2011 Begins
The preparations have begun! ride4acure’s horse trek from coast2coast of Australia is taking shape.
A great friend of our family Paula McIver has organised a dinner and auction items at The Play House Hotel, Queen Street Barraba NSW on the night of Feb 3rd at 6.30pm. Details will be available online very soon!
Esther is bringing the horses into work on the 25th of January.The horses that will be used on the trip Meg, Lofty and Titan will begin their training program with Esther at the end of Jan. Esther is currently working and living in Coffs Harbour NSW. Using a combination of beaches, state forest’s and roadwork the crew will get endurance fit (Esther’s fitness also!) and sort out routine. Being able to fit in training hours around two casual jobs is going to involve a large amount of 4.00 am starts for Esther and bright and early wake up calls for the horses! Having three months training under the ‘crew’s’ (Esther and Horses included!) belt will allow them to have feeding regimes, pecking order, gear changes and distances down pat. A small profile on each horse seems in order as they are such a vital part of the big picture.
Titan is a 8 year old chestnut gelding, Warmblood X. He has been a part of the Luxford crew for 6 years, Esther started him and has done all the work with him. He stands at around 17.1 hh… MASSIVE! Esther gets to stretch her legs very well to get on him!
Meg is the leading lady out of the 2010 horse trek making it all the way to Melbourne from Kempsey with Maura. She is a buckskin Australian Stockhorse mare, 7 years old and standing around a nice 14.2hh… a much nicer hight to get on!
Lofty is the latest addition to the Luxford crew of horses, Esther purchased him in 2010 from Macksville on the mid-north coast. Lofty is around 15 hh and a quarter horse. At 6 years old he has only had a little work and was very green when Esther purchased him, in the few short months lofty has been around he has wormed his way into Esther’s heart and seemed the obvious choice to be the third addition to the ‘crew’.
The ABC Radio National is holding a competition partnered with the Sydney Festival to present the 2011 Sydney Festival’s Keynote Hope 2011 – stories that must be told.
Both of us (Maura and Esther) have recently posted their story’s on the ABC radio’s hope – Stories that must be told pool.
Maura’s Link :
http://www.pool.org.au/text/hope_2011/maura_luxfords_hopes_for_2011
Esther’s Link:
http://www.pool.org.au/text/esther_luxford_matthews/horses_of_hope_2011
We have shared our stories of Hope and will continue to share our gift of hope to Australians as we make our journey from coast2coast putting ‘melanoma on the map’.
