Jorayla Equine Lodge

23/06/2025

18/06/2025

This smile - captured perfectly timed on her face says it all!
Every other photo of her is usually a very awkward “game face” look of concentration we usually have a good laugh at.

This is a smile of relief, of pure accomplishment.

After going out full of doubts that they would even finish. She is almost home clear, she’s past the big scary ditch she thought would end them and is realising she has reached a point she didn’t believe she has him at yet.
Regardless of what you tell them, they have to feel it for themselves.

So many WTB adds “no TB” 👎 they are all missing out!

This horse was free OTT and she has put in all the work to teach him a whole new way of life. We could easily have spent thousands and brought her a horse someone else taught and it would never have given her this feeling!
I knew it and won’t do it.
The fact she knows it = parenting win!

We don’t do perfect here we do real!
Social media these days is filled with skewed views of only the perfect wins.
It’s a world of filters and comparisons.
No one posts the whole picture, the day to day struggles, learnings, the miss steps and pain of the process in order to get the growth.

It needs to be shared more and maybe then they would doubt themselves less!

Every 5* rider stumbled along on their own journey and chose to keep going. These kids need to know that and the only way is to see it shared more.
I share way more awkward and ugly than the opposite.

My girls work so hard!
Every feed, every rug change, every day. They rarely get a day off. No one does this for them.
They load/unload and stack bales of hay. They’ve spent days with me and built paddocks!
The resilience this teaches them I don’t think there’s a better gift in this world we can give them as parents.

Most days we feel like we are crazy and question our life choices. There are days she doesn’t want to do it anymore (me too 😝)
Especially in winter!
Especially considering 18months ago I was picking up hay rounds for $40 and now it’s a logistical mission to get them for $200 a roll 🤦‍♀️

Then I see bits like this picture and I feel the joy she experienced with herself on this day and I know that we need to just keep swimming.

Horse life, lessons to last a life time.

15/06/2025

We loaded up for another weekend with the Jorayla crew!

Super proud of them all as they each work on different goals but worked together the entire time as a great TEAM!

They spent the entire time braiding for each other, tacking up each others mounts, remembering each others times and gear checks.
Big ones skipping their own presentations to warm up little ones 😍, teaching them the ropes of it all from where to present to what to do and who to talk to next!
Giggles and “ticktocked” their way through the entire weekend.

Spent some time with crew members past - once Jorayla crew, Always Jorayla crew! Thanks for our dinner company Amy & Idelia.

All crew now fully initiated into the hard work it takes, walked and feed all those ponies too many times in a 48 hour period to count, endlessly picked up p**p from their yards, built their own beds, made a massive mess with goods all over creation - then helped pack it all back up at the end of it all AND still said they would do it all again 😳🤣
Can’t scare off horse girls no matter how much work there is to do!

Looking forward to watching their journeys as the keep at it. Great work girls.

29/05/2025

Girls made themselves some numbers for their jumps course today.

We went for 1-12 with two A + B combinations - we are very lucky to have so many cool jumps!

17/05/2025

Very lucky girls today to have a lesson with Amanda Ross Equestrian.

Sharing her knowledge on all things training green OTTs, Jorja getting some great tips on working with her big boy .

Aylissia learning how to slow down that speedy pony! She’s in a hurry to nail it so she can move up to an of her own!

Thanks Amanda the girls had a blast and can’t wait until next time!

11/05/2025

Mother’s Day for us was also “Jumps delivery day”

Thanks Aylissia for all the “help” 👌🏻🙄

02/05/2025

✨Riddles creek Easter horse trials✨photo credit Jas coady

01/05/2025

Then vs now