Photogenic 2009

January 2012

November 2011

Back in early October I went to Foxton and had a really good show.  Giggles won the 7YO and the 1.25 so was great.  Mr Wiggle was also good with a double clear in the 5YO and a prize the following day.  After Foxton we had a busy week with Hawkes Bay Show and then continued down to Masterton the following day.  Giggles got a couple of prizes at Hawkes Bay and won the 7Yo at Masterton. Mr Wiggle did a double clear again at Hawkes Bay and his silly rider had a time fault in 5YO at Masterton.  Vigilant was a winner in the 4YO class at Masterton.  I have also got the ride on a nice horse called Brooke BHS and think she may have picked up a prize at each of the 2 shows too.  My last show was Carterton, Vigilant and Mr Wiggle both won their age classes, Giggles got a minor prize in the 7yo, but was a bit overwhelmed with grand parade happening as she went in the ring so not as good as she usually is.  This coming weekend we have Waipukurau Show so nice to have a local one.

Regards Kim

September 2011

Hope everything is going well with you. Things around here seem to have been really busy but I think this week I am able to have a bit of a catch up.
 
We had our first proper show this past weekend and I was pleased with the four horses I took.  I took two 4yos and they were good for their first proper outing.  Mr Wiggle jumped really nicely and did a double clear for winning points in the 5YO and Giggles jumped really well all show with three classes for three clear rounds.  I had a Sports day the previous weekend and Giggles got a prize and the other 3 jumped well.
 
I have been giving lots of lessons as people prepare for the upcoming season and have lots of pony club clinics and other lessons coming up during the school holidays.
 
Greg gets back on Tuesday week so really looking forward to that.  He has been away for 8 weeks teaching full on in USA.
 
I don't have another show for a month now so a bit of down time.  I am looking forward to Greg giving me a hand with the horses. I am sure I have got into lots of bad habits over the winter period.
 
I was wondering if I could order another 2 Flex Equine Liquids, 1 Anti Fungal Wash and another large Everyday Minerals, Digest Rite Performance (5kg) and 6 Quicklyte tubes.
 
 
Will be back in touch soon.  Thank you!!
 
Regards
Kim

March 2011 Update

Thought I would give you an update of what has been happening down here.
I have had a really good run of shows over the past month only riding a couple of horses which has been really nice.
The first show I went to since writing last was Dannevirke A &P Show where I had a really successful show. IQ won both the 7YO class and the Mini Prix and got a special prize for being best placed 7 YO in the Mini Prix.  It was nice to have her so on form after her injury. Giggles did a double clear in the 6YO for winning points.
The show after that was Masterton where both Giggles and IQ got placed on the first day. Giggles another double clear in 6YO and IQ finished 2nd in the 7YO so another really good show. I also rode another horse for someone which also went well.
The following weekend was Foxton. IQ finished 3rd in the 7YO and Giggles yet another double clear in 6YO and then 4th the following day in 1.30m class which I was very pleased with.
Our final show before HOY was Hawera. The weather was terrible with lots of rain which meant ground conditions were trying at times.  Giggles was great in the Pro Am class and finished 3rd.  This was her biggest class yet so was thrilled with her. She had an unlucky rail in 6YO jump off which was a shame. IQ finished 6th in the 7YO class.
Hopefully we are all ready for HOY this week. I look forward to catching up with the rest of Vetpro and sorry you will not be there to enjoy the craziness!!!
Kind Regards
Kim

June update,

Winter has reached us here in the Hawkes Bay and at time of typing 0.4 degrees outside!
I have been working on  three 3 year olds over the last month or so.  It is nice to be doing something with them after just feeding and looking after them up until now.  Two of them I quite like so looking forward to working with them.
I have also had three horses in for schooling and their owners are pleased with their progress.
We had one little practice day, The Winter Olympics!  I took five along there and they went well for the first outing for a couple. I won the most promising Youngster Prize which was nice.
I had my friend Heelan Tompkins staying for about a month and helped her with her advanced horse which she ended up winning Taupo 3DE on. He is difficult in the showjumping phase so was nice to see him finish so well.
It is a quiet time of year for us so nice to catch up on a few other jobs around the place.
Time to go feed some furry four legged friends.
Hope all is going well up there.
Regards
Kim

