Stolen Saddle Hampers Grand National Dream

Karen Harris of Port Augusta, SA, has spent the past four months preparing to compete in one of the most prestigious horse events in Australia – the Gallery Equine Grand National Horse of the Year championships.

The event is being held in Sydney in April and will see the nation’s best hacks and riders go head-to-head for the title of Grand National Horse of the Year.

Ms Harris and her horse “For you” qualified for the event in an arduous challenge at the SA Show Horse Council’s Horse of the Year competition in October.

“To qualify your horse had to be the best at everything … the best presented, the best working, the best looking,” she said.

Ms Harris said it was nice to be rewarded for all her hard work.

“I suppose it’s the biggest thing you try to achieve.

“That’s what I’ve been aiming for, to get a horse going well enough to compete at an elite level.

“A little nobody like me out in the sticks has to work hard to get to somewhere like this.  A lot of city people have to travel half an hour to an hour to get to competitions where as I travel five to six hours to get there.  Juggling a full time job as a radiographer and training horse to such a level is quite challenging for me.  It’s a lot of effort.”

What makes it even more rewarding for Ms Harris is the fact she has trained her horse by herself.

“She’s an eight-year-old thoroughbred that I got off the track and retrained her from off the track to a winner.”

However, recently Ms Harris’ realisation of achieving her dream of competing at a national level came to a devastating halt, when her show saddle was stolen from her Prosser Street, Port Augusta, stables sometime over the weekend of 5-6 February.  It was in a tack room with other horse equipment and a chainsaw, however, the saddle was the only thing taken - even the mounts (stirrups, leathers and girth) which weren't on the saddle at the time but stored nearby, weren't taken.

Karen's treasured saddle is an older model, but good condition, Kieffer Aachen dressage saddle in two tone dark brown and is a size 1 (approx 17"). Another reason that Karen is so distraught over its loss, is that the saddle fitted her mare perfectly.

A search around Karen's local area has not revealed any clues as to where the saddle could be.  If you see a saddle that could be Karen's stolen one listed for sale, please contact Karen via email: kazza206@yahoo.com.au or contact Horsezone.

Karen is now trying to buy another saddle the same as her old one, however, she is not having any luck finding one in the same colour, which means she will have to buy a new bridle and mounts to match the replacement saddle.