30th anniversary 2012

Some local horses and riders of the 1970s and '80s (Part 1)

Janet Rose and Maizie

Janet’s first endurance ride was at Taralga in 1976, on a 9-year-old, 13.2 hh grey mare named Maizie. Though not fast by comparison with the Arabs that were by then becoming popular as endurance horses, Maizie was fast for her size and was tough and reliable. She was sometimes referred to as 'the pony express' because of her size. She had a liking for ginger biscuits, which Janet used to carry as a treat for her on rides. Janet also rode one of Searle Johnston’s former polo ponies, Tim, and they completed several rides together during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Maizie, ridden by Janet, completed the Quilty three times from three attempts (1979, 1980 and 1981), making her the first horse and Janet the first rider from the Canberra district to hold multiple Quilty buckles. Maizie required little work to stay fit – she did no endurance rides between the 1980 and 1981 Quilties but still completed the latter successfully with low pulses throughout. Janet completed the Quilty again in 1983 on her next horse, the chestnut part-Arab mare Missie, giving her a total of four Quilty buckles. This total was not equalled by another local rider until the 1990s when Searle Johnston achieved his fourth.

Janet was naturally a lightweight but until the lightweight division was established she had to compete in the open division. Maizie therefore carried open weight in many of her rides, including all three Quilties. Janet carried about half-a-stone (a bit over 3 kg) of lead in the form of divers weights attached to the front of her saddle. She remembers going across the lead weights and then over Tim’s head when he fell in the 1982 Quilty.

Among the rides Janet completed on Missie was the 1983 Kevin Miners 10th Anniversary Ride from Adaminaby to Tumut and return, a total of 240 km in two days. The riders who completed the course were mostly lightweights and juniors, many of the heavyweight and open riders having been vetted out. Missie generally competed in the lightweight division except on the few occasions when she was ridden by Janet’s partner Chris Morgan, a heavyweight rider. Chris completed several rides during the 1980s on the horses Pete and Wingnut, and one on a mule named Emily. He finished third heavyweight and sixth open on Wingnut in the 1983 Brookvale ride.

By Melanie O'Flynn

Photo captions

1. Janet on Maizie and Searle on Pasha, Taralga c. 1980
2. Janet on Maizie, Taralga c. 1980
3. Janet on Maizie, with Evan Imlay, Tumut c. 1980
4. Janet on Tim (right) and a friend on Pasha, East Kurrajong 1979

Other stories

Lorraine Danson and Stranger | Alison Parker and Majura Gold ('Sundance') | Janet Rose and Maizie | Searle Johnston and Shinda, Binda and other champions | Rowena Hadlow and Deakin Blue

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