May 10 update,

Hi Carol
Hope you are well and things at Vetpro are busy.
It has been nice the last few weeks having a bit of quiet time. Very strange to have weekends at home!  Greg is back in the States on his big teaching stint. It is going well at this stage.
I have just got a few horses that I am ticking over.  I have a couple of horses in for schooling now things have quietened down.  I also have a horse in work I would like to sell and will probably take her hunting to add another string to her bo so that should be fun.  I am working on a really nice 3 Year old that we breed.  He is related to Giggles who is the 5 year old I have been competing. He is so quiet and biddable so enjoying him at the moment. We have a practice day in a couple of weeks which is my big aim at this stage. I have three more 3 year olds due to come into work soon.
I have attached a few photos from Horse of the Year and the Young Horse Show.
We have been having lovely warm autumn weather which is great for riding horses so very lucky.
Have a good weekend.
Kind Regards
Kim

End of 2010 season wrap up,

Hi,
Well we had a really good finish to the end of the season with the Young Horse Show going well. IQ won the 6YO class after 4 clear rounds over the 3 days. She jumped really well and went quite fast in the jump off.  She has now won the 4YO, 5YO and 6YO National Young Horse Titles which is the only horse known to have done this so a great effort from her.  She also finished 3rd in the 6 YO series.  Giggles jumped really well all show and just had one misdemeanor on the final day which meant she finished 6th = and 4th in 5YO series. Sugar and Spice was really good in the 4YO with one rail on the first day otherwise all clear.  GG did the open classes and did 5 double clears with a few prizes also.
The show horses are now on a well deserved break after a big season.  I am now looking forward to working on the four 3YOs we have that I plan to train up over the winter. I am also going to keep my new horse Westella in work for a bit to get to know each other.
I will hopefully get some good photos over the next couple of weeks from HOY and Young Horse Show so will forward these on as they arrive.
Hope everything is going well with you all.
Thank you for all your support over the season.
Cheers
Kim

March 2010 HOY update

Hi,
Greg and I have just been down in Christchurch where Greg has been doing some teaching.
Horse of the Year was really busy for me and I did not get around the tents at all this year.  I was only riding 4 horses but had no groom and the days just seemed never ending.  I was disappointed not to get into the Vetpro tent and catch up but one good thing was I didn't spend ridiculous amounts of money around the show as I usually tend to do!
I had quite a good show. Placings early on in the week on Photogenic NZPH, Giggles and IQ.  Giggles did a fantastic round in her 5YO class but ended up finishing 4th in what must have been the fastest jump off class of the show.  IQ wanted to do better but pilot error meant we finished 6th in 6YO class with fastest 4 faulter.  We bought a new horse which I got on Wednesday at the show. Westella is a really exciting horse for us and I ended up jumping a clear in 1.35m class which I was really happy about considering we are just getting to know each other.  I am really looking forward to having him next season and hopefully jumping some bigger tracks on him.
Greg had a disappointing show as his troubling shoulder got hurt as he was getting on the first day. He tried riding the first two days of the show but was not very comfortable so is now booked back in with surgeon for another MRI!
I have not yet received any photos from HOY but as soon as I get some will get them off to you.
Just one show left now which is the Young Horse Show in Taupo next weekend.
Hope Vetpro had a successful time at HOY.
Regards
Kim

March 2010

Hi
Hope everything is going well with you and Vetpro.
The shows have been going really well. Dannevike A & P Show was a few weekends back and Greg rode there for the first time in awhile. He got a prize on Photgenic NZPH. Iq and Giggles were both clear in their age group classes and also went well in their other classes.
Masterton A & P was another nice show where once again Giggles and IQ went double clear in their age classes as well as their other classes. GG was also good jumping nicely both days.
The next show was Foxton and Greg rode Cufflink here as her American owner has gone back to the USA.  He enjoyed her and went well.  Giggles and IQ had uncharacteristic faults in their age group classes but jumped very well in their other classes. GG and Sugar and Spice were also very good.
This past weekend we had Carterton which was the final show before HOY.  Greg and Cufflink were stars winning the Mini Prix which was a big step up for Cufflink who with her new owner has been jumping smaller jumps.  It was also the biggest Greg has jumped in quite sometime too so they did very well.  Iq didn't have a rail down all show including double clear in 6YO also jumping well in 1.25 and Mini Prix. Giggles also had a faultless weekend with double clear in 5YO and a prize in 1.15m.  Sugar and Spice was a sweetie going clear in her 4YO class and her other class.
Are you going to be at Horse of the Year this year?  I will call in at the tent and catch up with whoever is down for the week.
Cheers
Kim

Feb 2010

Hi,
Hope you have had a good weekend. I have had the weekend off from showing which was a lucky decision as have just heard Gisborne was cancelled today due to bad weather.  We have had a real run of wet shows of late.  Wairoa was also cancelled after the first day. Photogenic NZPH came 4th in the 7YO but the rest of the horses stayed dry in their yards!
Levin was also another wet one but the horses jumped well. Giggles and IQ continued their good form in the age group classes with double clears.
Next weekend is Dannevirke A & P so hopefully all this wet weather will be done with.
Greg is talking about riding Photogenic at Dannevirke so pretty excited to have him back in the saddle.

