7th September – TZU RETURNS FROM SURGERY
Sun Tzu has returned from surgery at Randwick Equine Centre where he received a skin graft on his damaged near hind leg and appears to be progressing well. At this stage he is still on box rest but will progress to a paddock shortly and we envisage him commencing work in November, ready to start competition in early 2009.
5th September –LIMITLESS LODGE HAS A GREAT TEAM OF STAFF
We have long had a fine bunch of staff but we have recently had a few inclusions to really propel us to the next level of care for all of our horses and our clients' horses. Our staff are a very multi cultural bunch and come from Australia , India, England, Jamaica, Poland and Sweden. In future updates we will be dedicating a section to introducing our staff and having interviews with them.
4th September –MATT RYAN TO RIDE FOR ENGLAND
In a major scandal, following his non-selection for the Australian team at Beijing Olympics, 2008, Matt has gone to print on his website and slammed Australia's team, selectors, events and basically everything Australian. To view this blog in full go to; http://www.mattryan.co.uk/news.htm. Matt has been a very successful member of the Australian 3DE team starting with his double Gold at Barcelona in 1992 and most recently a team Gold at Sydney in 2000. This would be very sad for Matt and all Australians but I think he may have already made up his mind. Stay posted!
2nd September –TIM'S NEW TRUCK ON THE ROAD
Following the sale of his previous truck to WA in December, Tim commissioned Rivenlee Pty Ltd at Gosford to build his new truck. The result is spectacular! Peter Jakin and his great team could not have done a better job. We have a 2008 Hino, dual axle, 6 horse body with a very large pop out living area. We will post photos shortly and give you the tour. I can not recommend Rivenlee highly enough for every thing they have thought of and fussed over. The first event was at Camden and everything went like a dream. Certainly, everybody who we have been borrowing trucks and floats off recently will be pleased to see us on the road.
1st September – NEW RACING STABLES DELAY WITH DA AT WYONG COUNCIL
Our new 30 acre property 2 minutes away from the main barn at Limitless Lodge is becoming very slow going due to Wyong Council's planners and engineers procrastination and endless delays. This is all not helped by a particularly difficult neighbour who it seems is trying to complain about everything, all of the time! The final result, and I honestly don't know when that will be (hopefully early 2009) will be spectacular. Most of the fencing and the track is already completed. Left to build is the stables (3 blocks of 22 stables each), 2 horse walkers and an 8 horse aquacizer.
12th August–AUSTRALIAN EVENTING TEAM WINS SILVER MEDAL AT BEIJING OLYMPICS
Australia's eventing team put up a terrific all around performance to just get beaten by a dynamic German team. Australia's highest placed individual was Megan Jones on Kirby Park Irish Jester (4th), followed closely by Clayton Fredericks and Ben Along Time and Sonja Johnson on Ringwood Jaguar in the top ten. Just outside the top ten was Clayton's wife Lucinda on the dressage leader, Headley Brittania and local boy, Shane Rose and All Luck who had the misfortune of a bad dressage test (completely uncharacteristic!) and the fastest time of the day on the cross country. The individual Gold was won by German Heinrich Romeike (a true amateur who is a dentist by day) and Marius (an absolute machine)..
