Midas Performance Horses

If you are lucky, once in a lifetime you will own or breed a horse that changes and enriches your life. A horse that loves you unconditionally, gives you 150%, whether asked to or not and leaves you feeling all the richer for having him in your life.

We have been fortunate enough to own such a horse – The Harlequin

He was born in my arms on a very cold, very wet Victorian night in 1985. Sadly we had to put him down on a hot, dry, windy Western Australian morning – also in my arms. It was my final gift of love to my wonderful “Main Man” – the love of my life.(apart from Sharla).

Harlequin, or “Hormones” as he was affectionately known, is well known to many Pinto members, however newer members may know of him through his daughter Midas Simply Irresistable.

There are only about 30 Harlequin children in existence, as we believe in breeding quality rather than quantity, and were very selective as to the mares he covered. Roughly half are Pintos, both here and in the East, with the W.A. bred ones being highly successful: Midas Simply Irresistable, Midas Immortality (dec), Hunterbrook Riverdance, Jessie’s Moonlit Dancer, The Gambler and Marbelyn Park? (Nic) as well as a lovely buckskin & white gelding and two other boys that I do not know the whereabouts of. His solid coloured stock are also successful in their chosen fields, with 2 pony club show jumpers and 4 Royal Show hacks in the East.

As a show horse he was amazing. His extravagant movement and ring presence had to be seen to be believed. His coat colour – blue black and pearlescent white – stood out against his competitors. When he was awarded Champion Partbred Arabian / Arabian Warmblood Entire at the Victorian Arabian Classic, the English judge, Moira Arrowsmith-Brown commented that he came into the ring with the attitude “move over scumbags, this is mine” and she was right because he KNEW he was the best.

Harlequin’s show wins are too numerous to list here – they cover over 60 pages and 16 years and at his final appearance at Perth Royal Show at the ripe old age of 17 he was awarded Supreme Pinto Exhibit with the judge describing him as "an attractive, correct type and a lovely example of his breed". He won at every major “A” class Arabian show that he attended in the Eastern States, from the Victorian Classic to the Queensland Arabian Championships, obtaining his Championship R.O.M at halter in a record 11 months. He was awarded Supreme sashes in Pinto, Arabian Derivative, Led Galloway and Open Breed in 5 States of Australia along with many Championships under saddle and State High Points.

Many of you would remember him “all fired up” in the show ring, yet at home he was a pussy cat – so much so that Sharla began riding him when she was 8 years old.

Losing him completed a horrendous 10 months – in March we lost his son Midas Immortality to colic, three months ago we lost our ethereal mare Midas El Shahwanii at stud, also to colic and now my main man.

Quinny is buried in front of his paddock at Midas and a Harlequin bougainvillea will be planted beside him.

R.I.P my main man – we miss you terribly.

Paris was a 16h bay Thoroughbred mare that we were kindly given in 2004. Although her stock are not excellent race horses, they are however very successful show horses, including the well known hacks Elton & Winbrook Royal Larrakin. In 2005 Paris had a lovely chestnut colt by The Harlequin called Midas Parisian Affair. On the 29th November 2007 Paris had a stunning bay and white tobiano pinto colt to the Harlequin. Sadly she passed away due to a ruptured uterus several hours later. Paris had a lovely soft nature and magnificent movement that has come through to her children.

Aust I.D: 410589    DNA Typed: Y    Family: 18A

1987 Foal

Sire: Let's Go South (CAN)

Dam: Jack's Grey

Shahdii is out of our wonderful old Paint / Pinto mare Buckley Island Lindy who won the hack brood mare at the 1980 Royal Melbourne Show in a class of 5 and by the etherial egyptian legend Ansata El Shahwan. A beautiful bay tobiano with unusual markings, she was a wonderful show horse as a baby before a life threatening leg injury put an end to her show career. As a broodmare she was unsurpassed producing 6 truly amazing foals.

El Shafak Noel (dec) a bay tobiano 3/4 arabian colt tragically killed as a weanling, Midas El Shahwanii (named after her illustrious grand sire) a beautiful grey tobiano mare by the Dresden son Abdul Karim Ibn Dresden, who was a two time reserve state champion, Midas Lord of the Rings, a successful bay tobiano 3/4 arabian stallion by the arabian Crystal Chandalier,who is a successful show horse and sire now owned by Janet Barton, Midas Immortality(dec), an amazing bay tobiano colt by The Harlequin who was a multi state champion as a youngster and Champion Pinto Stallion at Perth Royal as a 2yro, Midas Eternity, Immortality's true black full sister, as yet unshown and her final gift, Midas Shahdii Arleccino, a bay tobiano colt also by the Harlequin. 

A wonderful showhorse and broodmare, she will be sadly missed.

 (DEC)  On Friday the 25th of April 2008 this wonderful old gentleman suffered a massive stroke and could not get up, leaving us no choice but to put him down at the ripe old age of 30. Rat, as he was affectionately (and not so affectionately) known was the first horse bred by the stud when we were based in Victoria. His sire was the legendary grey and white Australian Pony Allambie Phantom and his lovely dam was a bay partbred arab mare, Aloha Tamri, a daughter of Talaquah Talik.

He grew into a stunning grey and white gelding standing 14.3 3/4h.h., a  galloway with the movement of a 16 hander and was without doubt the most intelligent horse I have ever known.

