The ninth of our 15 combinations that will be competing in the ULTRA-MOX STALLIONS AND PROFESSIONALS competition at Equidays is CHLOE PHILLIPS HARRIS AND BRIGADE.
Brigade is a dark bay with a white star who thinks he’s a wild child, but he’s really not so wild. The truck driver warned Chloe that there were some pretty feral and sensitive horses in this bunch and Brigade proved it by jumping over the 6ft race on the first day. Luckily he landed in the opposite pen and despite showing amazing technique never tried that stunt again.
For the first couple of weeks, he snorted and spun and looked every bit as wild as any horse ever has. From the moment Chloe put the halter on however he has been a different horse and never left my side, he followed instantly like a little shadow and has become completely calm since. He comes up to Chloe in the paddock to be caught and constantly sniffing at anything she is wearing or holding.
Despite being terrified in a stockyard and small pens, he has been the easiest horse to float train and marched straight up and in for the ride home, traveling like a pro. He’s also not scared of anything, vehicles, gates, flapping things you name it he walks straight past. He’s a social fellow and loves other horses, making friends with everybody and pretty brave with people too.
Though Chloe doesn’t have an exact age she is hoping he’s younger rather than old. He stands at just around 14h at a stretch and when he arrived he was light in condition, so with good feeding she hopes he’s going to fill out into a very handsome lad. For now he lives with his friend Battalion (Chloe’s other stallion from the 2019 muster) and calls out to his favourite humans with a happy neigh for more hay every time they walk past his paddock or stable. Chloe is looking forward to riding Brigade and maybe seeing if he has a future in the jumping ring.
ABOUT CHLOE (of Wild Horse Project):
Chloe is a horse trainer and author from the Bay Of Islands. She’s worked with wild or un-handled horses for many years and competed to the top level as an eventing rider as well. These days she works with sport horses and wild horses and also runs an expedition company in Mongolia. She took her first Kaimanawa stallion from the 2010 muster and has never looked back, taking over 30 from various musters since then. She competed in first ever Kaimanawa Stallion challenge with her chestnut gelding Phoenix from the 2014 muster and made it through to the finals at Horse of the Year Show in 2015. Last year she had two stallions from the 2018 muster, Mufasa and Hero, in the Kaimanawa Freedom to Friendship Challenge at Equidays. Both horses taking home a winners rug and titles with her two working pupils. This year Chloe has two stallions from muster Brigade and Battalion and will be preparing them for Equidays whilst juggling time with her sport horses and a busy year of international travel and launching her first book, Fearless. You can follow her horses at the Wild Horse Project.
For more information about our sponsor Ultra-Mox visit Bayer NZ Equine or http://www.bayeranimal.co.nz
