Tribute To A Champion - War Wind

As seen in October 2018 Edition of Horse Deals Magazine

Rather in the way Australians call people with straight hair, ‘Curley’ and people with red hair ‘Bluey’, War Wind was nicknamed ‘Little’ precisely because he wasn’t, and also that he reminded owners Shae Hanger, now Russo, and Jackie Murrell of the feisty mouse, Stuart Little from the animated film of the same name. Little you see was big, 17.2½hh big. Purchased initially as a potential dressage horse, War Wind hit the show ground running and became one of the first Warmblood Show Hunter sensations, and carried Shae to her first Garryowen victory in 2008, and this is his tribute.

Foaled in 2000, War Wind, bred by Denis Crane, was by Daley K out of the Balmoral Boy Thoroughbred mare Balmoral Sunshine, and therefore effectively a cousin of War Lord that Gavin Chester rode at the 2007 World Cup Final in Las Vegas. From a Warmblood point of view Little was bred both to jump and move, and Balmoral Boy that had Blue Peter and Precipitation in his pedigree, has produced a number of good jumpers. When Little was a few months old a lightning strike killed his mother and he was hand reared.

In 2003 Shae and her mother Jackie were at Rob Clay’s five star agistment property in Cranbourne South, where Clay was tasked with breaking in the young horse. They were there to try another horse, but whilst Shae was riding the horse they had come to see, Jackie could see Little being lunged nearby. “I wasn’t keen on the one I rode,” says Shae, “but both mum and I said; we want that one, and after about twelve months of telephone calls the owner eventually agreed to sell him to us. He had had a bit of education, but he was still in blinkers and a stock saddle when we got him. We turned him out for about a year where he grew from a sensible 16.2-3hh to 17.2½hh. When I brought him back in I found him very difficult. I had never had a Warmblood before and he was young and big and it took me about five months to get a decent trot out of him. He had a very strong personality and was an interesting horse to own. He taught me so much, and with him we had to go back to the beginning with everything. The bottle feeding and the constant handling resulted in him not respecting our space, which at over 17.2hh was quite an issue at times. I was in my late teens when I got him and I didn’t know then how to handle his behavior on the ground, and at that stage I was not so concerned about him being pushy. At shows sometimes it was even difficult to get the bridle on and we had to stand on the mud guards of the float. He had a personality and that real ‘look at me’ quality, but when he didn’t want to do something he said no, and perhaps unfortunately we said ‘OK tomorrow then’. Once I got to know him and we got him going, he was a gem to ride and I could ride him anywhere. He was a one person horse. No matter where he was in the paddock or what he was doing, If I walked out, he would gallop up to me, and I was the only one who could catch him.

“Initially I bought him for dressage, but because he was such a handful we thought we would take him to some shows to get him used to life. But Little came out and with his size, colour and flamboyant movement, he started to win everything as a Show Hunter, and we never went in to dressage. He had plenty of Thoroughbred quality about him and the judges, especially from the UK loved him. Little just wanted to go forward and he wanted people to look at him. He was Champion Show Hunter at Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney Royals and Reserve at Canberra. He won three VASA titles and three Show Horse Council Championships. He was Supreme Led and Ridden Warmblood at Adelaide Royal and was Overall Supreme Led at the Summer Royal in 2009, and of course we won the Garryowen in 2008. It was in fact after that win at Melbourne Royal when I jumped off him for photographs that he knocked himself and broke his splint bone. He had a bit of blood on his leg, but was OK. The next day however, when I got him home he could not trot in the paddock and I had him scanned. He never came back from that and he was just eight years old. He really only had four years showing. I remember people telling me they were pleased that I won the Garryowen, but they did not think a Warmblood horse was suitable for the class. Well the judges thought differently, because I got 20 out of 20 for General Appearance and Little got 48 out of 50 for manners and paces. I have won the Garryowen twice since then and I had higher markets with Little than I did twice with Chosen One, so I don’t know about not suitable.

“For the past ten years he has enjoyed life in the paddock with a companion mare that mum rescued from a paddock in Geelong. Little would not go anywhere without her, and mum has a beautiful property and Little and his companion just moved from pasture to pasture; he loved it. If he wanted some attention, he would gallop and set all the racehorses off. He would escape from his paddock occasionally and mum had to call me to come over and catch him. He loved his retirement. There was always plenty of activity at mum’s to keep him interested; horses coming and going and foals that he thought were his and he would do anything to get your attention.
He ended up getting cancer and had massive lumps around his tail. I thought of surgery to remove his tail if that would help, but he was scanned and he was riddled. It all happened so quickly in the end and was extremely distressing, as he was fine and he deteriorated rapidly in three weeks earlier this year, and we had to make the decision as we did not want him to suffer. I know I will never get another horse like Little.”

Sign up to our newsletter