by Kim F. Miller
The Gallop: Helen and Duncan On The Move
New Zealand’s gain is West Coast’s loss as show jumping couple prepares to move.
Grand Prix show jumpers Duncan McFarlane and Helen McNaught had been thinking of moving to New Zealand for some time. But the sale of Duncan’s main mount, Mr. Whoopy, to Saer Coulter in January, and the retirement of Helen’s longtime mount, Caballo, last fall, made now seem as good a time as any.
They’ll finish out the hunter/jumper circuit at Thermal, return home to their Outwoods Farm base in the East Bay Area’s Castro Valley and continue contesting the Northern California scene with their clients and young and sales horses while making the final preparations for a move that will likely happen in late summer. The move takes Duncan back to his native New Zealand, which he left for the States in 1980. Helen hails from England originally, but moved around Europe before settling in the States in 2000. After several years as professional and personal partners, they wed at a small ceremony at HITS Thermal last year and will embark on this new chapter together. A Mr. Whoopy baby will tag along, as will Caballo, who’ll enjoy an outdoorsy, green grass lifestyle that suits both Duncan and Helen’s preferences for how horses should live. Unfortunately, the high cost of horse keeping and developing young horses has contributed to Helen and Duncan’s pending departure. Duncan’s adamant that he’s not complaining, but notes that, the way things are going in U.S. show jumping, it’s increasingly tough to make it as a professional rider and horse trainer. “I’m not bitching,” he emphasizes. “But times are changing. What we have here is a lot of very good professionals teaching very wealthy juniors and amateurs.” Developing and campaigning young horses
in New Zealand is still a relatively affordable endeavor, Duncan explains. Land is cheaper and more plentiful and most shows are run by volunteers and staged with a low-key, community feel. Competitions are family-oriented affairs and the season doesn’t run all year, providing horses and people a nice break.
With semen easily importable from anywhere in the world, breeding youngsters is just as easy in New Zealand as it is here, and putting show miles on them is cheap.
Of course, if Helen and Duncan develop another
www.cactushorsecorrals.com 10 California Riding Magazine | March 2014 |
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Mr. Whoopy, with his international potential, they’ll incur big travel bills to prepare him for the highest-level international competition, but that part is true for Stateside horses, too.
continued on pg 12
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