Patchwork Park Equine Services

Patchwork Park Equine Services Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Patchwork Park Equine Services, Equestrian Center, 73 Riley's Road, Snake Valley.

Heather Paix
Grand Prix Rider
Dressage Instructor

- Queen of Float Training 👑
- FEI School Horse
- Ground Work
- Clinics Central Victoria
- Virtual Lessons

Boutique WB Breeder
Based in Snake Valley VIC
PM for locations and more information

Happy birthday Mum!!Susan Paix
01/09/2025

Happy birthday Mum!!

Susan Paix

WPVDC and VDC wrap up!A combination of horrendous "wake-you-up-to-worry" wind, rain, a taste of Antarctica and "sorry ab...
01/09/2025

WPVDC and VDC wrap up!

A combination of horrendous "wake-you-up-to-worry" wind, rain, a taste of Antarctica and "sorry about the carpet" mud. Glorious as usual at Werribee.

SATURDAY

All round a fairly good experience. Aspen and I at one point where the only two suckers (or psychos) brave enough to be out in the warm up, everyone else had scratched! Solid Arctic blasts with wind, rain and what appeared to be almost like snow. I imagined me going down the centreline, trying to salute and her spinning out to put her butt against the wind, but alas, she didn't!

Prelim 1.1 68%
Prelim 1.2 65.5%

(I won both classes!)

I also enjoyed myself as a penciller in the afternoon. Last time I did any pencilling, I was about 13 years old, computers weren't really a thing (cue pen and paper), and we still had runners who collected the tests from the judge's window! So a bit has changed since then but it was a great experience 😃

SUNDAY

Weather was better but the rides were worse (maybe I should ride in bad weather more often???)

One test 65%, the other she did her signature "exploding canter transition" which, being a coefficient, absolutely butchered my overall score (3.0 all round, oh dear!) so she scraped 60%. Everything else was the usual. 6.0, 7.0 and a few 8.0 too! But very hard to recover from something like that. Disappointing.

(And she didn't do it ONCE in the warm up - *insert choice words here*)

But I guess that's the fun of green young horses...

This weekend, I entered the Closed Restricted classes, in protest of EA's ridiculous and unprofessional shenanigans. Honestly it was identical:

- Same judges
- Same tests
- Same uniform
- Same bridle number
- Same gear checkers
- Same venue

Simply, my score doesn't "count" because it isn't EA. But if supporting a corrupt society makes it "count", I'm happy for it to not count at all!!

I also got to see a few familiar faces, including Kerry Jackson and Patchwork Beneath the Realms (Benicio x Royal Hit), who was raised in the same crop as Aspen. Got a few nice pics of the two together, I'll share those shortly! Kerry bought Cooper as a 2 year old and has really built him into the beast he is today, very impressive! We almost wondered if they recognised each other!

Anyway here's a cool pic that Kate Sheffield took yesterday just as I was leaving the arena. Can't wait for the day that this mare decides to grow out instead of up. Currently going through a Greyhound stage... And hopefully if she grows out instead of up, she'll be less athletic and might keep all 4 feet on the ground for a change!

Very grateful for Dad who stood arena-side, in the rain, 110km/h wind gusts, hauled the portable accommodation, filmed, supported silently, cooked and didn't complain once. He's the best. Honestly.

Thanks for reading 📚

I must say, there's a definite level of insanity to want to enter a competition at this time of year!Mum clearly wasn't ...
29/08/2025

I must say, there's a definite level of insanity to want to enter a competition at this time of year!

Mum clearly wasn't as stupid as me and decided to sit this one out. Poor Dad, on the other hand, has been forced to splash around with me this weekend at Werribee Park.

