Finch Farm Latest News
27-Aug-2010
Robert and Its Ritchie won the first 1.40m class and were placed 3rd in the State Championships on the Sunday. Robert and Finch Farm Chill jumped super and continues to exceed our expectations. Finch Farm Nikko and myself jumped in the 1.30m and jumped some great rounds, he is a horse that does it so incredibly easy.
The junior group of riders from Finch Farm had a great show, Lincoln Glasby continues to absorb everything he can about the sport and improves all the time and won numerous classes in the main ring in the young riders and the 1.30m classes.
Jake Lambert from New Zealand had been spending time with us at Finch Farm in preparation for the Youth Olympics in Singapore he rode great rounds on the horses he rode. Elysia Roach was without Ronan for this show but showed great maturity competing It’s Oliver in those bigger classes.
All of us benefitted from a visit from Vicki Roycroft in between the two Toowoomba Shows. It was good for everyone to have Vicki’s expert opinion. I find it healthy to have someone look from the outside when we all work and train together.
The World Cup show in Toowoomba was great, nice tracks built by Graeme Watts on nice big arena, quite refreshing for the riders and horses. Robert and It’s Ritchie jumped a good round with a couple down in The World Cup . The event was won by Jamie Kermond and Colthaga with 2nd going to Cathy Graham and Da Vinci’s Pride both really exciting combinations for the future.
Lincoln Glasby continued his good form and won the Young Riders Championship, it was a super win and well deserved. Elysia Roach and Ronan had a great show placing 4th in the D grade Championship and 6th in the Junior Championship it was great to see as they are a fabulous combination. Jake Lambert ran a place on Finch Farm Monique as well and jumped some fancy rounds on a relatively green Top Gear. Jake and his father headed home to New Zealand after this show for a week then it was off too Singapore for the Youth Olympics. It was great having Jake around and we wish all the best for his future we have no doubt he is destined for big things.
Finch Farm Nikko continued to jump good rounds in the 1.30m probably just need to do a few more shows at this level. The David Overton Memorial Futurity was won by Aladino owned by Kidston family and campaigned by Merrick Ubank.
The Brisbane Exhibition (the Ekka) was a next and it is a great show, socially and competition wise- it is always an occasion to catch up with old friends. The course builder was Kevin Hansen from New Zealand and did an exceptional job. The surface was quite amazing- during the show there was a fair bit of rain and the ground didn’t shift underfoot at all. Section 3 was a big field and Finch Farm Nikko jumped super, he placed 4th in the A2 and 6t in the AM5. Lincoln and Elysia both jumped well in the juniors. Robert brought It’s Ritchie into the show for the World Cup and jumped a good round. The class was won by Becky Allen in spectacular fashion on RSB Jacana. It is a credit to the RNA for reinstating the World Cup onto peoples day evening. The crowd and the atmosphere has to be experienced to be believed. This coupled with a great competition can only benefit our sport.
It was then off to Caboolture for their World Cup Show. This is a very hard working committee again and they do a great job organising all these people and horses. The World Cup Class here was also a great spectacle. It was won by Tim Amitrano and his great horse Mr Innocent. They are a super combination placing 3rd in the Ekka World Cup and also winning the Grand Prix, well done Tim and Heidi, it was fantastic to watch.
Robert and It’s Ritchie had another good show and end up 5th in the World Cup. Robert was first out and jumped a super round. Lincoln again went well placing 2nd to Gemma Creighton in the Young Riders Championship. Elysia and Ronan went clear in the first round of the Junior Championship.
We all headed home, since then I’ve been on a teaching marathon, it has been good to catch up with everyone and check on their progress. The Youth Olympics have happened in Singapore and Jake kept us informed and did us proud. He and Tom McDermott were part of the Australasian Team who jumped off with Europe for a Gold and Silver, winning the silver medal. Jake jumped two clear round with Teams which is a great credit to him and a fantastic experience. He had a couple of rails in the individual but jumped a super final round for 4 faults.
A big congratulation must go to Paula Hamood and her team of riders from Glen Haven Park for providing the horses for the competition a big job that was well done.
The breeding season is now upon us there are no foals just yet, they’re not too far away. We’ve already sent semen out and there is quite a bit of interest even this early in the season. The recent rain that we have had will be great for the mares and impending offspring. It was exciting to see that Stakkato is still going well, winning the Ladies Championship in Germany last weekend and a number of his offspring are competing and winning at the highest level. Casall La Silla is one of the leading horses in Europe currently with Rolf Gorran-Bengston and it is great to see him dominating at these big shows. Corradina the Corrado mare of Carsten Otto-Nagel has been continuing her great successes in Europe. This is really sensational combination. As a result of our breeding program we have incorporated these bloodlines, and have direct relatives to all three of these European superstars in our paddocks.
The Aussies continue to star overseas as the World Equestrian Games loom ahead. It is a very exciting time ahead.
