Horse's Tale: Smart Nu Georgie with Ashleigh Backhouse

This article is from the January 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

SYNOPSIS

Stable Name: Georgie
Height: 14.1hh
Age: 6
Breeding: By Shiney And Nu out of Cricketts Smart N Sassy.
Owners: The Backhouse Family
Rider: Ashleigh Backhouse

Top 5 Results:
* 2019 Co-Champions Pacific Coast Reining Spectacular Open Derby Level 2, 3 and 4
* Co-Champions Qld Reining Horse Association State Show Open Reining
* Champion Qld State Show 2018 Open Derby Level 2 and 3
* Qld State Show 2018 Champion Intermediate Open
* Qld State show 2018 Champion Rookie Professional

What did Backhouse Stables first envisage when breeding a Shiney And Nu and Cricketts Smart N Sassy foal? We campaigned her mother, Cricketts Smart N Sassy earlier in the piece. She was a great mare, great stopper, great turn around horse and real gritty. She was bred by Jean Humphries. Jean just loves her horses and loves to see them doing great things. Shiney And Nu, of course, needs no introduction. He is the only horse in Australian history to win his National Futurity year and all follow-up National Derbies. I guess it was a no brainer that she would be good.

What were your thoughts when you first laid eyes on Georgie? Wow, look at all that bling, and a filly to boot!

How did she cope with the starting process? David Manchon started her for us as we didn’t have the time, but with everything she did, she took it all in her stride. David just took her along nice and steady, there was no rush, which is a great way to do it if you can. He did a fantastic job on her.

David didn’t really put a lot of pressure on her. We just wanted her confident and happy doing her job. Being a filly, we find them a little less mature, so we don’t put too much pressure on them early in the piece.

What was her first competition and how did she go? My younger sister Hayley rode her at her first competition, which was the ARBC in 2017. She took her in a non-sanctioned event for her first time out and I am pretty sure she got a second.

How did you get the ride on Georgie, surely you had to fight off other family members? Hayley started her training. She then moved away for a while, so I took over her training, and I just didn’t give her back! She was fine about it though, because she had so many others to ride anyway. Georgie and I just clicked from the beginning and made a great team. We had that connection that is hard to find.

How would you describe her personality? She is very laid back and really chilled. She is quite happy to be by herself with no other horses around, which is great at shows as she doesn’t stress when others go away or she has to go to the pen. It makes working with her so much easier. She loves people and has one little friend though and that is Brat, my little 11hh Riding Pony. She loves to chill with him.

Congratulations on a fantastic 2019 with Smart Nu Georgie, including taking out Open Reining Mare of the Year. How has your partnership evolved in the past 12 months? With any horse it has its ups and downs, but with Georgie we have more ups than downs. There is a bond you have with each horse you ride and a trust that evolves. I guess I just love her, and training and showing her has been such a pleasure.

There’s many more studs and gelding than mares out competing in reining. What advantages does a mare bring? A future breeder of course! The mare line in breeding plays a major part in the resulting offspring, their line is often underestimated. Great mares with amazing temperaments are always a very valuable asset to the show pen. Mares can sometimes be a bit more sensitive to train, but Georgie has always been a pleasure to have in the barn.

What have been your other highlights with Georgie? She is such a consistent mare. She is not a big mare, and I call her my little pocket rocket! She won the 2019 Pacific Coast Reining Spectular Open Derby this year, Co-Championed with her half brother RU Ready For This with me aboard him as well, it was a great night. She won the Open at Queenland State Show, as well as Co-Championed with another horse from our barn, Condor Smart Play, owned and ridden by Jason Melling from New Zealand. She also won at the Queensland State Show Reserve Champion Level 4 Open Derby, Champion Level 3 Open Derby and Champion Level 2 Open Derby. In 2018 she won High Point Horse of the Year in the Intermediate Open and Rookie Professional, also winning many of these events at National and State level, and this was only her first season of showing. The National Show this year could have been better. I noticed she wasn’t quite herself when warming her up for her event, even though she did try her little heart out, still getting a great score. She pulled up lame with a massive infection in her hind leg straight after the event, and we spent the next few weeks treating it aggressively to get her back to good health.

What’s been the biggest challenge with her? She was behind in her training as we didn’t start her until late. David Manchon did a great job breaking her in for us, but being behind we had to play catch-up without putting too much pressure on a young horse. She missed her futurity year because of this, but the wait was worth it. She has great work ethics and absolutely loves doing what she does.

Most annoying habit or quirk? Letting herself out of her stable on quite a regular basis if precautions aren’t taken each night after bedding her down. She then proceeds to demolish the breezeway of the stable block, until she eventually makes her way to the hay shed. She munches on that until she has had enough and then does the round of the property saying hi to everyone she passes.

What’s her weekly training regime? Usually five days a week. As she is an educated mare she has riding and free lunging incorporated in her program. She is then put out for the day in her pasture paddock and brought into her stable at night. Hot and wet weather, she stays stabled. She just loves her fan in the hot months of the year.

What’s the secret to her huge stop? She is just a natural stopper. The best thing I do is to just leave her alone and just let her do her job. She has always been a confident stopper and just loves to do it. It was born and bred into her. I just come round the corner, point her in the direction and say go and show them what you got and she never says no.

What has she taught you as a rider? She has taught me to be patient and to just emphasise a horse’s natural ability. Also to enter the show pen and just be confident in your horse and your training program.

What’s the first thing on her shopping list? FOOD. She is always on a diet! I also have a rug fetish, so new rugs are always on the list. She also loves it when I buy her lollies and carrots.

Backhouse Stables also has a few younger siblings to Georgie. Are any shaping up to follow in her footsteps? Two mares sustained injuries and didn’t make it to the show pen, but have produced future reining prospects yet to enter the show pen. Her full brother will enter the show pen 2020, all going according to plan. We are quite excited about this gelding. Although started late (this seems to happen to the horses we own) he is just a natural and showing that massive stop like Georgie. We had another young colt born the other day who is quite handsome.

What’s the plan for the next 12 months with her? We are very excited to announce that she has tested positive in foal to Lil Joe Cash US imported frozen semen. It’s just a waiting game now to see what the future holds. We are going to miss her in the barn while she is out on broodmare duties, but she is not far away and just enjoying life and chilling out. She has been out since October now and hasn’t changed a bit, still looks absolutely beautiful.

3 things we don’t know about Smart Nu Georgie?
1. Georgie was born on Father’s Day, so she was named after my grandad George hence the name Georgie.
2. Heath my son rides her. She is so good for him. He wanted to show her, but being a mother is her future at the moment. Maybe in a few years he will get his chance.
3. And I have to say that what you see is what you get. She has such an amazing temperament, you just enter the show pen and say LET’S GO SHOW!

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