All about Champ!

He has thick third eyelids, called "Full Eye" which makes him look like he's giving the stink eye a lot. 😜  Just don't take it personally.  

What does Champ love most?

He'll do anything for food - but gets so excited he eats fingers too! He's a complex little character - doesn't need to be part of the herd, he's happy to be his own man.  He's amazing to work with - super responsive and easy to canter in hand with.  LOVES little people! 

A story about Champ from Helen :

7 years ago, when we went to New England Girls School in Armidale to look at buying him, I thought he was gorgeous.  When I reached out to pat him he baulked and moved away from me.  I talk a lot with my hands and every time I did he'd shy away, and when I got on and flung my arms around doing warm up exercises he took off.  But I did a quick yield to the hindquarters and he stopped straight away. 

One of the girls at the school had ridden him first, and as soon as she got on he flew off in a canter and did 4 or 5 laps of their big indoor arena before he slowed down.  She said that was normal for him, and she found it easier to just let him get it out of his system.  So I was thinking that even though he looked gorgeous and he was the right size, and he was amazing in harness, and came with all his driving gear, that he was just too forward and nervous for what I was looking for. 

But as I was standing there mulling it over, Champ reached out with his muzzle and nuzzled Blake's hair, and then Dexter's.  Blake reached up and gave him a big hug around his neck and Champ lowered his head and rested it on Blake's back.  I was blown away - he was terrified of adults, but LOVED children! 

I asked Blake to walk him around and Champ followed him through the jumps and obstacles, with his nose to Blake's shoulder.  I had a feeling that there was our perfect pony, if we could take the time to work with him and build up his courage.  And we'd driven 14 hours with the horse float!  So we took him home. 

We worked through the Parelli Natural Horsemanship system with him, and did 3 Natural Horsemanship clinics with him.  It took 2 years before we could catch him in the paddock, and I still think its a gift when he stands there and lets me put a head collar on him without bribing him first. 

I'm not sure if he was ever cruelly treated - I think he was just born as an incredibly sensitive pony.  I recently found out that sometimes when ponies his size are born that eagles can pick them up and eat them.  So he's totally geared up for survival against predators.  He loves children, and he's athletic and great at his job - but we're always careful that we don't trigger those survival instincts that can be hard to ride through!

NEGS (New England Girls School ) was nearby and they took him in to the school for the students to work with.  At NEGS horse riding is a school subject, and it’s compulsory to ride your horse every day after school.  Many of the instructors are Olympians.  So he had amazing little riders working with him, instructed by Olympians, and they found he was a super little jumper - just very forward and sensitive. 

He was never going to suit Ann's son, who wasn't interested in taking riding to that level, so she made the decision to sell Champ (he was named Clicka then - I just thought he needed a brave name, and I click all the time so thought it would be confusing for him!).