My association with the wondrous animal the equine started before I can really remember, an obsession from the cot I suspect, my first pony being a black Shetland called Toot. Toot, like all, wee, small four legged Scotsmen, was hell bent on putting me off riding before I had begun! Attempts to wipe me off against fences or the ever classic low hanging tree branch were amongst the favorites in Toot’s repertoire and only through grim determination and sheer will power did I manage to keep going back for more.
Toot, true to his breed and nature, enjoyed the confrontation and also took up the challenge with joy & relish....It was like the continuous battle of the midget Titans! One I was determined to win.... How ever many years on I have to sympathize with Toot, as back then I had thought that if he put in just that little bit more effort he could be anything from an event horse to a racehorse, he must have been horrified as I approached on a daily basis with bridle and Pony Pad in hand!

At the age of 5 I had managed to harass my mother into allowing me to take Toot to Kyneton Agricultural show, my first ever outing 40 years ago. I won my rider class and had several placings, these ribbons immediately became the pride of all my possessions. From that time on I never gave my Mother a break, anything and everything I could find from Pony club to Gymkhanas and shows I dragged her along, with her protesting hard! I went on to compete with success at Melbourne Royal in my rider class under 8. After that, like most horsey Kids September every Year could not come quick enough!

Over the years I became irreversibly horsey. I continued to compete successfully in rider classes and saddle classes alike. I gained an interest in jumping and placed in my rider over obstacles class at Melbourne Royal on more than one occasion. I competed and represented our local pony club at state level eventing and I also enjoyed days hunting with Melbourne Hunt club. I was lucky enough as a youngster to ride and gain experience with numerous different ponies, two of the most memorable "Rhiannon Caston" and "Nimbus". Nimbus was a lovely allround mare whom I hunted, rode side-saddle, evented and used in my rider classes.

My mother herself had always been involved with horses, she rode from early childhood on,  and she was fortunate enough to have been a pupil of the legendary Kay Irving. As an interest she bred welsh B's & Welsh mountain ponies under the Cobbins prefix. Our mutual passion, appreciation for, and involvement with horses meant we were as close as mother and daughter could be. Together we obtained and showed the imported stallion Kingfisher of Woodrowe who won his led Galloway class at Melbourne Royal 1974 and was also 2nd in his harness class. He was a wonderful natured horse that I would ride on a daily basis. A true all-rounder I also hunted him with the Melbourne hounds on numerous occasions. It is to him I owe my interest in showing stallions and my continuing belief that they must also have temperament and trainability to make a horse worth breeding from.

During the mid to late eighties I was fortunate enough to have a couple of lovely hacks one of which was a lovely, huge moving bay horse Morgan Star whom I rode in the Garryowen in 1986. It was Morgan that also carried a very young Michael Christie to his first success at Royal level in his rider class.

It was around this time that my mother turned from showing ponies to owning/racing several thoroughbreds. Amongst these were the multiple stakes winners “All Sica” and “Splendid Speed” both these horses were entires and later retired to stud at our family property. They stood alongside the lovely Red Gauntlet stallion Fralo who was also a multiple stakes winner. Following my mothers lead, my own involvement turned more and more toward racing, although admittedly I could not help myself, taking Splendid Speed off to Melbourne Royal for 2nd in the led Breeding stock stallion 15hh and over.

In 1993 I was granted a trainers license, 1993 was also the year my mother passed away and as much as for any other reason I spent the next 10 years rising at 4am every morning to train gallopers in her memory. I worked hard at it and in my first year training I became leading picnic trainer. This allowed me to upgrade my license to an owner-trainer’s license. Whilst holding my owner trainers license, I again had a wonderful involvement with another entire the lovely liver chestnut Vastago. This stallion ran fourth in the SA Derby and again I was able to upgrade my license and now held an open permit to train. Holding an open permit to train opened the doors for me as a racehorse trainer and I had some very memorable successes and trained some wonderful winners over the years including Nimir, Vastago, Mr Enigma, Ryans Boy, Labertouche Miss, Mistletoe, Princess Shalimar, Chevorne, Just Simon, Rustic Lord, the list goes on.

At this time we were situated in Nagambie at “Woodnook” which has a very well established property and had been the home to champion racehorse, and broodmare sire “Zephyr Bay”

One morning after the racehorses had all been worked, washed, rerugged and settled in with their breakfast, I answered a call from Michael Christie. His truck had broken down nearby on the Hume Highway en route to Sydney Royal and he needed somewhere for himself and his show team to stay until he was mobile again.
Amongst these horses was the beautiful Riding Pony Stallion Kirreway Ambition (aka Timmy). It was whilst admiring this pony that I came to realize how much I missed showing and I started entertaining ideas of breeding Riding Ponies.

Not long afterwards I sent two mares to Kirreway Ambition, one a registered riding pony mare and the other one of my thoroughbred mares whose forte in life was definitely not on the racetrack. The resultant foals were both colts that solidified my reasons for breeding. Royal and Regal of Sefton & Aspirations of Sefton - Who both have gone on to become Multiple Royal show Champions & Supreme Winners.

My partner Bill Pryse and I, with our increasing interest in Riding ponies, went on to purchase the super pony Rathowen XL (aka Felix) this stallion was the beginning of a new era in my involvement with the horse industry, as by then I had completely ceased training racehorses.
Felix was to become a multiple Royal Show champion and Supreme winner across three states, Grand Champion of Champions led and ridden at the Riding Pony Classic and National led Senior Champion Show Pony of the year at the Riding Pony Nationals. His unpreventable & untreatable death from Cancer on the 1st of July last year (2008) was and still is one of the most Shattering times of my life, we are very fortunate to have two entire colts of his, and look forward to them carrying on his famous legacy. His memory is a Constant reminder of the highs, and lows, of being a horseperson, it puts into perspective the adage that you have to have the bad times to recognize and truly appreciate the good times. I owe Felix an awful lot.... thru love life & loss. It is better to have had a Great Pony and lose him, than to never have had one at all.

Though I have stopped training racehorses and am now concentrating on the ponies, I still have – and will always have, I suspect – a huge enthusiasm for the thoroughbred as a breed. It is that, combined with my lifelong passion for a beautiful horse or pony that drives me on my eternal quest in sourcing quality off the track thoroughbreds.
My enthusiasm is also constantly inspired by the success of the horses I have already sold and the joy these horses have brought their new owners, please have a look through the rest of the website and particularly at the Gallery and Feedback and news pages for some of the more inspiring stories and photos.

As I continue to source these future Champions, I wish all of these horses and their owners the very best of luck.

Maggie Claire Lees