The Team
DAVID FINCH
Tough and resilient, yet with a gentleness of character that horses are drawn to, David Finch is the quintessential horseman.
As a rider David has earned himself a reputation as a classy competitor with a penchant for getting a tune out of even the most difficult of horses.
From humble beginnings mustering in his father’s old stock saddle, David developed a passion for show jumping that has seen him compete in the international arenas of Japan, Germany and the United States. Here at home he has produced a string of top level horses including world cup mounts, ‘Campmaster’, ’Boera’, ‘Finch Farm Chill’ and ‘Charlemagne Ego Z’.
National coach educator, former Equestrian Australia coach of the year, and five-time Equestrian Queensland coach of the year, David is also a member of an elite group of level 3 accredited jumping specialist coaches in Australia. David travels extensively throughout Australia both teaching and course building.
In recent years David has turned his attention to developing a world class breeding program to strengthen the gene pool and performance ability of the Australian sporthorse. He currently has an impressive stable of stallions at stud and a truly exciting selection of youngstock available. A strong international network of quality breeders and competitors enables David and his clients access to specialised markets, producing unique opportunities in sales and acquisition from frozen semen through to elite competition horses.
David Finch’s Qualifications
- Fully Qualified Equestrian Coach – EFA NCAS Level 3 Show Jumping Specialist
- EFA Coach Educator
- 2001 Telstra Country Wide Queensland Young Achiever of the Year for excellence and services to the Equestrian Industry
- 2005 Equestrian Queensland – Barastoc Coach of the Year
- 2006 Equestrian Queensland – Barastoc Coach of the Year
- 2007 Equestrian Federation of Australia – National Coach of the Year
- 2008 Equestrian Queensland – Barastoc Coach of the Year
- Coached individuals and Group from beginners to FEI and World Cup Winners and Competitors
- Produced State Champion Teams and Individual Champions
- Grand Prix Winner, World Cup and International Competitor.
- The Brisbane City Council Service to Sport Award.
- Trained horses from beginners to international performers in Show Jumping, Eventing and Dressage.
- Exported horses throughout the world.Able to source horses for clients at all levels – from Riding School level to Elite competition horses.
- Served on the board of Equestrian Queensland for 9 years
- Chairman of Equestrian QLD 2016/2017
MATHEW KIDSTON
Mathew Kidston started riding as a young boy in Mackay, Qld, competing in pony club competition throughout all disciplines. At around 11 years of age, Mathew decided that showjumping was his preferred discipline and from this point on, focused on jumping competitively throughout Queensland and has represented Australia internationally. He has been the manager and principle rider at Finch Farm since 2011 and has proved to be an invaluable asset to the business. He is the quintessential part of our ‘Paddock to Podium’ motto, taking young horses from their kindergarten days all the way through to graduation into the field of competition. Mathews attention to detail and gentle, intuitive methods with the horses both at home and on the course set him apart from many other riders in his field. He has proven to produce finely tuned, calm and competitive horses under his tuition, and is now riding competitively to World Cup level.
BRUNO KIDSTON
Baxter is a Cavalier King Charles x Corgi. He is definitely an intelligent and dreadfully handsome addition to the Finch Farm family.
STUART LITTLE-FINCH
Stuart Little-Finch is…..well, part several dog breeds crossed with what we are presuming was a mouse. You will understand when you meet him. He is usually in ‘Stuart World’ which appears to be a lovely place to live. If he walks right past you, heading into the distance, don’t be offended. He has an amazing imagination, and will be off on his 28th adventure of the day.
ROSIE FINCH
Rosie, Rosie, Rosie. Part Westie Terrier, part princess. (Insert Eyeroll). She only has eyes for David, and don’t be confused if you are at Finch Farm and can only see a brown Westie. She is always busy, and tends to get a little dust on her coat, and paws, and nose, and anywhere that is white. Don’t worry. She is the only dog that has frequent visits to the pet salon to refresh the locks and have a mani/pedi.
BARTHOLEMEW FINCH (BART)
Last but not least, we have under our employment, Bart. A favourite with the ladies, he can usually be found free range on the farm, checking on his mares or babysitting the young ones. His likes include apples, pears, beautiful ladies (mares) and unfortunately due to an overzealous appetite, he spends a large part of his year in fat camp. His dislikes include dogs, baths and fat camp. His main duties are greeting clients upon entry, supervising collection, sampling pellets during feed run and checking on the growth of the oats in the bottom paddock.