Irish Sporthorses for jumping competitions, Australia

Australia

Favourited 246 times

Host rating
Feedback
34
Last activity
24/04/2020
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2020

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Description
We have a farm in the mountains of Victoria, and breed Irish Sporthorses for jumping competitions. We have a seasonal riding school and do work in Pony Clubs.
The family consists of Martin, a lawyer in the local country town, Kammy and two teenage sons, who are mostly at boarding school (they love Football and Rowing).
We live in a popular tourist destination 2.5 hours from Melbourne, with valleys, mountains and ski fields. Mansfield town is lively and artistic.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
Farmstay help
Help with Eco Projects
Animal Care
Charity Work
Language practice
Art Projects
Help
We would love help with the horses - any one with specialty area of handling, riding or breaking in would be most welcome. Helmets, jodhpurs and boots are provided. Possibility of going to competitions exists, also.

We also do manual land maintenance, or "LandCare" - removal of weeds, landscaping, tree planting, habitat retention, etc to environmentally re-habilitate the farmland. For the house there is always tending the vegetable patch, wood chopping, building cross country jumps.
Generally want to smarten the place up a bit - its looking a bit tired and rundown - any landscaping or handy-man skills would be welcome.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
German: Intermediate
Accommodation
There is 100 acres (40 hectares) of farm and a cosy living space - a stable loft with bedding, chairs and table, sink. Can offer some kitchen facilities too, but meals will be generally in the house with family.

Use of a small car for going into town for independence and socialising. Opportunities may exist for seasonal work at the ski fields in winter.
What else ...
We offer assistance to travelers like meeting buses or trains.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
work expected to fit in with a normal day - not too arduous

Photos

LandCare work on the hills - eradicating weeds

Sunsets from the verandah are reaxing to sit and watch at the end of the day

Show all photos

When we work the horses we exercise them over the hills to get them fit.

Janet is Scottish, so she loves our winter. She is one of 3 adorable dogs living here.

Kammy with Raffles, our stallion and Stud Sire. He is very friendly and loves people, loves to be groomed.

Our house is architect designed to look like "a typical Australian hay-shed on a hill"

Feedback left by and about host (34)

03/10/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Marine)

We so loved having Marine here with us and missed her terribly when she left. She was diligent, hard-working, well-organised, super-helpful and lovely company. She was brilliant with the horses, able to0 change them all for the better with her work on them. We sincerely hope she has a reason to return one day, there is always a home for her here.

(Excellent )

03/10/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (stefanie)

Stefanie is an amazing, spiritual person. She has a profound impact on people and horses alike.
After she left us all the horses hung around the gates looking for her.
It was great to leave them inn her care while we were overseas. I felt totally relaxed about them being in exceptional care.
In addition she is a horse Bowen practitioner and very… read more

(Excellent )

24/11/2014

Left by Workawayer (Liza) for host

It's been a year since I stayed on this beautiful property and had my month of working, riding and living with Kammy and her family - and I look back on it every day and wish I could do it again (maybe one day...)! Kammy trusts people, believes in them, throws you in the deep end and watches you swim; and I truly appreciated her encouragement and… read more

(Excellent )

27/12/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Liza)

It has been a joy to have Liza helping out here. She is a plucky, funny, happy person, and the world's always a great place when she is around. Her horsemanship developed tremendously while she was here; she ended up working with all the "breakers" in ground work, and also in riding them - getting them past the stage of being "backed" to actually… read more

(Excellent )

26/06/2014

Left by Workawayer (Henning & Maria) for host

Well, unfortunately, we could only try this one workaway job while we were down under, so I can’t really provide comparison; but this just HAS TO BE the one and only VERY BEST WORKAWAY JOB IN THE WHOLE WORLD! :-)

We started our stay in Mansfield - just like our predecessors - at Mel’s, who is a good friend of Kammy and the co-owner of the… read more before mentioned vintage shop in Mansfield town, a lovely old petrol station on main street, re-opened and packed from floor to roof with great antique stuff, furniture, Australian history - and some rubbish as well, sorry Kammy ;-)

However, serving our first few days in Mansfield as the “shop owners”, we had a great time getting to know all the locals and tourists who frequented the shop quite more often than expected and if it wouldn’t have been for the flight, we might have bought a lot of furniture, old guitars and clothes as well…

It might have been a bit of a test for the real purpose of our Mansfield journey, which was the ranch and the horses - and after passing it, we finally (after a few days) moved to Kammy’s place in the mountains around this 3000-people-country-town.