Hope everything is going well with you.
Cheers
Kim

Jan 2010

Well horses were good at North Island Championships but their rider left a little to be desired!! Giggles eneded up 4th in the 5 YO class. She was great but Mum pulled on the reins a little too often and didn't let her go fast enough. IQ was jumping a beautiful clear round and I jumped the wrong jump!!! I was gutted as she was feeling really good. I ended up jumping her in 1.25 championship on Sunday which was a step up for her and she jumped really well. Photogenic was really good all weekend jumping clear rounds and having an unlucky last rail in the 7YO class.
We have Wairoa show this weekend and Levin the following.
I was wondering if I could order a large tub of Relax, Vitamin E and 2 Flex Canines. Also 2 large Gamgees.
Hope everything is going well up there with you.
Cheers
Kim

The last show of the season was a really good one for me and my young horses. My two 4 year old were good doing a number of clear rounds.  IQ was my wee star winning the 5YO class and also taking out the 5YO series.  She was fantastic. Photogenic NZPH ended up finishing 3rd in the 6YO series. IQ finished 2nd in the leading Mare Series and Photogenic NZPH was 3rd. It was a nice way to finish the season and the girls were all pleased to be turned out in a big grassy paddock after a busy season.
I have five 3 year olds that we have bred so looking forward to seeing what they are all like.
Thank you very much for all your support this past season we are very grateful for all your help and very lucky to be associated with such a fantastic company.
Thank you very much!!!
Kim and Greg

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas and have a fun New Year planned.
I have had a reasonably quiet month with just two shows but been doing quite a bit of teaching at home so keeping out of mischief.
Foxton Show was a real wet one and then I just did the first two days of Taupo. Giggles and IQ both conitnued their good form with double clears both days including their age groups classes.  When I last looked GG, Giggles and IQ were all in the top10 of their respective age group series.
We have the North Island Championships the weekend after New Year so hopefully I have managed to tame them all again after their Christmas break.
We have now got 4 foals on the ground and they are all adorable with just one left to foal.  We have some really nicely bred ones so looking forward to 4 or 5 years time!
I hope you have had a fun, relaxing  and enjoyable Christmas period and Best Wishes for the New Year.
Regards
Kim

Late September 2008 update

"Hi, We had a good start to the season with having our first Sports day two weeks ago and then our first proper show this past weekend.  Photo is of Zambessi who I ride for Barbara Thomson.  He finished 2nd in the 7yr old class which was a good effort from him.  Party Girl NZPH and Photogenic NZPH both did double clears each day for wins in their 6 yr old classes.  IQ also had double clears each day for wins in her 5yr old classes. Olympia NZPH also had a good show not having a rail and the young ones were good for their first proper outing.  We have quite a bit of a break now until Gisborne with a few Sports days in the meantime.

Hope everything is well up there.

Cheers Kim"

September update 2008

"Hi.I am now back home after having a good time in Hong Kong at the Olympics. I was helping my friend Heelan Tompkins and Greg was Chief De Equip of the Showjumping team.  A shame we didn't bring home any medals but still a good time.  Thank you very much for offering us our Elite Sponsorship again. We really appreciate your support and hope we help in promoting your brand and products which we highly recommend.  Attached are some photos of Cufflink who was my superstar from last season.  She won the leading mare prize for the second year in a row and was the winner of the Mitavite National 6 Year Old Series last season winning the class at Horse of the Year and the final at the National Young Horse Show. I am very excited about her for this season and the future.  I have lots of horses in work and trying to get them fit and ready for the shows which are fast approaching.

Hope everything is going well with you all.

Regards Kim"

Dear the Vetpro team

Just a quick note to say a huge thank you from us and all our furry four legged friends.  Your on going support of us is huge and we are so grateful for this.  We had a fantastic end to the season and already are looking forward to next season.  Enclosed is a photo of Cufflink who continues to be my star.  She is the most competitive genuine horse I have ever ridden who gives 200% every time.  Hope you all have a safe and happy winter.  Thank you so much.  Kim & Greg.

January update;

"Well the start of the year has been going well for us.  Greg and I had a wonderful wedding  on the 29th December and partyed on for a few days after.

Dannevirke Show was good considering that lack of riding horses had had leading up to it!

Cuzzy Bro finished 5th in his first 7 year old class and was 5th in the 1.25m he followign day.  Zambessi did a double clear for winning points in the six year old class.  Olympia jumped all clear rounds in her classes.  This past weekend we had Elsthorpe Spprts and Greg was 2nd in his class on Twister, I was 2nd in the 1.15m on Imperial Diamond, Itsabitsa finished 6th in the Grand Prix and Cuzzy Bro 4th in his first Grand Prix.  We have Levin this weekend.  Have lots in work again so keeping pretty busy.