I've only brought Aspen (she's actually all I have left to ride now, having done a major reduction from 13 horses this time last year to 5... And of the remaining horses, she's the only one who is both "of age" and "not broken down")

Now, I did say I wasn't going to renew with EA. And that is still true. Fortunately WPVDC and VDC have offered Closed Restricted tests all weekend, so I can have my cake and eat it too! (CR classes are fantastic when you are riding a 5yo whose favourite movement is "impersonating a kite" whilst under close scrutiny of the judges.)

The wind today was absolutely wild, close to 50km/h. Riding in that was tough, and we had to watch the insidious black clouds closely the whole time. But didn't get wet so that was a plus! Though at one point we could have sworn we saw snow falling.... Certainly cold enough for it!

Now inside the caravan, under the heater, eating le fromage and drinking hot chocolate 🍫 ☕

TIMETABLE

Saturday
Prelim 1.2 11.00
Prelim 1.1 12:17

Sunday
Prelim 1.2 3:00
Prelim 1.3 3:56

Updates to come.

New price listEffective immediately Lessons 30 min / $8040 min / $10060 min / $120See you all again soon 👌
07/08/2025

New price list

Effective immediately

Lessons
30 min / $80
40 min / $100
60 min / $120

See you all again soon 👌

**RENTED OUT**Fully Self-Contained Bungalow for Rent – Country Living Near Ballarat1BR 1BAA unique opportunity to rent a...
03/08/2025

**RENTED OUT**

Fully Self-Contained Bungalow for Rent – Country Living Near Ballarat

1BR 1BA

A unique opportunity to rent a private, freestanding bungalow with everything you need for comfortable, self-sufficient living.

Features:

Reverse cycle air conditioning & heating

Dishwasher, oven, stove & microwave

Fridge + separate freezer

Washing machine & dryer

Large shower and private toilet

Ample shelving & storage

Furnishings include:

Black leather couch

BBQ

Queen bed frame (BYO mattress & linen)

Bedside tables with lamp

Wardrobe & drawers

Bar stools (at kitchen bench)

Kitchenware provided:

Plates, bowls, cutlery, glasses

Various mixers & blenders

Ideal for a horse lover:

We’re seeking a tenant with 1–2 horses, ideally interested in agisting with us.
Agistment can be free, negotiable in exchange for a small amount of farm help each week.

Enjoy peaceful country living with your horses right outside your door, only a short drive from Ballarat.

Rent: $250/week
Agistment: By negotiation

📞 Contact Heather: 0438 038 275

19/07/2025

We're doing an outing to Werribee Park on Monday. Anyone want to join us?

A few horses, all welcome. No money to us. Just call up Werribee and pay their facility fee.

Great opportunity to do a low key outing with a few other horses 😀

Actually let's make this easy... All Totem's progress pics in one post.Here's a few ripper shots from the last 12 months...
12/07/2025

Actually let's make this easy... All Totem's progress pics in one post.

Here's a few ripper shots from the last 12 months with Totem, and her recovery.

If you want to see the original post, just look at the one under this one ⬇️⬇️

Absolutely incredible recovery 💪💪💪

Great job Travis Smyth from BVP for stitching this lady up to enable her to heal so well ❤️‍🩹

12 months later.... Let's await photos in the comments section from Totem's owner Catherine Defina to see what her face ...
11/07/2025

12 months later.... Let's await photos in the comments section from Totem's owner Catherine Defina to see what her face looks like these days!

Another one through the doors
09/07/2025

Another one through the doors

Isn't AI incredible these daysI showed it a few photos of our dog Cluey and it was able to produce this portrait of him.
02/07/2025

Isn't AI incredible these days

I showed it a few photos of our dog Cluey and it was able to produce this portrait of him.

01/07/2025

WPVDC & VDC RECAP

SATURDAY
A great effort from both girls!

Patchwork Total Deja Vu (Aspen) took out Reserve Preliminary Champion with solid scores of 66% and 67.6% in her classes — mostly 7.0s, 7.5s and even a few 8.0s! She’s showing loads of potential, but still pretty green given her age. Can’t wait until she’s fully balanced and under control — it’s going to be seriously exciting.