The ranch with all its inhabitants is the absolute incarnation of Australian bush country life, just what a European visitor wants to see when being down under: Australian architecture (packed again with all this interesting arts and lifestyle stuff Kammy is so obsessed with), dried bush grass all around (watch for snakes and bush fires ;-) ), gum trees defining the great 360° view (but don’t park your car underneath), a jeep and some other cars ready to be used by workawayers (steering the jeep through the paddocks and watching the horses follow and overtake in this Jurassic-park-way alone was worth the visit!), three lovely dogs (of which we miss little Jazzy the most, sorry Janet and Hero) and, last but not least, loooots of horses ready to be fetched from three different paddocks and ridden wherever you like, e.g. sunset point, jumping ground or through hundreds of kangaroos in the surrounding hills.

The humans deserve a separate paragraph, of course ;-)

Mel was a lovely host in the first days and great company on later visits to the shop. Kammy is the best workaway host in the world, offering whatever backpackers looking for a farm and horse adventure might hope for, teaching me to ride, letting Maria work on taming former wild horses, taking us for stunning country rides and having a lot of fun all day. Martin, Kammys husband, works all day in town but offers interesting conversation about Australia, Europe, history and politics at the dinner table – sorry our English was often to limited to contribute equally to those conversations, but nevertheless we enjoyed it and learned a lot; though Martin wouldn’t want to admit that what the whole rest of the world calls "football" as a game is much superior to the Aussie Rules version of it… “Soccer is for pussys”, pah! ;-) Last but not least, thanks to Peter and Colyn for the opportunities to stay in Merrijig and Melbourne as well and for your company!

(Excellent )

11/03/2014

Left by host for Workawayer (Henning & Maria)

I am missing Maria and Henning every day. We really loved having them, they were willing to jump up and try ANYTHING! Maria is of course amazing with animals (she is a vet) which was lovely for all our myriad pets and livestock, and she did a great job bringing the horses back into work. You can trust Maria to be extremely capable at anything and… read more

(Excellent )

18/06/2014

Left by Workawayer (Maelys) for host

I have been very lucky that I met the right people at the right time! As I am an exchange student in Melbourne/Australia, I planned my summer break including a workaway experience in Mansfield with Kammy, at the ranch. I spent a month there (December), and I was soon able to ride the young horses as I was used to, few years ago. The landscapes and… read more

(Excellent )

27/12/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Maelys)

Maelys has spent one month here working with our stock, and in the process has been developing her skills as a rider/trainer of young horses. She was very observant and absorbant, and learnt a lot from watching, and was very soon able to take on the role as primary rider. She took all instruction very well, and at the end of her time here, I could… read more

(Excellent )

30/01/2014

Left by host for Workawayer (Roisin & Gavin)

Roisin and Gavin came at short notice our request, and gave 150% x 2 the whole short time they were here. Very cheerful, fantastic company, very clever and capable - felt total confidence in loading any amount of responsibility onto them.
Unfortunately they didn't get to do the farmwork they were hoping for, and spent most of the time helping… read more

(Excellent )

17/01/2014

Left by Workawayer (Roisin & Gavin) for host

We had a great time with Kammy. We were also lucky enough to spend time with her business partner Mel which was lovely. Not quite what we were expecting as we helped out at kammy's retro/vintage shop, but still a lot of fun and had we been able to stay longer we would have got more time to spend with the horses. We would recommend this workaway to… read more

(Excellent )

05/01/2014

Left by Workawayer (Raquel) for host

My time in Kammy's place was very pleased for me. I've never been so close with horses and I enjoy a lot riding them. Thank's Kammy for the sunset ride that I will never forget.
Also I stayed Christmas time with the family wich I really appreciate cause they made me feel as a part of the family.
Thanks!

