Finch Farm News
22-Dec-2009
The end of the year is almost here and it’s hard to know where the year has gone – one minute we’re celebrating the beginning of 2009 and before we knew it we’re putting up the Christmas Tree again!
We’ve had a very busy time at the shows. Robert took horses to the Murwillumbah show in November where all the Finch Farm horses jumped well, especially Finch Farm Monique who placed in her classes and Finch Farm Viduka, who jumped brilliantly and showed great maturity.
The Breeding Season has been very busy for us at Finch Farm and we are still awaiting the arrival of some foals. We have been very pleased with our new arrivals so far – mostly fillies - and are anticipating a good season ahead, which would be a great Christmas present.
Elysia Roach finished up the school year and has headed off for 3 weeks in Germany training and competing prior to heading back to Hong Kong for Christmas. This will be a great experience for her and we wish her well and look forward to hearing all about her trip abroad when she returns to Finch Farm in 2010.
On the 28th November I was very humbled to once again receive the Barastoc Coach of the Year Award for Queensland at the Equestrian Queensland awards. I would like to also congratulate Kevin McNab and Jenny Gerkhe, the other finalists – two great competitors and coaches.
K.S. Genoa and Peter McMahon were awarded the Finch Farm Cup for Queensland’s leading F.E.I horse and rider combination – our congratulations to Peter and Michelle and K.S Genoa. K.S. Genoa has been officially retired this year and is being bred to Charlemagne EgoZ. This is exciting news for all and we are all eagerly looking forward to seeing her foal next year.
A special mention must be made of Liz, Fiona, Sasha, Jodie, Gemma and Rob Ferguson from the Equestrian Queensland office on a great evening at the awards and a good job throughout the year – it’s very much appreciated.
Teaching workshops continue and Im heading the to the Fraser Coast for the weekend and then off to Tambo next week. This will finish off teaching for the year.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Barastoc for their ongoing support of Finch Farm and Graeme and Sandra Salmond of Rockhampton Saddleworld for their support – we really appreciate both support and are proud to be associated with them.
Finally, both Robert and I would like to take this opportunity to wish our clients, friends and family a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. May 2010 be a wonderful year for everyone.
Finch Farm News Update
27-Sep-2009
August was a huge month at Finch Farm, especially on the competition scene.
The Toowoomba World Cup was a great Show with a good surface on a big arena with beautiful jumps and well planned courses.
Robert and “It’s Ritchie” jumped a super round in the first round of the World Cup Class for only 4 faults, with only a further 8 faults in the second round to finish 10th. This was a very credible result for Robert, considering that he was riding with a broken leg!
The Class was won by “Vivant” who is the sire of Finch Farm Viduka.
Finch Farm Viduka went sensational in the 1.10metre class. Finch Farm Nikko and Cor Roman Ego Z also jumped great in the 1.20metre class. Finch Farm Bono and Finch Farm Jay P also jumped well for placings.
After The Toowoomba World Cup it was on to Brisbane Royal (“ The Ekka”) where due to injuries, we were represented by It’s Ritchie, Finch Farm Nikko and Elysia Roach and her horse, Ronan.
It’s Ritchie proved a consistent performer throughout the Brisbane Royal and received placings in most of his classes.
Finch Farm Nikko performed sensationally in Section 3 – which was his first Royal experience – jumping some great rounds and gaining 5th Place.
Elysia Roach and her horse, Ronan, competed in their first ever Brisbane Royal where they performed well with a 4-faults round in the Junior Championship.
After competing at the Royal, Elysia and Ronan went on to jump a clear round in the Junior Championship at the Caboolture World Cup.
With September comes spring and the breeding season…
Finch Farm’s first foals are due soon and we are all excited on the impending arrival of the first Charlemagne Ego Z and Finch Farm Chill foals.
With the European championships having been completed, it was very encouraging to see Night Train, a Calvar Z son, perform so well and also to see Corradina win the silver medal.
Finch Farm Cowgirl, by Corrado out of Boera, has just begun her working life at Finch Farm and we are hoping for great things from her.
