Foundation Mares

WALLAROI SUNSHINE (ASH 2787)

Foundation Mare of both the ‘S’ and ‘J’ families

SUNSHINE was a big striking chestnut thoroughbred that Dick Doolin purchased in the late 1950’s, when he played in the Queensland polo team touring New Zealand. He imported Sunshine from New Zealand back to the farm at North Star and she quickly became famous on the polo field.  She was a strongly built but very handy mare with a comical sense of humour…..often found escaped out of her paddock or stalls because she seemed to successfully challenge any gate lock put in front of her.

Sunshine’s Polo Pony trophies included QLD Gold Cup Champion Pony 1966, Goondiwindi A Grade Champion Pony 1962 and Goondiwindi Champion Team of Ponies 1959 and 1961.

Sunshine went on to produce two foals, KILDONAN JOANNA and Sunbeam.  Joanna went on to produce what we now call the ‘J’ family and subsequently Sunbeam’s progeny, BARNINEDOT SERENITY and BARNINEDOT SCRUPLES formed the two branches of the ‘S’ family.

Joanna, a chestnut thoroughbred type with a blaze, initially produced a bit of a mixed bag in body type in the polo ponies. She had quite a large and heavily built gelding, named Joop, that we sold on and he proved to be a handy reliable low-medium goal polo pony on the northern NSW country circuit.  However, we retained three full, but very different, sisters from Joanna that have formed today’s J Family line.  Two of these were high goal quality, Jitter and Jay, with Jay featuring on the World Cup Polo program, and the third, Jelly Bean, didn’t play due to lack of opportunity at the time, but we kept her as a broodmare relying mostly on the performances of her two sisters, but also her type.  This side of sunshine’s family tree are particularly agile and both quick off the mark in their game play and quick in their mind. 

 

To view the J Family Broodmares Click Here

To view the J Family Playing Horses Click Here

To view the J Family Youngstock Click Here

 

In comparison to the J Family, the progeny of the S Family playing today are freakishly similar in personality, build and temperament to that of Sunshine, the mare herself; particularly those in Serenity’s branch.  We find that they are so cool, calm and easy. They are our most versatile polo horse; they can play anywhere from low goal to high goal polo and would be the most suitable for patron players out of any of our horses.  They’re very trustworthy both on the ground and on their back.  They are sometimes late to develop in sporting maturity compared to our other lines, and we often hold off our peak expectations of them until they reach 6 year old plus…..it is then that they seem to hit their straps with polo and then there’s no looking back for them.

 

To view S Family Broodmares Click Here
To view S Family Playing Horses Click Here
To view S Family Youngstock Click Here

 

ABOVE: Dick Doolin on WALLAROI SUNSHINE (3rd from left). Also in photo from L-R: H Fisher, I Murray and far right, R Hunt.Goondiwindi A Team, 1966

ABOVE: Ron Bell on BLACK BESS (left) – FM of B Family. Dick Doolin on WALLAROI SUNSHINE (right) – FM of S & J Families. Both mares on opposite sides in the 1966 Queensland Gold Cup Final.

Above: WALLAROI PEPI (dam of Wallaroi Smokey Padre) and WALLAROI SUNSHINE at Wallaroi, North Star.

 

 

BLACK BESS

Foundation Mare of the ‘B’ Family

Black Bess was a little black unregistered stock horse mare of only around 14.2hh.  She was actually owned and played by Ron Bell (see photo above) and it was in her retirement to broodmare duties that she came to join Dick Doolin’s breeding program.

The B Family today are all descendants of Black Bess through her daughter, Bavardage`, who was also fondly known as ‘Miss Piggy’ due to her tendency to give a hump or two when freshly ridden out.  Bavardage` didn’t play polo herself, but rather put straight to broodmare duties being the only living daughter of such a great mare as Black Bess.  A very fertile mare, she went on to have 8 fillies, all full sisters by WALLAROI SMOKEY PADRE` – HSH who were retained for polo and then another filly and colt by NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA – HSH who both went on to new homes for eventing  and sporting purposes.