(Good )

27/12/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Raquel)

Raquel was good at tutoring in Spanish with my 16yo son, and was a natural for taking the lead and managing all the garden projects. Also a natural teacher in helping me learn about the planting work she was doing and preparing me for ongoing management of her creation. I am very grateful for the new vegie patch she has created here. A great help… read more

(Excellent )

27/12/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Birte)

Birte and Amke deserve 5 stars - what an awesome pair they are! So motivated and organised, able to work independently and with initiative, I could rely on them to make "judgement calls" and act accordingly. Given thier age this waxs pretty impressive. Birte has a very focussed and professional manner, and Amke is very skillful and capable, so… read more

(Excellent )

21/09/2013

Left by Workawayer (Atle ) for host

Thank you fore let me stay at your farm and under your "command"! It was a wery nice time and I have enjoyed every minute! And I will always remember this time! Yes I would love to have stayed longer and worked with the horses...and maby there is time to say HI before I leave fore Norway?! Wish you all the best! Cheers Atle :)

(Excellent )

21/09/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Atle )

Atle is the perfect workawayer - hard-working, able to turn his hand to anything, STRONG! He helped us with arduous preparations of premises for retail and moving inventory, and with other manual jobs around the farm.
But most impressive was his work with the horses. Animals (and people) love him - his measured approach, his kindness and his… read more

(Excellent )

26/07/2013

Left by Workawayer (Emmi) for host

Leaving Kammy and Martin's farm felt almost like leaving home. Their family, horses and dogs became very dear to me and I still miss them a lot. I got my true Aussie countryside experience I was looking for and learned a lot about riding green horses. Enjoying the view at the top of the hill on horseback, seeing kangaroos on our rides and jumping… read more

(Excellent )

07/05/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Emmi)

Emmi stayed with us for 6 weeks, so good of her to give us so much of her time to helping us operate in a normal manner! In fact, we felt more normal than ever while she was here. Her quiet strength and awareness of things that needed doing or needed attention made everything run so smoothly and comfortably for us, so that we missed her terribly… read more

(Excellent )

23/07/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Robin)

If there was a choice of 5 smileys I would have put 5! Robin has been so wonderful - hard-working, helpful, kind, caring, great company - and above all fantastic with the horses. She was able to ride the young ones that haven't been broken in long, and help make them better horses. She is strong, capable and intelligent, as well as really easy to… read more

(Excellent )

23/07/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Alina)

Thank you Alina for coming and helping us out with the horses and the shop, even if it was only for a week. The others really appreciated the help you were able to give them. You are very strong and capable, and good company!

(Excellent )

07/05/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Stephan & Maaike)

These guys were great, we enjoyed having them here - both very academic and capable, willing and helpful. Stephan took his horse riding to a new level and was able to help me as a subject rider at a major coaching assessment event, including riding over jumps which he hadn't done before! Maaike was very competent, but also very open minded;… read more

(Excellent )

07/05/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Adelina)

Ines and Adelina were here for about 2 1/2 weks, and were excellent with working the horses. They had a range of skills and specialty areas between them, which made them the perfect combination to work all the horses together here and cope very well with all the issues presented. I was very impressed with their horsemastership and horse care, and… read more

(Excellent )

07/05/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Sophie & Stuart)

Can't say enough that is good about this amazing couple! Sophie absolutely brilliant with animals, Stuart able and willing to turn his hand to anything. Both beautiful, happy people to have around the house and in the family, we just absolutely loved them. So hard working and caring, and my Scottie Dog just LOVED their accents!
I missed them the… read more

(Excellent )

07/05/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Amanda & Gareth)

Amanda and Gareth were such supportive workers. They arrived at a time of great upheaval here, as we were opening a shop to run in conjunction with, oh, just everything else! We moved massive amounts of furntiure around the countryside and in and out of buildings, and a great deal of restoration work was required, which they did day-in day-out… read more

