Coleraine Horses

        Georgia, Sky and Blue                                                    Georgia relaxing on Harry

We have both been very involved with horses since our early years and I can't really imagine life without horses in the paddock!

We become very passionate about the irish sport horse after seeing the RID stallion Laughton's Legend in 1988 when he arrived in New Zealand.  Having lived on the West Coast of the South Island where long distances to travel to compete meant that having a versatile horse was a must, we could see that the irish sport horse would fit the description perfectly. We bred a TB mare to Laughton's Legend producing the delightful irish sport horse Woodlea Ballyhap who was exported to the USA in 1999 as a showjumper. He was also a championship winner undersaddle in the show ring,  proving our theory that they would be versatile horses.

Life interved however as we made a move to dairy farming, about this time also having our daughter Georgia. and there was no time for the horses. 

However the planned import of the RID stallion Coalmans Touch in 1998 once again sparked alive our passion and we pre purchased services to him.  We moved from the dairy farm in 2000 and set up Coleraine Horses in Oxford and the rest as they say is history!!

Given our backgrounds, it was not surprising that our daughter born in 1995, would be interested in horses!!  Her first pony arrived for her second birthday and Georgia is now quite an accomplished  rider with a string of achievements in both eventing, show hunter and show jumping to her name competing on her two ponies Clarence Skylark and Bell Harry.  We are now looking forward to seeing her compete on a homebred irish horse in the near future!!

            Georgia and Sky on their way to winning a high points Show hunter class                 In the 2007/08 season they won the South Island EIT High Points Series.

Photo courtesy of Laura Pike