March 2025

A Royal Show to Remember for our boutique Stud
5 Broad Sashes at the 2025 Royal Canberra Show

Melody Park Top Adonis made his Royal show debut in the Led at the 2025 Royal Canberra Show, beautifully prepared by Michael Gates to be awarded the Supreme Champion Riding Pony Exhibit and the Champion Part Bred Welsh Colt/Stallion. Top Adonis has the most beautiful shape with effortless movement, so beautiful across the ground, his attributes really stood out! We are very excited about the future of this colt. This was the second year in a row our stud has won the Supreme Champion Riding Pony Exhibit at the Royal Canberra Show. Last year it was with our gorgeous Melody Park Heavens Beauty.

Melody Park Top Adonis

Melody Park Royal Symphony

Melody Park Royal Symphony, we haven’t seen this girl since we sold her as a 2yo to Tasmania, she was sold from Tasmania to Sarah Young a few years ago and I was so excited to see how this beautiful mare has matured, Sarah has the mare looking a treat and I cant wait to see what the future holds. She really has matured into a beautiful elegant mare that covers the ground in a beautiful soft way! Very excited to see this mare with some miles under her belt, I am sure she has a big future ahead! Melody Park Royal Symphony won the Led Galloway Mare class and was sashed Reserve Champion Led Saddle Pony at her first Royal Canberra Show.

Last not but least our little pocket rocket from the Heavens Family. This family of ponies needs no introduction – Melody Park Heavens Empire is from a family of Royal Show Champions and his grand mother LJS Heavens above was one of the most highly decorated ponies to grace the show ring winning many Royal Show Champions and his father Royalwood Boy Soprano has certainly stamped him with the Boy Soprano type. Melody Park Heavens Empire was sashed the Reserve Champion Open Pony Hack and Reserve Champion Childs Pony at the Royal Canberra Show. Heavens Empire is still young and adds another Broad Royal Sash to his already decorated list of awards. Heavens Empire is owned by Kellie Withers and Emma Richardson and boy did he land into a sensational home.

Melody Park Heavens Empire

I would like to personally thank the owners and handlers of our beautiful Babies for flying the Melody Park Flag high. It takes a village of blood sweat and tears to compete at this level but to see horses bred here at Melody Park in the winning circle time and time again makes me very proud. It is also nice to see the ponies looking so happy and impeccable manners, it really cements in my mind the start I give them and the hours of handling they get sets them up to handle the pressures when they leave here!

March 2024

Melody Park Royal Silouette adds another Grand National title to her short but highly decorated show career, this year going one better Winning the 2024 Grand National Small Galloway Champion!

One of my hardest decisions as a horse owner and breeder was to part with this young mare! To see her give her owner Georgie Matheson and the English Judge – a beautiful soft ride was the icing on the cake for me as her breeder. Having watched Belle be born and having started Belle under saddle after she was broken by the insanely talented Richard Connell Equestrian Chevallum – to see her Win such a prestigious event makes me so proud.

Thank you to Georgie and Greg Matheson for giving Belle the home I hoped and dreamed for her. To see you guys out there carrying the Melody Park flag high certainly was something very special and a memory that will last forever!

February 2024

What a thrill, What a Memory to treasure!

Melody Park Heavens Beauty You are a Star!

First Royal Show
Supreme Inhand Riding Pony Exhibit – 2024 Royal Canberra Show.
An incredibly special pony to me! With a very famous show pony pedigree, featuring 2 of my all time favorite mares Royalwood Merry Music and LJS Heavens Above. I use to watch in their day and dream of owning something as beautiful as them.
To think I have a filly to carry on with, featuring both these amazing mares is a dream come true!

June 2023

What a Star!

Melody Park Royal Silouette is named 2023 Runner Up Grand National Small Galloway.

12 months ago I handed over the reins of a horse I never thought I would part with, but the right person came along. Loads and loads of tears and she was on her way. Seeing Belle 12 months later at Sydney’s Premier Event the 2023 Show Horse Grand National there was more tears when I made contact with her big soft eyes right before her class.

What a stellar first season this mare has had in the ring at only 5 years old – Some amazing awards to her name after very few starts! Her first crack at a Grand National and to be right up there and called forward as the Runner up Small Galloway – a truly remarkable effort from an outstanding partnership of horse and rider.

I am so thankful to Georgie and Greg Matheson – the perfect family for this perfect horse! To see Belle deliver a smooth soft ride with beautiful even paces for Georgie and the English Judge was truly something else and makes me incredibly proud as her breeder.

February 2023

Melody Park Royal Quartet owned by Mandy Isabele and Blaine

Melody Park Royal Silouette owned by Georgie Matheson

What a moment for our Boutique Stud!

Our First Galloways Bred at Melody Park Win the Double at the recent Victoria Show Horse Council Horse of the Year! Born together in 2017 weaned together in 2018 and went their separate ways to wonderful homes in Victoria.

In 2023 an exciting double win for our small stud – Melody Park Royal Quartet and Melody Park Royal Silouette – Champion and Reserve Park Hack 14-15.2h at the Victorian Show Horse Council Horse of the Year for 2023.

Both sired by the late Royalwood Boy Soprano who certainly Stamped his qualities like no other stallion over the bigger mares to breed the perfect elegant galloway. A big thank you to Joanne Prestwidge for allowing Soprano to be part of our breeding program.

Breeding the perfect horse isn’t always easy but finding the perfect home is even harder and these 2 horses have landed beautiful loving homes that have ensured they both flourish and I so enjoy being part of their journey.

Both only 5 years old with the world at their feet and this is just the beginning of outstanding show careers for this beautiful duo.

Congratulations to all connections what a great win!

: Melody Park Royal Quartet - Reserve Champion Large Galloway Thames International Showdown. Owned in Partnership by Blaine, Mandy and Isabelle

: Melody Park Royal Quartet - Reserve Champion Large Galloway Thames International Showdown

: Melody Park Royal Silouette - Winner of the Thames International Showdown Childs Galloway - Owned by Georgie Matheson

: Melody Park Royal Silouette - Winner of the Thames International Showdown Champion Small Galloway

April 2022

Melody Park Top Glamour with Michael Gates

Melody Park Top Glamour at Sydney Royal

Many years ago I went to view Llanarth Topcat who I had loved in his pictures when he arrived from the UK. I didn’t at the time have a mare to send to Topcat. A few years on the back burner and finally I found the mare that I believed would be a perfect cross.

Chatham Choir of Angels (Royalwood Boy Soprano/TB) was purchased with the view of breeding her to Llanarth Topcat. Vision and foresight and a long wait and the end result was what I had hoped and dreamed of Melody Park Top Glamour. You are something to be very proud of. A very special filly, that just oozes quality and elegance with the most beautiful shape and presence.

She has been produced and shown by the master Michael Gates. Every piece of detail is never missed by Michael and he really made this filly shine on show day. Melody Park Top Glamour attended the Sydney Royal 2022 and was Reserve Champion Riding Pony Mare/Filly. The Ribbon really is just the icing on the cake. To have bred such a filly is one very big achievement for us.

March 2022

Breeding certainly has its ups and downs but when the hours and hours of planning and foresight of the end result delivers something as special as this filly it makes it so rewarding!

Pictured Melody Park Top Glamour by a favourite of mine – Llanarth Topcat out of Chatham Choir of Angels (Royalwood Boy Soprano/TB). To Mature Galloway.

Produced and shown this season to absolute perfection by Michael Gates.

Photographers : Michael Gates Lorelle Mercer Lisa Gordon Angie Rickard

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