Connor Reed and Nightwish at SASJC
© Racing Victoria
By Alice Mosley
For a classic tale of an ex-racehorse finding its true calling off the track, look no further than 18-year-old Nightwish, aka Mickey, who has made the most of his life as a champion show jumper.
Bred at the world-famous Woodlands Stud, Nightwish was born a healthy colt in the spring of 2000, going on to have two fruitless trials, running all but last in both. Once it was evident the handsome grey gelding was too slow for a career as a racehorse, his journey towards show jumping began.
Nightwish, more affectionately known as Mickey, was both pre-trained and trained on the track by handy show jumping rider Barry Munt. Following Mickey’s two unsuccessful trials, he was retired as a three-year-old gelding and his owners gave him to Barry and his wife Robyn to commence a career as a show jumper.
Barry Munt took Mickey through the grades and went on to win the Amateur Show Jumping Championship at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre. When the time was right, Mickey was sold to young rider Jess Knox, who had great success with him in many Junior Championship events, including winning the Junior Grand Prix at Sydney Royal.
It was six years ago that Clive Reed, a successful show jumper and respected coach, along with his wife, Morya, and son, Conor, came into Mickey’s life, when one of their clients, young rider Erin Buswell, purchased him as her next high-level horse. Erin and Mickey formed a formidable partnership, as the talented gelding had with all his young riders, winning the Junior Grand Prix at Adelaide Royal Show among a host of other titles.
Twenty-year-old Erin has since gone on to become one of Australia’s leading young riders, recently stepping up to World Cup level on her horse Quero Quero — placing in all three of her starts — and winning the Young Rider National Championships at the Australian Jumping titles in November.
Reed’s 17-year-old son Conor is another young show jumper on the rise. Once Erin had progressed, the Buswell family allowed Conor to continue on with Nightwish, which once again proved the perfect combination. He is currently the leading Junior Jumping Horse in South Australia. Last year Mickey won the SA Junior Country Championships, SA State Indoor Championships and was selected in the SA State team at the SA State Jumping Championships. He was also runner-up in the SA Junior Horse of the Year in 2017 (to Conor’s other horse).
Conor Reed riding Nighwish
© Racing Victoria
In exciting news, it has recently been announced that the now 18-year-old Mickey is the 2018 SA Junior Jumping Horse of the Year, with the award set to be presented in early 2019. Mickey has an impressive record with his young riders, having competed at the Australian Jumping Championships titles with all three them — Jess, Erin & Conor — and has won classes at Sydney Royal Show and Adelaide Royal Show.
Mickey is a very special horse to all those involved with him, including his previous owners, who all keep in touch and follow his success.
Clive Reed talks about how special the handsome grey is to his family and all the young riders before him. “He’s still so quirky, if it’s fresh and cold he loves to buck, run and play during his warm-up. All his previous riders have loved his playful nature and embraced it,” Reed says. “He is still so competitive and it’s not often you take him to a show and he doesn’t come home with a prize. He’s a winner and loves it.”
Whilst he doesn’t fit the mould of a typical Warmblood-type show jumper, Mickey’s competitive nature has always given him an edge. “These days he doesn’t come to every show as he is a little older now, but when the truck starts and the other horses get on, he starts to whinny and call out, just to tell us he wants to come too,” laughs Clive. “Now that Mick is 18 he has slowed down a bit, but we love him and he will have a home forever once he decides he’s had enough of showjumping, but he still loves it now, so I can see him having another season yet.”
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