Category: News

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Jake Hunter in Europe

It has been a busy start to the year at team Duffy Sport Horses. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to start the year of with 2 weeks training in Germany with the Australian national coach Gilbert Bockmann. Straight on return from Germany we went to Milstreet Spring Tour CSI 2* with 18 horses. Had some good placings and wins on all the horses and am very excited about the year ahead with ‘Volcanicity’ a 10yo gelding by Volcan. He is an exciting horse for me. Also recently my own horse ‘Val De Weiser’ has arrived safely in Knockmore and is ready for work. He has been ridden at home by my brother Cade and local dressage rider Grace Kay. They have done a brilliant job on him so far and am looking forward to his bright future.

The next big thing for me is the Mullingar CSI 2* show in June and then onto Dublin CSI 5* with ‘Knightfiled Ella’ a 7yo mare by ‘Luidam’, who has qualified for the 6-7yo young rider class there.

I would like to thank Oakwood Products for their ongoing support, and keeping all of our leather products looking in top shape and order.

I am now back off to Germany again on Tuesday to train with Alex Duffy in Düsseldorf for a week and will keep you up to date on return.

Jake Hunter

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Jake Hunter – Youth Olympic Bronze Medalist

My name is Jake Hunter and I thought i would share with you what I love about show jumping, and my experiences with this sport that’s a passion of mine.

Show Jumping has been a way of life for me since I was born. Traveling from show to show with my mother Gail Hunter right from the start. I fell in love with the sport from a very young age and knew that it would always be a passion to me. Show Jumping in particular is a very special sport. Being a team with an animal over 500kg is something really special to me. I am lucky enough to have been taken some amazing places throughout my career. In 2008 I traveled to Colombia South America to compete in the FEI world children’s jumping final in which I placed 9th.

Since then I have completed school and continued with the sport I love. Recently this year, I was lucky enough to have been selected as the only Australian Athlete to compete at the youth Olympic Games in Nanjing China. It was a competition on borrowed horses with riders from around the world. I was lucky enough to get and individual Bronze medal which undoubtedly is the highlight of my career so far. At China I met an Irish Rider Micheal Duffy, who offered me a position to ride and train in his yard in Knockmore Ireland. This is the beginning of my European career and am incredibly lucky to have been offered the position here. They have a big training program and have people continuously coming to train from all over the world. The horses are all fantastic and I am very excited with what the future will hold. At this stage I am aiming for the next world equestrian games and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Until then, I just have to be patient, learn and wait for the right horse to come into my hands.

Jake Hunter – 2014 Youth Olympic Games Bronze Medalist.

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Alane Moore & Polocrosse

I first started riding at the station my family used to live at. Most of my days at home involved helping Dad mustering and droving with him during the school holidays when we were in drought. When I was old enough my parents joined me up to the local pony club, which for us was Wee Waa Pony Club. I absolutely loved pony club when I was younger, I especially loved the sporting events and cross country jumping. When I was in year 2 we moved to the Horse Capital of Australia, Scone. My parents then joined my brother, sister and myself to Merriwa Pony Club. Some of my best childhood memories were created doing pony club events and camps. Pony club was definitely an important foundation for my riding, it allowed me to learn lots of different riding disciplines which has helped me out today when riding different horses. In addtion, my experiences in joining and riding at pony club has provided me the opportunity to compete successfully at a state level twice for my zone on my trusty horses, named Silhouette and Scooter!

During my early years my next door neighbours at the time were keen polocrosse players and we ended up becoming very close friends with them. We would go over to their house and practice polocrosse with them and it was through gaining this experience that I started playing polocrosse for my local club, Bunnan. At this stage I was only 9, so I played a pony to begin with. As I got better and bigger I was given a very good mare off them. She helped me improve my game and allowed me to be chosen for the Hunter Valley zone team twice in my sub junior years. When I was in my last year of juniors I was given the opportunity to represent NSW in America. This was one of the best experiences of my life. Our team was very blessed to be housed at some amazing places. We spent most of our time in Colorado where we got to play the American junior, women’s and men’s team they had put together and to top it off we won all our games!

