About Us
Ross and Mel Smith
Anyone who has evented at an upper level in the United States, Uk or Europe knows the importance of having an elite athlete as your equine partner - and the difficulty associated with finding that partner! It can be a frustrating exercise, and you have every right to be fussy! No one wants to settle for second best. Riders are simply not going to be in the hunt without a competitive horse.
You are probably wondering how someone in New Zealand (NZ) could possibly find you an elite performance horse? Let me tell you a little more about us.
Ross . . .
My mother, Judith Smith, represented New Zealand in Showjumping, and my father, Bruce, was a farrier, so needless to say, my training in all things equine began almost before I could walk. Naturally, I knew at a very young age that I wanted to work with horses. I trained as a farrier and found no shortage of work. At one stage I was shoeing up to 120 horses a week, as well as pursuing my passion for eventing and showjumping. AND I was breaking in 50 to 70 horses a year.
Working and Competing in America
In 1997, I had the good fortune to meet Jill Weaver of San Luis, O Bisbo who bought several of my horses. After some extensive conversations, she invited me to come to the United States to work and compete. Always wanting to expand my knowledge and horsmanship skills, I jumped at the opportunity.
I took one of my own horses to event and ended up staying for three years. Every week I was competing in Eventing and Showjumping. The highlight came just weeks before my return to NZ - a win in the Lone Star Challenge in Dallas, Texas.
During my time in the United States, I was able to see first hand what international riders wanted in their mounts - and the difficulty in finding the right one. This knowledge allowed me to use my extensive contacts in Australia and New Zealand to find horses I was certain would appeal to international buyers.
Mel . . .
Is passionate about business - in particular, horse business!
Like Ross, I was horse crazy from a very young age and learnt to ride horses on my grandparents dairy farm - bareback of course! The passion and enthusiasm only grew from there - horses are still one of my true loves.
My parents have always owned companies and I was very blessed to have been taught first hand many things about operating successful businesses. This was the basis for my second passion - a successful business conducted with honesty and integrity, key ingredients to a good reputation. Ross and I pride ourselves on maintaining our reputation for supplying top quality New Zealand horses. Having our name associated with any horse that we represent means we recognise that horse to be a good quality athlete, with the ability to be placed with a suitable buyer.
Lets face it, the horse industry can be a very tough marketplace. Be assured that NZ Horses.com matches a horse to rider to the very best of our ability. Read our testimonials, we are confident we do our job very well!
Elite Performance Horses
Today there have been many successful horses sold through NZ Horses.com. Some of them are well known :
Woodburn - ridden by Phillip Dutton
Frodo Baggins - ridden by Lainey Ashker
Ying Yang Yo - ridden by Boyd Martin
Foxdale Royal Venture - ridden by Kim Severson
Oliver Edgecombe - ridden by Kim Severson
The Mistress II
Waikura - ridden by Gary Rourke
Kirby Park Jamaica
Scribble - ridden by Hilda Hick- Donahue
Bad Boy Billy - ridden by Ralph Hill
Falcon Flight - ridden by Clark Montgomery
Governaire - ridden by Christa Gandolfo
Open Secret - ridden by Grace Van Dyke
Rafferty's Rules - ridden by Adrienne Classen
Hail - ridden by Natalia Gurmankin
Think Big
It's a Knock Out - ridden by Phillip Dutton and Shannon Stimson
NZ Enterprise
NZ Endevour
NZ Promise - ridden by Elizabeth O'Connor
NZ Tiggy - Glynes Roth
Winter Gingko
Klimax - ridden by Werner Geven
- Vettori - Stuart Tinney - Australia
New Zealand's Performance Horses
New Zealand has a long and proud history in horse breeding and training. Many of the finest bloodlines from Europe and America were imported by settlers last century. Make no mistake - many NZ horses have quality bloodlines and outstanding ability. New Zealanders admire toughness, durabilty and courage - all ideal qualities to take into competition.
So why not consider an NZ horse?
If you have been looking for that special horse, browse through our current listings, or please contact us with your particular needs. We are able to source a horse unique to you.
- We are experienced in exporting horses, making the shipping process easy and hassle free.
- New Zealand's lack of infectious diseases means quarantining is only 2 days. An international buyer could have one of our horses at their door in a week.
- We source horses from all over New Zealand and Australia, searching a large and diverse field.
- We supply professional, extensive DVD's of any horses that we think might meet your needs.
- We organise viewing trips for clients that wish to see suitable horses first hand.
Take a look at our testimonial page. As you can see, there are plenty of buyers happy to vouch for the quality of our horses.
I believe my long involvement with horses (more than 25 years), combined with my overseas experience and extensive contacts put me in a strong position to service overseas clients. We'd love to hear from you.
Ross and Mel
