Ardlussa Equine - re-homing horses "in the middle of nowhere"

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk

Despite their geographical isolation - "we are in the middle of nowhere" - Ardlussa Equine is carving out its own niche when it comes to re-homing former racehorses.

Jamie Meilach (pictured above left) and Katie Sutherland (right) live and work just outside Riversdale in Southland.

"It's a half hour's drive from Gore ... even the nearest house is a good drive away," they laugh.

They lease 20 acres off Katie's parents and are acknowledged for NZTR (thoroughbreds) and educators for Harness Racing New Zealand's HERO programme.

"We do riding lessons, schooling, agistment, selling on behalf and we do re-homing for both codes," says Meilach, "and we do some breeding as well."

"We have 30 horses here right now, it's a full equine business."

Sutherland is a local with 15 years’ experience producing, training and selling horses while Meilach is a Canadian who has an honour’s degree in equine management. Both have been involved in many diverse equestrian activities, from competitive showjumping to developing trekking horses in the Rockies.

They have been in business together for the past four years.

"We spend from morning till 3pm doing the re-trainers, that's 80 per cent standardbreds and the rest are thoroughbreds or other people's horses," says Meilach, "and then after school and weekends it's riding lessons."

This year they have re-homed 26 standardbreds and 36 horses overall - "it's been a slow year by our standards".

Every former racehorse takes around four weeks to educate and get ready for their new life after racing.

With re-trained horses selling for around $400 to $900 margins are tight so Sutherland and Meilach have to be very selective about which horses they take in the first instance.

"We have just put out a new intake requirement form that shows what a good body condition score is, and you need to have the horse's feet and teeth and drench done before they come to us."

"We do love doing it and we love the horses but we are not a charity either, we are trying to be a business."

The key, the couple say, is that Ardlussa is all about re-educating horses not rehabilitating them.

Most of their business/enquiries come from within the Otago-Southland area.

"We have two to three people a week reaching out and asking for us to take their horse - sometimes they have more than one horse," says Meilach.

"We need horses that have good personalities and good behaviour."

Over the years they have seen their horses prosper in many different pursuits. The bulk of their horses are re-homed to "adults returning to riding or young adults who want to get into it and go trekking and down to the beach - that sort of thing" though others have been successful in other areas, from high level dressage to high country mustering.

One criteria they insist on is that new owners must have other horses at their property.

"We don't want them being the only horse because their whole behaviour and personality would change if that were the case," says Meilach.

"Not everyone will agree with us, but it is a bit of an ethics thing - they are herd animals."

Sutherland and Meilach are always looking at ways to evolve their business - so what is their goal when it comes to re-homing?

"If we could have five horses here every week with two of them being actively available and then when they go the next two come in. If that could happen for a year that would be fantastic."

For more information see: https://www.ardlussaequinenz.com/

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