The passionate Thoroughbred enthusiast within me came bubbling to the surface recently when I visited the Okanagan Valley, a huge picturesque region on the eastern side of Vancouver, Canada.
Located in the southern interior of British Columbia (BC), I thought there must be a local Thoroughbred property that I could visit.
Nestled on the edge of Gellaty Bay, which is part of the massive Okanagan Lake, West Kelowna, I found Flying Horse Farm, a 50-acre breeding property established in 1965 by well-known, successful owners and breeders Lois and Russell "RJ" Bennett.
Lois 85, and RJ, 90, share the same dream and passion as Aussie industry participants, to breed and race a top-grade galloper.
According to their daughter Rosanne - who since 2012 manages the farm with her mum, a barn for the horses was the first building to appear on the parcel of land, with the family home built later.
It is a farm now surrounded by urban development - in summer tourists swarm to enjoy watersports offered via the expansive lake, and in winter it is cloaked in masses of snow.
Set into a small hillside overlooking the property, the family home was a treasure-trove of history.
Much space is given over to countless trophies of horse-sculptures, gold-lined plates, vases, and industry commendations honouring the Bennett's numerous breeding and racing successes over 50 years, particularly earned in BC.
In 2019, the Bennett family was honoured via its home-bred and owned filly Sunburst, who was named the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, BC Division, Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.
Sunburst is a daughter of their home-based stallion Sungold (a US-bred son of Seattle Slew's AP Indy) also sire of last year's BC leading earner Infinite Patience.
Like Sungold, all Flying Horse Farm horses live outside in fields with shelters throughout the year, even in a mid-winter, two-foot covering of snow that I happily crunched around in when visiting.
"It has never done any harm to have horses out in the snow, as long as they aren't wet, are out of the wind, and have shelters," Lois said.
Rosanne said the broodmares and older horses are tough, but at times they need a few horses in the barn throughout winter to help stop the pipes from freezing.
"As soon as it gets to -15 degrees with a threatening wind-chill of -20 degrees or we hear of a cool snap coming, we fill up the barns and fortify the doors to make sure they are secured shut; those days the horses do not get turned out," Rosanne said.
Flying Horse Farm has enough horses for this option, which creates enough body heat to keep the pipes operational.
"We open a door only enough to get in to feed and do their stalls, however, if you open the door one too many times suddenly the automatic drinking water nearest the door will freeze; and as soon as it freezes you know it is below zero in the barn, then you have to turn the heat-guns on the pipes so the horses can still have a drink."
But Rosanne said that the snow has its advantages.
"I believe our snow here is an advantage, as it is dry and crisp and the horses naturally develop a winter coat during the fall, and it is great for them; the babies love it," she said.
"Like a clean snow day, it is not slippery and the babies love to run around in it."
While Rosanne is a major component of Flying Horse Farm, her brother, Andrew is a hands-on farm maintenance person, while sister Mary-Jean lends her hand with administrative duties, making it a family affair.
Pre early 1990s, the farm was a major BC yearling sales seller, while today they have reduced to about a dozen active mares from which they breed, many of the progeny landing in the training stables of Barbara Anderson-Heads at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver.
Stud stallion, Travelling Victor (by Hail To Victory), the 1984 Canadian Horse Of The Year and who stood at the farm, was a family favourite, while the stakes winning deeds of Sungold progeny have brought more recent pride. These horses include Sunburst, Sophie Soleil, Sangria, Synergy, Spectacular, and Sunset Drive.
There is also further life after racing for Flying Horse Farm horses, many of them are transformed into successful equestrian and polo horses.
