Agricultural
19 August, 2024
Training Arabian horses for Arabia
“There’s no point taking coal to Newcastle” is an old saying that seems appropriate for what young Ramsay horse trainer Ben Hoey has accomplished as he regularly trains Australian bred Arabian horses for export to rich owners in Arabia.
The Hoey family is well known on the Downs as expert horsemen across a variety of disciplines such as Polocrosse, Polo and Endurance Riding and Ben is continuing this proud tradition.
He established his Paramount Equine Services on his parents’ property in Ramsay only three years ago and already trains horses for owners from as far away as Gheerulla Performance Horses at Kenilworth and local Arabian horse breeders such as Rod Strahan’s Shardell Arabian Stud at Hirstglen.
In years past horsemen who trained unbroken horses to accept a rider were called “breakers” but today because of new training methods this term is no longer appropriate as the modern horse trainer works with the horse rather than trying to force the horse to accept a rider.
Ben has quickly found his services are very much in demand and his stables are normally full of horses undergoing his training.
While Ben accepts all varieties of horses for training he has quickly established a reputation among Arabian horse breeders who use his services for Arabian horses often bound for export to Arabia.
Arabian horses have gained a deserved reputation as the ultimate endurance horse but are also used for dressage and a variety of equine sports.
The roots of the Arabian horse can be traced back 3500 years on the Arabian peninsula where they were used as work horses.
The Arabian developed in a desert climate and was prized by the nomadic Bedouin people, often being brought inside the family tent for shelter and protection from theft.
Selective breeding for traits, including an ability to form a cooperative relationship with humans, created a horse breed that is good-natured, quick to learn, and willing to please.
Many of the Arabian horses trained by Ben have been bought by Arabian owners from Australian breeders and Ben prepares the horse before it is flown overseas to its new home in the Middle East.
Testament to Ben’s skills as a horseman and endurance rider is that normally part of the purchase contract for the horse requires it to have successfully participated in an official endurance race in Australia and Ben is most often the rider chosen for that event.
Ben decided at an early age he wanted a career training horses and at the tender age of eleven he trained his first horse to accept a rider, then as a teenager he worked for several years under Allora horse trainer Paul Moody before establishing his own business at Ramsay.
Arabians are only one part of Ben’s business as training thoroughbreds is proving increasingly in demand with yearlings newly purchased at the Magic Millions sales on the Gold Coast often coming direct from the auction to Ben’s training facility where prepares them for life as a race horse.
Whether he’s working with a thoroughbred or Arabian breed Ben Hoey has impressed clients with his patience and skilful method of training and is now an important part of the Darling Downs equine industry.
Important historical figures who rode Arabian horses:
Napoleon Bonaparte : Marengo
Alexander the Great: Bucephalus
George Washington: Magnolia