The B sisters (Bavardage`/Smokey Padre) in order of age were Baffles, Blush, Big Bird, Batiste`, Bubbles, Brinkley, Bea and Buffy, of whom 6 are still part of the Bar Nine Dot Sporting Horses broodmare herd. The B Family are commonly tough and extremely athletic horses with a fair bit of ‘grit’ about them.  They are quick in both mind and body and have a real fire in their belly for polo which often makes them our high goal ponies.   

The babies in the B Family are often faster than our other families to mentally and physically mature for polo or any other sport.  They mostly pick up the sport quite quickly and beam intelligence from day one.  However, we are mindful not to take push them too hard too early in their training development as could easily be done with this type of natural ability.  . 

To view B Family Broodmares Click Here 

To view B Family Playing Horses Click Here

To view B Family Young Stock Click Here

 

 

HAYDON HARVEST DAY (ASH 59516)

Foundation Mare of the ‘H’ Family

HAYDON HARVEST DAY was purchased by Robert and Jane privately from Peter and Ali Haydon of Haydon Horse Stud.  She was a beautiful liver chestnut mare by HAYDON NEVER DOUBT – TB and out of HAYDON PATTY BROWN (by Young Valais).  Harvest Day was a high goal, high achiever type mare who was top shelf quality in all aspects of a horse i.e. pretty, correct confirmation, athletic and incredibly smart….sometimes ‘too smart for her own boots’ which has passed on through her progeny (obviously a strong gene!).  Her progeny have so much natural talent for sport and are super sensitive in learning whether it is just basic handling, breaking in or training.  They are generally quiet horses and love human contact but this character should never be underestimated as they absolutely know when someone isn’t up to the task or is taking them for granted and they also have a very good memory of who’s on their back!   

Unfortunately, we only have one broodmare out of Harvest Day called BARNINEDOT HEYDAY who is by WALLAROI SMOKEY PADRE – HSH. 

Harvest Day excelled on the polo field and the biggest highlight of her career was, without doubt, playing under the Nigerian National Polo Team in the World Cup polo test matches and then winning Champion Playing Pony in the semi-final round (see picture below).

 

To view H Family Broodmares Click Here

To view H Family Playing Progeny Click Here

To view H Family Young Stock Click Here

 

Above: Robert with HAYDON HARVEST DAY – HSH after she won Champion Pony in the World Cup Semi Finals under the Nigerian Team.

Above: Harvest Day was a very athletic mare. Pictured at “Wallaroi”, North Star

Above: Robert and Haydon Harvest Day

 

 

HAYDON DAYLIGHT – HSH (ASH 53113)

Foundation Mare of the ‘D’ Family

HAYDON DAYLIGHT – HSH, was bought from Donald Gunn who had previously purchased her from the Haydons.  Like Harvest Day, she was by HAYDON NEVER DOUBT – TB but out of HAYDON BLU NIGHT – HSH.   She was equally as pretty and feminine as Haydon Harvest Day but a much easier horse to play – extremely soft and kind and the type of temperament that anyone could ride.  Rebecca also took her to Pony Club where together they excelled in the jumping and dressage events

Daylight’s gelding, Dart, by Wallaroi Smokey Padre, was played by Robert but later he was also used as a schoolmaster polo pony when James and his brother, Michael, started out in polo.  Dart’s full sister, BARNINEDOT DIVA is unfortunately our only broodmare out of Daylight.

Daylight only had one foal by NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA – HSH before she died – an athletic bay mare called Dia, bought from Robert as a young green horse by Andrew Rose for polocrosse. As many Haydon Never Doubt progeny do, Dia went on to be a top playing mare for Andrew playing in A Grade Mens, winning various champion horse awards on the polocrosse circuit. Dia went on to play Under 21s at Warwick Nationals for the Northern Territory team with Chelsea Golder.  We purchased Dia back for our broodmare herd in 2015.
The D family progeny are generally good all-rounder horses that could do well in any discipline trained for. They move well and correctly in their paces and mostly have a good temperament to become school masters. 

