Avoca Park Equestrian & Holidays

13/07/2025

To love a horse is to commit to a life of service.

You feed before you eat. You rug before you rest. You work before you play. Not because you have to—but because you want to. Because their well-being becomes part of your identity. And because nothing compares to the feeling of being greeted with a nicker and soft eyes on a frosty morning.

12/07/2025

Some of the most important rides are the ones no one sees.

The quiet hacks through a winter forest. The days you do nothing but walk, breathe, and reconnect. These rides won’t win ribbons. But they’ll win your horse’s trust. And that’s the only prize that truly matters.

12/07/2025

We've had a tough week this week...We lost one of our own.
These are never easy days and goodbye is always one of the hardest!❤️‍🩹
We weren't expecting to lose but sometimes we get no choice, he disappeared last Saturday and our amazing Anita, who has eyes like a hawk spotted him in curled up in the garden on Monday morning. He was very very cold and wet. :(

I took him to the vet and sadly they were unable to do anything for him. I've never had to do that before, bring them home in the carrier, no longer with me in spirit. It was heart wrentching, I just thought I would bring him home as I always do when I take them to the vet.

His whiny meow every morning was always a wonderful greeting to the stables. He was the King of the rafters, we had not a rat in sight up there.

Olive and us are all going to miss you terribly buddy.

Fly High mate, we'll definately meet again! 💙🌈

11/07/2025

Winter isn’t a break—it’s an opportunity.

To slow down. To work on the little things. To strengthen the foundation instead of rushing the finish. Your horse doesn’t need you to be brilliant every ride. They just need you to show up with softness, clarity, and the grace to meet them where they are.

11/07/2025

Time for our weekly blog!

Every week we will post a new blog full of plenty of information on a new topic to help you learn about what we do as well as helping you understand the benefits of what we, as an Equestrian Centre, do.

Click below to check out our twenty-ninth blog which is all about the importance of a neck extension in training horses. Click and have a read to find the benefits of adding a neck extension into your horse's training, and how it can help them in achieving longevity.

Click here and have a read:
https://avocapark.com.au/blog/post/the-importance-of-neck-extension-in-training-horses-building-strength-balance-and-relaxation

Neck extension isn’t just a stretch – it’s the key to building strength, balance and relaxation. Done right, it engages the core, lifts the back and creates a soft, rideable horse for the long term.

10/07/2025

Lunging is an integral part of our training system. It forms the second stage in our 5-step method and is where we introduce controlled locomotion while helping the horse maintain a more relaxed posture. It gives us the opportunity to observe the horse’s natural balance—how they carry themselves without rider influence, whether that be longitudinal, lateral, or diagonal.

Lunge Training plays a critical role in developing a horse’s balance, coordination, and muscle strength. It also allows us to assess movement, attitude, and progress without the complexities of a rider on board. Rhythm, suppleness, and flexibility can all be improved here, helping the horse learn to move in a more balanced and relaxed way.

At this stage, we also introduce lunging with a saddle. This is an essential part of preparing the horse for ridden work. The saddle helps the horse get accustomed to the feel and movement of equipment on their back, while also allowing us to ensure the horse maintains correct posture and balance under the added weight. It’s a vital bridge between groundwork and riding, helping to ensure that when the rider is eventually introduced, the horse is physically and mentally ready.

Lunging on a circle encourages self-carriage, engagement of the hindquarters, and correct use of the topline. It also provides a controlled environment to build trust between horse and handler, refine communication, and increase the horse’s confidence in different parts of the arena and the surrounding environment.

CHECK OUT www.avocapark.com.au/training or www.dressageinlightnessonline.com.au

08/07/2025

There’s something sacred about early winter mornings at the barn.

The world is hushed. Your horse’s breath curls into the air like smoke. The only sound is the steady rhythm of chewing hay. And for a moment, in that silence, you realise this life—mud, hay, hardship and all—is where your soul feels most at home.

08/07/2025

Here we have a racehorse that has returned to us after having a spell. This is the start of his first few weeks of training into his current prep.

This young racehorse has come to us so we can continue setting him up biomechanically, with the aim to improve this horse’s symmetry and balance, creating a stronger, more balanced racehorse.
We create a specialised program for racehorses using our cross-training techniques. This program is built around your thoroughbreds asymmetries. By working on these patterns and improving them, it will enable them to have more relaxation, suppleness. strength and ultimately SPEED. ��Long term it will give MORE LONGEVITY in their CAREER.��The use of incorporating these training techniques will be greatly beneficial for your horse’s development in both their body and mind.
We will educate your horses mind to develop the ability to relax throughout their training with confidence. Spending the time to fix the problems, creating manners so you can both see and feel their improvement.
Our training will benefit a racehorse during any stage of its training as we work on the development of symmetry and balance for their physique at any age.�
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08/07/2025

today we are going to show you how to safely remove a cotton rug.

07/07/2025

A well-trained horse is not one that responds perfectly every time—it’s one that feels safe to make mistakes with you.

That confidence doesn’t come from drilling or dominance. It comes from hours of patient groundwork, of sitting with them through the spooks, of proving—over and over—that you’re the kind of person they can lean on, not fear.

06/07/2025

Some days, progress is invisible.

You don’t see it in big breakthroughs, but in the way your horse no longer flinches when you lift the girth, or the way they walk in from the paddock when they see you.

These are the wins that matter—the ones that don’t make a highlight reel, but make your relationship unshakable.