WilkyFurstMoon (Molly) also stepped up in the Elementary with some fantastic work. Lots of 7.0s and a handful of 8.0s in the mix. That said…
You know that feeling when you go from driving a zippy hatchback to towing a caravan and forget you need a much wider turning circle?
Yeah… about that shoulder-in. I kind of side-swiped the entire long side of the arena. Fully expected to hear the bell for going out of bounds — but somehow we stayed in! Molly didn't care. She just kept going like nothing happened. Clearly Molly has a longer back than Aspen...Oops.
5th and 6th for both classes — not bad for a spatial awareness malfunction 😅

SUNDAY

Someone must've spiked Aspen's water overnight… or so she claims.
Despite being perfect the day before, she decided Sunday was a “NOPE” day. Horse shy (for the first time ever), explodey canter transitions, that she has not done for ages, full of tension, borderline bolting — you name it. I stuck with it for the training experience, then retired near the end of the first test.

Interestingly, the few moments that were good still scored 7.0, 7.5 and 8.0. The rest… well. We’ll just call it “educational”.

Second test she kind of redeemed herself — but was still unimpressed with the whole idea of dressage. Though I imagine she would have been a sensational prospect for the likes of *insert top event rider here* or even a polocrosse pony.... hmm. Classic young, green horse moments.

Meanwhile, Molly was Miss Reliable. She rode like a mostly educated horse again in the Elementary. Her trot is getting far more through and supple than just a month ago, and her walk work reliably scores 7.5–8.0.
Still a few blips in the canter (the simple changes aren’t consolidated yet), and we had some muddled legs mid-counter canter serpentine thanks to some sUsPicIoUs AcTivItY in the neighbouring judges box (Molly's words, not mine) just as we were staring directly at it. But considering where she was a few years ago — similar to Aspen now — her progress is pretty incredible. From unpredictable to rideable and safe (albeit still a bit unbalanced)... that’s a win.

As of today, our EA memberships have officially expired — so we’re planning to shift gears and start doing weekly or fortnightly venue visits for training days instead of competitions.

They’ll be casual, low-cost outings (no money to us, just hire fees to wherever we go) to simulate the hustle and bustle of a comp without the price tag. Anyone’s welcome to meet us there and join in — the more the better actually! Let us know if you're keen!

Meanwhile, stay tuned for my secret project which is in serious progress behind the scenes. More to be revealed soon. But you'll thank me later!

Thanks Donna Brown and Christina Hunter for visiting!

That’s it from us! 🐴💫

Last comp for Patchwork for a while...We, like many others, will be taking a stand and not renewing with EA, in protest ...
27/06/2025

Last comp for Patchwork for a while...

We, like many others, will be taking a stand and not renewing with EA, in protest against the ridiculous membership price hikes.

Vote with your dollars, folks.

But I want you to know — there’s hope on the horizon. Behind the scenes, I’ve been working on something new. A way for dressage riders everywhere to compete fairly, affordably, and with more freedom than ever before. It’s still in the early stages, but it’s being developed with one clear goal: to give riders a better way forward.

More on this later. I'll slowly release more information as it develops.

Better days are coming. For all of us 💫

---

Anyway,

TIMETABLE

Saturday

Patchwork Total Deja Vu
Prelim 1.1 9:23
Prelim 1.2 10:25

WilkyFurstMoon
Elem 3.1 1:32
Elem 3.2 2:36

Sunday

Patchwork Total Deja Vu
Prelim 1.2 10:10
Prelim 1.3 12:58

WilkyFurstMoon
Elem 3.2 11:53
Elem 3.3 2:00

Address

73 Riley's Road
Snake Valley, VIC
3351

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International Level Dressage Stables

Home to Grand Prix CDI mare Sheer Etiquette and FEI rider Susan Paix Visit our website for more information: http://paixco.wixsite.com/patchwork-park-stud