On the Teaching Front
It has been very hectic! I have been spending time in Darwin, Rockhampton, Mackay, Maryborough, Caboolture and a lot of places in between. At the end of September the National InterSchool Championships will be held at Werribee, Victoria. We would like to wish all of the participants a safe journey and all the very best of luck.
Finch Farm News Update - July 2009
26-Jul-2009
Showjumping World Cup
We've been busy getting ready for the first ever Qualifying Round of the Pacific League of the Showjumping World Cup that will be held at the Toowoomba Showgrounds’ Indoor Arena the first weekend in August.
World Cup Showjumping is the most prestigious and highest level of Showjumping competition, attracting up to 50,000 spectators and huge prizemoney in Europe and America.
It will be good to have a COC Qualifier in the main arena of the Toowoomba Showgrounds.
Best of luck to all those riders looking to qualify for the World Equestrian Games.
Teaching
On the teaching front it has been a very hectic time for me. I have been doing clinics throughout the state and even venturing to Darwin to conduct a number of workshops.
The Northern Territory crowd are a very enthusiastic group of people with great facilities and grounds. It was nice to drive through Darwin and see sprinklers on in the front lawns - something we dont see in Toowoomba at all anymore.
My students have all made great progress with their riding and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my new students all the very best at the Darwin Royal this week.
QISEA State Championships
The Queensland Inter School Equestrian Association Championships were held at the beginning of July in Warwick.
Congratulations must go to the students of Scots PGC, who won the State Showjumping Team event - all that hard work has paid off!
Congratulations also to Isobel Emmerton who won not only Individual Showjumper in the 1M Rider section but also achieved Champion Large Pony Hack in the Showhorse section.
Isobel rode Askalon in the Showjumping section - Askalon is a horse that has spent a lot of time with us at Finch Farm in the past.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all the riders successful National Championships that will be taking place in Victoria in October of this year.
Breeding Season - New Sire for Finch Farm
The 2009 Breeding Season is drawing closer and it will be interesting to see what horses have been successful in the Northern Hemisphere's summer competitions.
With Stakkato progeny doing so well, including the mare - Souvenir - who won the German Championships , Finch Farm is pleased to announce that we will be standing a Stakkato son at stud this breeding season.
CALVARO Z continues to produce super athletes and is the stallion choice for many of the world's leading riders.
It's interesting to see that both Calvaro Z and Stakkato work with a variety of mares.
Charlemagne EgoZ will also be standing at Finch Farm this season and is expecting his first crop of foals - we cant wait to see what this super athlete produces!
Finch Farm News Update
19-Mar-2009
Around the Shows
1. Bell Show
• “Finch Farm Nikko” won the C & D Championship.
• “Corr Roman Ego Z” ran 4th (D Finch rider) and “Finch Farm Jay P” collected 5th place (Robert Moffatt rider).
• A, B & C Grade plus Championship was won by “It’s Ritchie”. “Finch Farm Audrey” collected 4th place.
• New talent Elysia Roach collected 2nd prize in the Junior Grade at Bell on “Ronan”.
2. Millmerran Show
• Robert Moffatt collected 1st, 2nd and 4th Prize in the 1.35m Championship riding “Jack of Hearts”, It’s Ritchie” and “Finch Farm Audrey”.
Recent Clinics
Apart from the many private lessons that David Finch has taught, he also ran the following clinics last month:-
•Fraser Coast Horse Trials – 2 day clinic
•Waroula Equestrian Group clinic at Rockhampton
At The Farm
As anyone knows, life on a horse farm is never dull. Apart from the normal day-to-day running and management, both Robert and David never sit still!
During the month of February, Vicki Roycroft, Australian Olympian and showjumping legend visited to oversee the young horses in training and to see the Stallions at Finch Farm.
“It was good to spend the day with such a professional horsewoman and many thanks to Vicki for the mentorship and understanding.” David Finch said.
David Finch Collects At Awards
12-Jan-2009
The Iveco Equestion Queensland Awards were held on the 29th November, 2008 at Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast. David Finch was the proud recipient of two awards on the evening: The Brisbane City Council Service to Sport and the Barastoc Coach of the Year Award.