Hope you had a good new Year.

Cheers Kim"

November update;

"Well we had a really good show this past weekend at North Island Championships.

Chrsyler won the 7 year old North Island Championship,

Cufflink was 2nd in the 5 year old Championship class,

I also won a 1.20m class on Clouding over,

Vanderbilt won the 1m class,

Kiwi Haka got a prize in the 1.25m class,

Squiggle won at least two Show Hunter classes and a prize in a Showjumping class too.

So a very successful show, this weekend we have Feilding Show which is a smaller show.

Cheers Kim"

October Update; 

Well we have had a busy couple of weeks with lots of shows.

Gisborne was the first one and I took 6 horses up there.  After getting bucked off a young one things improved and had a really good show.

Chrysler got two 3tds, one in the 7yr old class and the other in a 1.30m class and also won the Showhunter High points class.

Kiwi Haka had two 3rds in 1.30m classes. 

Bonanza had a 3rd in a 1.15m class and did a double clear for a win in the 6yr old class.

Zambessi also did a double clear in the 5yr old class to get winning points too.

We then went to on to Hawkes Bay show where we took a total of 13 horses over the three days. BUSY!

Greg rode Cufflink and went really well and after I fell off AGAIN he rode a couple of mine on the last day including picking up winning points on Zambessi in the 5yr old class. 

Chrysler and Kiwi Haka both got prizes in the 1.35m top score class.  We took lots of young ones who were all good too.

We then drove straight on down to Masterton for another three days.  Unfortunately it rained like crazy and we called it quits on the last day as the ground got pretty bad.  We had a good show. 

Greg and Cufflink did a double clear in the 5yr old class for full points. 

Flash a young one that we have bred won the 4yr old class which was pretty neat for us.

Chrysler did a fast jump off in the 7yr old class to win that.

Bonanza won the 1.20m class.

Another young one won all the Showhunter classes she went in which I think was four classes.

So we came home with lots of red ribbons which made the mud not seem quite so bad.

Cheers Kim

We use a range of Vetpro products and find them all to be very useful and have noticed a real difference whilst using them.

We have fed Relax for two seasons now and were amazed by the difference it made to a few of the hotter thoroughbreds.  In calming the horses down it not only made them easier to handle and to ride but they were more settled and happier in themselves.

Muscle Max was also another product we used with great results.  As we get young horses off the track they often lose condition with the change of environment.  Muscle Max not only stops this from happening but actually adds condition to them and keeps them eating well.  It is also helpful to feed muscle max at the start of the season as a base to build muscle upon.

We feed Flex Equine to all our top competing horses as a precaution to joint pain.  Our local vet recommended this product as they believed it to be a very worthwhile product.  Greg has taken Glucosamine for his own aching joints so knows first hand the good it can do.  It is imperative that our horses are feeling in tip top condition and have no niggling pains to worry about and we have found this product to be excellent for this purpose.

We also feed Vitamin E and Selenium K which was recommended to us for all performance horses.

We use Aloe Cool Gel whenever we need to cool a problem area, as a massage gel pre competition as well as after a competition as a precaution.  Similarly we use Equitite when we have problems that need heat applied (inflammation) and as a general precaution at shows after jumping.

Unfortunately taking all the precautions we possibly can we still have injuries and use the wide range of Robinsons products for first aid.  Products that we use include Equiwrap, Animalintex, Gamgee and Flexoplast and we find them all to be excellent.

The range of Vetpro products we use cover a large number of uses and not only meet our requirements but generally exceed them.  As we are competing nearly every weekend during the season we need our horses to be looking and feeling at least 100% at all times.  We find Vetpro and excellent assistant for us to reach this high expectation.

Congratulations on the new horse and placings

"Photos below are from Horse of the Year 2006, Bonanza came 3rd in the 5 tear old title class at the show. I was also riding Kiwi Haka for his owner at the show but we have since purchased him.  I am quite excited about this horse as he has jumped some big tracks in the past.  Of late his rider has had some trouble with him and that is why I was riding him.  Hopefully we may be able to regain his confidence and have a really nice horse for next season.  I have been keeping busy with lots of young horses and quite a few horses in for schooling. 

Greg is back in the stables/Europe for the winter so I am in charge. 

Thank you very much for your support this past season.  We had a very successful season and very much appreciate your help in making it that way.

Hope all is well with the Vetpro team,

Thank you!" 

Kim Zander & Greg Best