Finch Farm News Update July 2010
19-Jul-2010
The activities here at Finch Farm have been unhampered by the wet weather; last season’s strong crop of foals have all been weaned, the team truck has had a makeover - courtesy of EJS Designs - and is looking fantastic, and we’re gearing up for the start of the 2010 foaling season in a few short months.
We’re really excited to see the success of Casall la Silla in Europe, who we’ve been using in our breeding program here at Finch Farm. We are watching his foals with great interest and are thrilled to see how clearly his influence is developing within them as they grow. His is a fantastic edition to the depth and athleticism offered by our own team of stallions. We’re happy to be awaiting such a strong and varied pedigree of foals for 2010, and look forward to meeting the new arrivals very soon.
David’s 2010 teaching schedule has so far taken him throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory, and we’ve also been working with a tribe of local young riders over the recent school holidays in preparations for the Queensland Interschool Equestrian Championships.
Finch Farm students performed well at the championships, with Kate Sexton and Emily Coggan taking out champion and reserve champion respectively in the primary school showjumping championship. Maddy Jones took out the 1.20 metre championship and Elysia Roach won the 1.1o metre championship on her Finch Farm bred and produced gelding, Ronan. These young riders are all students at Scots PGC in Warwick, and their combined individual results also won Scots the Finch Farm sponsored trophy for champion showjumping team. Maddy Jones was also earned herself the supreme overall rider thanks to consistent results across the competition.
New Zealand young rider Jake Lambert has also been spending some time with us in preparation for his trip to Singapore for the Youth Olympics. We have no doubt he will compete with his customary coolness and professionalism, and we wish him the best of luck.
On the competition front for our horses, we’re looking forward to a great run of Queensland shows. Our own backyard, Toowoomba plays host to both the QLD championships in late July, and backs up the following weekend with the first of Queensland’s three FEI World Cup Qualifiers. It will be great to see so many of Australia’s showjumping fraternity congregating here in Toowoomba to make use of our wonderful facilities.
Many of these teams, like us, will be following their stop in Toowoomba with starts at Queensland’s other two FEI World Cup qualifying shows – The Brisbane Exhibition and The Caboolture Show. We’re all really pleased that the ‘Ekka’ World Cup is back in its original slot on Wednesday night. This main arena event has long been a feature of the entertainment program on people’s day, and it’s a great opportunity for the general public to get some exposure to the wonderful sport of showjumping.
Our competition horses are all performing really well so we’re looking forward to these upcoming shows. We’re particularly excited about the growth of some of our younger stallions, Charlemagne Ego Z, Finch Farm Chill and Finch Farm Viduka. These boys just keep getting better and better with every start, and much of the credit for this must go to the way they are ridden and handled by Robert Moffatt both at home, and at the shows.
Our ridden horses gained some valuable competition experience at some great shows throughout the earlier part of the year. Worth a mention is the Rockhampton Show in central Queensland, where Graeme Salmond has taken over the horse program and worked tirelessly to improve the grounds. Graeme has been a long time supporter of Finch Farm so it was great to get a team of our horses up there to support his efforts, and even better to bring home placings in each of the championships.
We partook in our inaugural run of Queensland’s western shows, with the Finch Farm truck rolling into Roma, Taroom, Goondiwindi and Chinchilla. Our horses picked up some great results over well built courses, courtesy of Graeme Watts. The western run has a solid tradition of attracting good, strong competition, with well run horse programs, and 2010 was no exception.
We backed up this run of shows with our own local, The Toowoomba Royal Show. At Toowoomba we had all five of our competition stallions on the same truck, and they esteemed themselves not only as true athletes, but also utter gentlemen. Finch Farm Nikko placed an impressive third in the mini-prix, and Finch Farm Viduka took away a win in one of the hugely contested D grade classes.
Finch Farm Viduka’s sire, Vivant has been performing outstandingly in Europe over the past few months, where he and rider Chris Chugg will continue to campaign until the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky this October. Vivant finished equal 7th in the FEI World Cup Finals in Geneva. This result has been much celebrated as the best ever achieved in this event by an Australian rider. Vivant was imported from Belgium as a three year old but has been trained and produced right here in Australia, so it’s fantastic to see him performing so well on the world stage.
New Zealand rider Katie Mcvean and her New Zealand-bred Dunston Delphi have also been performing well on the other side of the Atlantic, in Canada. In his first ever 1.60 meter start at Calgary’s famous Spruce Meadows show, Dunston Delphi was one of only five combinations to make it to the jump off in the CSI5* grand prix, finishing the class in fourth place.
Perhaps the greatest thrill to come from these two success stories is their consolidation that our locally produced horses are capable of being highly competitive at the most elite levels of international competition.
Add to this the already established profiles of some of our internationally based riders, such as Aussie Edwina Alexander, who finished the 2009/2010 FEI Western European Rolex World Cup League in a commanding fourth place, and things are looking very promising for the future of Australian and New Zealand showjumping.
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.