She always put in 100%.”

Rozzie says Dimity’s pony, Dusty, was “an absolute saint” and she remembers Dusty being dressed as a reindeer with a hay net tied to a tree during Christmas for all to see as they drove in and out.

“I remember a story Ann-Maree told me when they came home from the UK that she and Dimity were walking quietly into an indoor where there was a PSG test going on. Dimity sat down and in the most silent moment announced: ‘Mummy, that wasn’t a very good pirouette!’ Ann-Maree said she wanted to die! It was Laura Fry! This was Dimity… keen and forthright and a delight.”

At the age of seven, Dimity was in the top 10 at the NSW Pony Championships with Dusty, won the state pony title on Blue Denim Society the next year and at 10 won her first national PSG title on Atallah. He was the most wonderful grey Arab who she trained at FEI with Rozzie. Next on the scene was Hollywood Boston, with whom she won a national PSG title at Sydney CDI and rode to her first Grand Prix test at the age of 13. Then there was Byalee Gold who she rode to FEI, and also Royal Treasure. It was all so normal and no big deal. The progression was amazing. What a talent and always modest – it was just her life and it was just how it was. No pretence at all.

After leaving school and experiencing a challenging time with her parents separating, Dimity went to university to follow in her father’s footsteps in accounting. It was not to be, however, as the pull at her heartstrings from horses was too strong. She moved to Queensland and worked with polo horses for a while, letting her hair down and getting away from life in the dressage fast lane. At the age of 19, she returned home and moved back to Byalee, which had now relocated to Nulkaba.

Dimity took up where she left off and started with Byalee Wow Wie RW, who is now competing at Grand Prix. Her partner of eight years, Cameron, is understanding and supportive of Dimity’s pursuits; he is a property manager and running a stone facing factory in the Hunter.

ALONG COMES KARA

In 2016, Dimity’s daughter Kara was born and, like her mother, started riding at the earliest age, actually winning the tiny tot class at Cessnock show at 22 months. The charming fact is that the pony she won on, Byalee Baby (Dusty), was the same one that Dimity had learnt to ride on. Kara was able to ride Dusty by herself when she was two years of age. Like mother and grandmother alike!

The Loureys are back again in force. Ann-Maree is studying, riding, training and coaching as well as judging. Dimity is now full-time with the horses and also does three hours of cross-fit training a day and is heading to the Australian Championships.

In February this year, it was a competition at Alexander Park Dressage at Salt Ash in the Hunter Valley where Ann-Maree rode Byalee Breyer (Byalee Briar) in a test. Dimity, with Byalee Zorro, her event horse, rode an Advanced test and Kara rode Byalee Baby in a Prep test. Yes, Byalee Baby was Dimity’s first competition pony and now at the age of 38 was at the competition and being judged by the same judge who judged Dimity on board all those years ago. It was a special day and a special moment to see three generations all competing at the same competition, all on Byalee horses. Quite a feat.

The team now have great horses in training: Ann-Maree with Salao, a black imported Spanish PRE stallion training at Medium level, the imported Eldorado, an imported palomino Spanish PRE stallion just broken in; Dimity with Byalee Wow Wie at Grand Prix, an exciting Quando Quando four-year-old set for the young horse classes called Byalee Quandary, and Byalee U-Beaut, a colt by U-Genius; and Kara with Byalee Baby at age 38, while in the wings there’s a seven-year-old Welsh pony for her called Boots, who is a supreme champion already! One day she will inherit Wow as the ultimate schoolmaster and there could be a Total Hope filly waiting for her too.

All is looking bright for the Byalee team. And as the mantra for Ann-Maree has been from year dot … “Byalee – achieving the dream”. No more needs to be said. What an impact Ann-Maree has made on the world in so many ways. EQ

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