One of the best things about polocrosse is the lifelong friends you make along the way. Some of my best friends are from polocrosse, not only from Australia but from all over the world! Luckily for me, my family are a great support and help work the horses during the week so I can still compete at polocrosse and campdrafts on the weekends.

Well, that’s a little bit about me and my passion for horses and competing in the polocrosse sport. So, if you interested to find out more about Polocrosse and would like to learn more, you can find some more helpful information here: http://www.polocrosse.org.au/

Alane Moore – Polocrosse Enthusiast

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Border Collie Fun Day 2014

The Oakwood team as well as our ambassador Dr. Katrina headed to Castle Hill last Sunday to set up our information stand. It was a cool but sunny day and had a great turnout. The fun day attracted a lot of families with Border Collies and was a great family event.

Our stand was pretty popular and we were happy to have Border Collie experts Lauren Somers and Deb Richardson demonstrate how to groom and maintain a Border Collie coat using our products. They also demonstrated other important aspects of grooming a Border Collie such as trimming the nails. Our stand was very well received and people just loved how easy it is to groom a dog’s coat with our pet care range. 

The dogs however were the main attraction and they had an absolute blast.

The day had many activities planned for the active Border Collies and they competed in many disciplines, e.g. sheep herding, tricks, flyball, agility, treiball, nose work, heelwork to music, obedience and frisbee. The dogs also competed for the title of fastest Border Collie in a race against the clock. The 50 metre sprint saw three dogs in the final and two of them ran exactly the same time of 4.77 seconds. What are the odds of that happening!

We were very happy with the day and had nothing but positive feedback. Hope to see you at the next Border Collie Fun Day!

For more photos of the day, search for #bordercolliefunday on Instagram and Facebook. 

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Online Puppy & Adolescent Dog Training

“The Pet Lovers Puppy Club is great for those who can’t find the time to get to puppy classes or who live in a remote area, but we think it will also be of real benefit as a follow up to puppy classes for owners of adolescent dogs as this is the time when problem behaviours such as separation anxiety, jumping up, chewing and digging can start to emerge,” said Dr Katrina.

Research has shown that consistent training throughout the early and adolescent years improves a dog’s sociability and can reduce problem behaviours. This increases the likelihood of the dog engaging in shared activities with their owner and decreases the risk of the dog being surrendered.

“The program has all the benefits of a class, including weekly socialisation tasks and one-on one advice, but is available anywhere you have internet access,” said Dr Katrina. 

“Being able to access this information online means that puppy owners now have the chance to find a solution to their training problems in real time. And that’s something that has never been available before.”

The course, which runs for four weeks, provides pet owners with the necessary skills to give their puppy the best start in life and raise a social, well-behaved adult dog. It is for puppies of all ages and skill levels and covers the basics as well as fun things to do with your puppy such as trick training.

“It’s a very important resource for pet owners, given that most people invest more time, money and effort into their puppy than in any other period of their dog’s life,” said Kelly Gill.

The unique course offers members video tips, fact sheets and the opportunity to take part in live chats with Dr Katrina. It also provides:

  • Live support, through online chats and forums
  • Trouble shooting information around common problems such as toilet training, chewing, digging and barking 
  • A forum to meet other Puppy Clubbers, swap stories, share puppy photos and take part in competitions and giveaways.

Dr Katrina says that ensuring that owners are educated and puppies are trained also helps reduce the number of dogs surrendered due to behavioural issues. 10% of all Puppy Club subscriptions will be donated to Animal Welfare groups.

Dr Katrina Warren has 20 years’ experience as a loved and trusted media vet, best known for her roles on Harry’s Practice, Talk to the Animals, Beverly Hills Vet and Housecat Housecall. She became a household name for promoting responsible pet ownership and animal welfare.

Kelly Gill is one of Australia’s top dog trainers with over 21 years’ experience as a veterinary nurse, dog trainer and puppy class instructor. Kelly has also worked with dogs and cats for the film and television industry and her dogs hold over 250 obedience and agility titles.

Oakwood is a proud sponsor of the puppy club and we hope that you enjoy your training with Katrina and Kelly!