From the day he was born Rat was a challenge,  escaping from the foaling barn, leaving his distraught dam to run with our old mare K.P.Prairie Moon and her friends.

As a show horse he was legendary and a real ham. Over the years he has won many Champion both led and ridden in Pinto, galloways and Australian Stock Horse classes. His wins would take dozens of pages but some that stick in my mind are placing in the large galloway at Melbourne Royal (when colour was NOT accepted), winning 3 National Championships, and several High Point awards with the Victorian Pinto Society.

I have many fond memories of the old deviat creating havoc. When we lived in Nar Nar Goon he was stabled and the foals used to stand under the eaves in the winter. Rat would delight in grabbing their rugs and lifting the poor babies off the ground. I always knew by the frightened screams what he was up to and after yelling at him to "let them go you old shit" would always see the victim flying past after being released.

Another strong memory is of St Arnaud Show where he was judged in the A.S.H. classes by Bill Roycroft. After sashing him, Mr Roycroft stood in front of Rat rubbing his ears and asked why I had called him Rat. He soon found out as when he went to move away the old reprobate had chewed the bottom part of his tie and nearly choked him as he backed away.

Rat represented The Vic Pinto Society several times in the Moomba Parade and one time sticks in my memory. A man on stilts walked up to him and patted him on the head saying "good horsey". Rat's response...grabbing his trousers and pulling them down to his level. Absolutely hillarious!

Rat's specialty was the Pinto Costume and those that knew him will never forget him charging with the sabre drawn in the Australian Light Horse uniform or doing an elegant workout in the spannish outfit.

I miss my old mate very very much and will always remember him with a smile and a laugh. He was a legend in his own lifetime....and he knew it!

An etherial grey and white 3/4 arabian Pinto mare, Elle as she was known, was out of our beloved old dragon Hafil Shahdii (Ansata El Shahwan (imp U.S.A.) x Buckley Island Lindy)by a grey purebred arabian colt we owned, Abdul Karim Ibn Dresden ( Dresden (imp U.S.A.) x Al Marta Bint Karim).

Exquisitely bred, stunning to look at and with amazing movement, she was seldom shown as she unfortunately coloured out extremely early. Her best performance was a Reserve Champion Senior over 14h at a Pinto State Show when judged by a french arabian judge after being pulled in from the paddock because Simply Irresistable had injured herself four days before the show.

We sadly lost Elle after sending her out to stud, where she died from Colic. Losing Elle was a massive blow for the Stud as she would have produced some stunning babies. R.I.P. our beautiful lady.We miss you.

Born on New Years Day 1991, 'Tammy' had a rough start. When I purchased her grandmother "Kiah Park Prairie Moon", I gave her owner a service to our stallion "O'll Barney" for her daughter "Sapphire Souix". Tammy was the result of that mating. When her dam died two weeks after foaling, I was given the foal. Tam has always been an easy horse right from the start. She drank from the bucket easily and attached herself to 'Rat' (Kiah Park Bandolero) as her dummy. Showing sparingly as a youngster, she never came home without a ribbon. However she hit her peak as a mature mare. Many times she came home with Champion Pinto Mare, Champion Stock Horse Mare and Champion Led Galloway Mare. Seldom shown under saddle, she did however never leave the ring without a ribbon. As a broodmare she was fantastic. She produced the following:   *"Kiah Park Tamarsha" - blood bay tobiano mare, by 'Kiah Park Ulysses' *"Kiah Park Talasman" - black tobiano gelding, by 'Kiah Park Ulysses' *"Marblyn Park Tameeka" (dec) - chestnut tobiano mare, by 'Chipolata' (TB) while on lease to Joc Moxon *"Midas Touch" - chestnut colt, by 'Top Lunch' (TB).  Since arriving in W.A., Tam has only been lightly shown but some of her wins are as follows:  # Supreme Pinto - Darling Range Breed Show 1995 # Champion Pinto Mare - York Ag Show  # Supreme Australian Stock Horse - Orange Grove Breed Show (at 23 years young)  # Reserve Champion Mare over 14h (to Midas Simply Irresistable) at the 2002 and 2003 Pinto State Show (at 23!) # Champion Galloway Ridden by and Adult (Michelle Harris) - 2003 Pinto State Show # 3rd Pinto Mare over 14h - 2003 Perth Royal Show. Always special, 'Tammy' is my girl and I am her biggest fan.Now 27 she is fully retired.

Born on the 16th of September 1979, Star is a pretty bay pony mare standing a petite 13.3h. Her sire was the legendary grey and white A.P.S.B.  stallion Allambie Phantom and her dam was Kiah Park Tangi, the 1979 Victorian Pinto Society State Champion Broodmare.

At her first show Star caught the judges eye for a first ribon and she continued to do so....never winning anything but a blue ribbon in her events at Ag Shows  and breed shows in Victoria , even when pregnant with "The Harlequin". She won Champion Open Pony mare at 6 of her 7 shows. Not a bad record.

Since coming to WA she has only been shown twice, both at Pinto State Shows , where she was Champion Appendix mare on both occasions, the last at the grand old age of 24!

As a broodmare she only produced 3 foals, all colts. Her first was my wonderful man, The Harlequin, her next was still born and her last was a black colt whom we named Midas Phantom of The Opera.

 We sadly lost our "old dragon" at the ripe old age of 29 when she had a massive heart attack..RIP old lady, go join your beautiful son  and all your old mates in Trapalanda. heaven for horses.