To view D Family Broodmares Click Here
To view D Family Playing Horses Click Here
To view D Family Young Stock Click Here

 

Above: HAYDON DAYLIGHT – HSH “Wallaroi” North Star.	Above: Robert (2nd from left) on HAYDON DAYLIGHT – HSH.  North Star Polo Team circa mid 1980s. Also pictured (L-R) D. Coulton, M. Doolin & B. Coulton.	Above: Rebecca and Daylight at Junior Polo School Timbumburi, 1991.
Above: Daylight at Kooralbyn, Qld.	Above: (Left) Phillip Marheine and Robert on Haydon Daylight, Windsor Polo 1988. Jane multitasking with 4 year old Jessica!

 

 

NABINABAH FLUTTER (ASH 60813)

Foundation Mare of the ‘F’ Family

NABINABAH FLUTTER was bought by Robert and Jane at on of the annual Nabinabah horse sales.  Robert and Jane were repeat buyers of Nabinabah stock horses due to the consistent high quality they received. Notably, Robert’s favourite two geldings, probably of all time, were NABINABAH BLACK JACK (by NABINABAH THE GUN – FS HSH) and NABINABAH STORM (by NABINABAH LEGEND – HSH and out of a NABINABAH THE GUN mare) who both won too many A Grade, both in team and various individual, polo pony prizes to count.  NABINABAH BLACK JACK was out of a mare called NABINABAH SPARROW, so when Robert saw that NABINABAH FLUTTER was his half-sister he naturally had to have her in his polo pony string.

Flutter was a lovely soft playing mare – a ‘bush button’ mare.  She had such a kind and sensible temperament both on the ground and out riding where she always tried to please.  She was the first step up from a pony to horse for Rebecca who could take her straight out of Robert’s A Grade polo pony string to North Star pony club on any other weekend.  The kindness, reliability and willingness to please have been such consistent traits in Flutter’s progeny – you just know what they’re going to be like before they even hit the ground. 

Flutter had only two surviving foals– a gelding, Fly, and a mare, BARNINEDOT FINELLA.  Fly was an easy horse who perhaps stood out the most in his polo career as a school master for James and his brother, Michael, when they first started to play the game.  He was also our ‘go to’ horse when we had visitors to the farm.  He then retired from polo to become an everyday leisure horse for a once nervous lady rider, who he has helped build her trust in riding again– probably Fly’s greatest achievement of his riding career as these sort of horses can be so hard to come by.

 

To view the F Family Broodmares Click Here

To View the F Family Youngstock Click Here

 

Above: Robert (left) playing NABINABAH FLUTTER – HSH circa 1989

Above: Rebecca (age 11) riding Flutter at North Star Pony Club.

 

 

KILDONAN BROWN SUGAR (ASH F6014)

Foundation Mare of the ‘W’ Family

BROWN SUGAR was a brown mare Robert added to his playing string when Donald Gunn gave up polo.  At the time, she was only 2 years old and Robert played her first tournament at Quirindi where she won the Champion Novice Pony award.  
She was extremely soft and true to an ASH type in her looks and playing agility.  She also had a wonderful kind temperament and was the first step up from pony to horse for Robert and Jane’s second daughter, Emma.  She was up there in the same category as Nabinabah Flutter as far as her ability to go from the high demands of A Grade polo to just plodding around the arenas and sporting events of North Star Pony Club.

Unfortunately Brown Sugar was not a very fertile mare and she only has one living progeny in (thankfully a mare), BARNINEDOT WINKS.  

 

To veiw W Family Broodmares Click Here

 

Above: KILDONAN BROWN SUGAR at the Wallaroi yards.	Above: Robert and Brown Sugar walking out on the Myall Downs polo field
Above: Emma and Brown Sugar at a junior polo school	Above: Robert and Brown Sugar in full flight