(Excellent )

23/04/2013

Left by Workawayer (Amanda & Gareth) for host

We spent 6 weeks with Kammy and Martin at their beautiful farm in the mountains and we loved it! We learnt lots of new skills that we will take with us and Gareth even learnt how to ride which was great as we got to enjoy the amazing sunsets on our evening rides together. The horses and the dogs are lovely, the meals were excellent and our… read more

(Excellent )

07/05/2013

Left by host for Workawayer (Sarah)

Sarah, the quiet achiever! Sarah wanted to be given big, important tasks, and to take the initiative in tackling them. At times I felt I didn't have enough here to challenge her in the self-testing way she wanted, so I recommend her to anyone looking for a kid made from "stern stuff" - she would take on a mountain if asked! So she did all her jobs… read more

(Excellent )

02/01/2013

Left by Workawayer (Sarah) for host

You are looking for a nice place where it is possible to combine horsework with good company and food? Then look no further!!!
I stayed there for five weeks and had a great time. Both, the horses and family are very friendly and you will enjoy the meals... Victoria - The place to be?! Certainly, if you stay with them in the mountains...

(Very good )

28/04/2012

Left by Workawayer (Ditte Marie) for host

If you like beautiful views, wonderful food and great people you should definately go to Kammy and Martins place! I think I was there for around 3 weeks, and I really loved it! Its a horsey place, but there's always lots to do no matter if you're a horsey person or not. When I was there there was another workawayer as well, and she,Kammy and I… read more

(Excellent )

27/04/2012

Left by host for Workawayer (Ditte Marie)

We loved Ditte. Although we are a horse farm, and she is not horsey, she was able to do anything else we asked. Small and feminine, but very strong and determined - nothing was beyond her! She sanded furniture and did restorations, cleaned and painted water trough, got through a forest of thistles and weeds. Her legacy is all around us and… read more

(Excellent )

27/04/2012

Left by host for Workawayer (Clara Elena)

Beautiful Clara! It won't be the same without you...
Clara spent almost a month here, doing horse work and farm work - weed management, caring for animals, vegie patch etc. She also had to do a lot of helping me do a huge tidy up - 15 years of accumulated stuff needing to be sorted and dealt with. She is right - she's strong! Boxes up ladders… read more

(Very good )

27/04/2012

Left by host for Workawayer (Daria)

We loved having Daria about the house and farm. I set her a huge task of removing an infestation of weed from the front paddock, which she did whenever she could - by hand, on her hands and knees - until she had conquered it. She was determined to have a positive impact on any task set, like doing the vegie patch, garden, the cooking or furniture… read more

(Very good )

27/04/2012

Left by host for Workawayer (Stephanie)

Steph was a dynamo and a breath of fresh air. Very well organised, she smartened up the way everything ran here - very good with making timetables and sticking to them. She achieved a lot with each day, and was always energized and positive, making the whole household a positive place to be.
Steph did excellent work with the horses, doing… read more

(Excellent )

27/04/2012

Left by host for Workawayer (Marion)

We loved Marion! She was incredibly resourceful, she had to look after the whole farm and all the animals while we were away, which was daunting but she coped well. She was hard working and looked for tasks, and she was especially amazing in the kitchen!! Everything you have ever heard about French cooks.... It was like having a Surprise Chef in… read more

(Excellent )

08/11/2011

Left by host for Workawayer (Lis)

Lis contacted us only on her arrival in Melbourne, and within a few days she was here, and boy, am I glad she was!
Within moments of arriving she launched herself into all the jobs she could see needed doing. She was so motivated and enthusisatic, with such a brilliant work ethic. She also handled ME really well, and got me working hard on all… read more

(Excellent )

30/10/2011

Left by Workawayer (Lis) for host

I have been staying at Kammys place for almost a month and I loved it. The sourrounding is just amazing and the work with the horses was a lot of fun. Kammy herself and her Husband as well as her two suns are a very friendly family and I always enjoyed her Husbands Martins storys while dinner. Her two sons are at a boarding school so I did not see… read more

(Excellent )

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