Showjumping dominates David Finch
09-Dec-2008
Jim Tucker - The Courier Mail
November 28, 2008
IT says it all about David Finch''s priorities that he bypassed the Queensland Sport Awards to tend a sick foal.
Horses are at the heart of who he is as showjumping teacher, breeder, competitor, official and enthusiast who has lit a similar flame in others aged from 10 to 60.
It''s a way of life for the bachelor from Westbrook, outside Toowoomba, that captures his passion every day.
"I can''t remember not being around horses. They''ve just always been there," Finch, 35, said.
"When I was growing up on a farm outside Roma, I was the kid hanging around for a ride after mustering."
From those early days in father Peter''s old stock saddle, Finch made his way through the ranks of bush pony clubs, campdraft arenas and the old-fashioned country shows.
Tonight, he is in the running for gongs as coach of the year and for his service to the sport at the Iveco Equestrian Queensland awards night on the Gold Coast.
Finch''s involvement as a coach is not just at the elite end where he has guided the rise of Millmerran product Robert Moffatt, who is competing at World Cup showjumping events.
He travels the state teaching showjumping, eventing and dressage. Beginners and long-time riders looking to improve all lap up his mentoring.
"I started teaching to support my own riding and competing. I woke up one day and I had a business," Finch said with a smile.
"The sport of equestrian is amazing. You can be teaching the very young or someone of 60 who wants to canter over low jumps because that''s their passion like golf is for others.
"It''s one of the few sports where men and women compete equally and age makes little difference.
"Look at Laurie Lever. He was 60 when he made his Olympics debut in the showjumping for Australia in Beijing this year."
Finch knows how much Lever would have put in to realise his dream.
Building the bond between horse and rider is one of the most rewarding aspects of the sport for Finch.
"It looks all glamorous when you see a showjumper in the ring for a two-minute performance but it''s probably taken 10 years to reach that excellence," he said.
"Showjumping is quite technical. It''s a lot more than hopping on a horse and jumping a fence.
"It''s very much a teamwork thing. The horses get to understand you and you understand them."
When Australia was hit by the horse flu crisis last year, Finch was in the frontline as an industry liaison to put into the language of horse people all the information coming from the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
"The EI outbreak also highlighted just how many people out there ride horses, including many in the cities," Finch said.
He knows little of the Playstation and XBox games that have besotted our youth but he can tell you how well-rounded kids are who grow up with horses.
"Apart from the riding aspects for horse kids, there''s the learning to compete, the goal-setting and the ups and downs that come with that," Finch said.
"You don''t see horse kids just hanging around idle. There are competitions to get ready for and there''s responsibility in caring for a horse. It''s good grounding for life."
From Finch Farm, he has developed a top-class breeding program to bring on more elite competition horses.
Moffatt has a number of Finch Farm horses amongst his competition stable for 2009.
Membership of Equestrian Queensland topped 3000 members last year for the first time across juniors, seniors, recreational riders and officials.
Finch teaches one day a week within the equine course at Scot''s PGC College in Warwick and the schools area is one where equestrian is taking off.
He was one of the coaches for the Queensland team which won the inaugural inter-school national championships in Toowoomba in October when the sport''s new breed shone.
He designed the showjumping course so, in every way, David Finch is in the sport he loves from the ground up.
Charlemagne Ego Z.
29-Aug-2008
Finch Farm is pleased to announce the arrival of Charlemagne Ego Z. He was bred by Linda Mayer and is by Calvaro Z, who was successfully ridden by Jos Lansink and the Whittaker Brothers, he is out of a Calvin Z mare, giving him a truly international pedigree. Charlemagne Ego Z has a great temperament and is a good type, showing heaps of power and elasticity. We look forward to using him in our breeding program.
Website Launch.
29-Aug-2008
This week sees the launch of the Home Page and Stallion Section of the Finch Farm website. The other pages that you wish to see will be available shortly.
Look forward to joining me in the journey.