Australian Stud Saddle Pony Society

GALLERY OF GREATS

GALLERY OF GREATS

Keith Burges and the story of the

Australian Stud Saddle Pony

Written by Alan Green

Keith Burges finished in the 10th Light Horse back in '42

And compiled his horsemanship and knowledge for the likes of me and you.

He and his old mate Charlie Readhead compiled a little dream of

the ultimate pony to which we had never seen.

The dream was real in a short time

'cos between them they bred them

then in the show ring they were called first in line.

Some years had passed with these ponies in demand

And it wasn't long before they were wanted across the land

Competitors wanted but they were prepared to wait

And it wasn't long before the breed was started in other states

First in South Australia and then in Vic.

Next was Canberra and then New South Wales

And the best was there to pick.

The breed was away, they all wanted to know,

Where to get these ponies that all win at the major shows.

I supposed I was lucky

From Keith I bought a colt

Who won 31 Supremes

That the judges could not fault.

This pony was not only a champion, he was also a freak

Bred by Keith Burges, his name was "Tipperary Shiek".

Back in '85, Keith became very ill

And we thought that he had better write up his will.

For fifteen years he fought for life

And been helped stay alive by his faithful wife.

It was just a year ago that we thought he would throw in the towel

When Doctors had to operate on a cancerous bowel.

We went into the hospital, his good wife and i

And to see him in such pain would make you want to cry.

He just lay there as still as lie the dead

And we waited for the doctor to pull the sheet above his head.

But then to all our surprise,

He opened those Irish eyes

Then without the shed of one lousy tear

He said "Pack my bags Mary and I'm outta here".

He's done his share and lived through pain

And he's back to judge the shows again.

He's a man the Japs could not kill

So you can bet your boots that cancer never will.

So Lord I'm sorry to disappoint you

But he's not ready to go up there.

When he is he'll tell you

'cos down here he's done more than his share

And if it's not too much to ask

Give him the job to judge Australian Stud Saddle Ponies up there!

Couldn't you just imagine Keith chairing a meeting in the Milky Way

And banging the table so he could have HIS SAY!!

But for all of that he has done more than his share

And he knows he's got mates that really do care

Poem written by Alan Green in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Victorian Branch 1976-2001

Charlie Readhead

"The Grand Old Man of Horses"

Pictured above is "Summer Storm", the sire of "Tipperary Shiek" and of many of the Australian Stud Saddle Ponies that formed the basis of the breed in Western Australia.

Keith Burges was educated at Hale School College and was part of the farming family of Burges' of York in Western Australia. The family owned the house called "Tipperary Homestead", where Queen Elizabeth II visited for afternoon tea. He was enlisted to the 10th Light Horse and in 1942 when horse transport was finished, he was a Sergeant in the A.I.F. and as a Commando he served in New Guinea until the end of World War 2. He then went back to farming until his retirement and still lives in York and treats this as base.

He married his wife Mary when she was nineteen. Keith was always a soft touch for a "good looker" so Mary was a gonna'.

Keith was 20 years as R.A.S. Ring Master, Councillor and now a Life Member. He was the town of Meckering President and is a Life Member of the ASSPS and Life Member of the United Horse Breeders, of which only three Life Memberships have ever been awarded. Keith is also a Life Member of the Coradale Society, Dorset Society and the Arabian Society. A chief ring steward and Life Member for 24 years at York Agricultural Show and a very proud member of the R.S.L. and the Freemason Lodge of York.

Keith has already done more in one lifetime that most men could do in three! This however, is only part of a lifetime he has more to give and let's hope it's a lot more. With eight Life Memberships to his credit, it is a record that we all can be proud of and it is a privilege to still have him as a Federal Councillor of the ASSPS.

One of Australia's longest standing Arabian breeders, and arguably the founding breeder in Western Australia was Charles Clarkson Readhead, known to almost everyone as Charlie, who commenced breeding Arabians in 1931. Charlie became a member of the Arab Horse Society (UK), many years before the Australian Society was formed. His name appeared in Volume 5 of the English Stud Book as both a member and a breeder.

Charlie had been involved with horses for almost his entire life. He was born in Geraldton in 1906 into a pioneering family. After finishing his schooling he returned to the family property to work and when he married, he and his wife Marjorie moved to "Melara" at Mingenew. In 1951 the Readheads sold Melara and moved to "Moree" at Muchea. The name Melara was retained for the Arabian Stud.

The first Arabian purchased by Charlie was "Wallad" who was foaled in 1929 and came to him as a yearling from his breeder, the Hon. Winter Coke Murndal of Hamilton, Victoria when he sold out his stud.

Like so many breeders, Charlie began by breeding Partbred Arabians and Anglo Arabians. His first Purebred mare was "Miriam" whose sire was "Nadir" (by Mesaoud imp.) Her dam was "Ranya". At the time of purchase, she was in foal to "Sirdar" (Shahzadax Nejdmieh) and duly produced the filly "Makeda", who went on to breed 11 foals for the "Melara Stud" before drowning in a flood in 1945.

"Melara's" breeding programme was always based on Crabbet blood and Charlie's constant aim was to produce working and saddle Arabians. For many years, Charlie was one of Western Australia's top polo players and he began breeding horses from Arabian stock as they possessed the action and temperament required for stock work, polo, eventing and show jumping. Charlie was also a top three day event competitor. He won every three day event he ever contested in Western Australia, won an event in Melbourne and placed second in Sydney. He and his best horse "Dopey", an anglo-arabian trained under Franz Maringer for the 1960 Rome Olympics, but unfortunately an accident prevented them from competing.

Charles Readhead was the founding breeder of the Australian Stud Saddle Pony. Beginning in the early 1950's he bred a quality saddle pony by mating his Arabian stallions to his pony mares. He taught many children, including his daughter Judy, to ride on these ponies. They went into open competition and proved themselves capable of holding their own in hacking, dressage, jumping, novelties and eventing.

In 1969, at the suggestion of Keith Burges, Charlie decided to attempt to fix the type of pony he had been breeding and establish a new saddle pony breed. In 1970 Keith and Charlie called a meeting of interested people to establish a breeders organisation. The new breed was originally called the W.A. Stud Saddle Pony but quickly gained acceptance in South Australia and so the name was changed to the Australian Stud Saddle Pony. The basis of the breed is Arabian and pony blood, but as the aim is to produce a pony and not a small Arabian, the Arabian blood in these ponies is limited to two crosses.

Charlie was named as a life member of the A.H.S.A. and the Western Australian Division. He was also made a life member of the Australian Stud Saddle Pony Society, the South Midlands Pony Club, and was a life councillor of the Equestrian Federation of Australia (W.A. Branch) and the R.A.S. of Western Australia.

Due to ill-health in the early 1980's, Charlie began to disperse his stud. His beloved Arabians found homes with many Arabian enthusiasts in Western Australia and other states.

All Arabian horse breeders and owners and well as other fraternities beyond the Arabian scene owe a huge debt of gratitude to a true grand old man of horses

** More coming soon!!