Client Spotlight – Alan and Annette Williamson

Ida Valley in Central Otago is famous for vast landscapes and breathtaking beauty, extreme winters and summers, and its rich gold mining history.

For harness racing breeders Alan and Annette Williamson, it’s now producing their own kind of gold.

Alan and Annette with Cheeky Joe

The couple live and farm stock in the valley, on land that has been in Alan’s family for four generations.

Their passion for pedigrees across all stock and animal welfare has followed in the footsteps of those there before them.

“The farm has been in our family since 1928, and my children are running it now, so they are the fourth generation.”

“We have had a family history of elite stock breeding. My grandfather had quite a big Southdown sheep stud in the 1930s, and he bred dogs as well, so that sort of flows through the generations.”

“I always knew I wanted to be a farmer, I couldn’t wait to get out of school and get into it. And when Annette and I started farming part of the farm in the 1980s we had an opportunity to establish a Perendale sheep stud. We ventured into breeding crosses, and had stud stock sheep for 36 years.”

“In 2018 our eldest daughter went into dairy farming after she left school. She came back to the farm, got married and had a young family and I was a bit keen to convert some of the farm into a milking platform.”

“The farm had grown over the years, so we now have about half of the farm converted into a milking platform and we raise all the calves that we have and take them through. So it works well as some of the farm isn’t really suitable for dairy.”

Remarkably the family also had ties to dairy farming in the Ida Valley as far back as the 1920s.

“My grandfather’s brother actually milked cows back in the 20’s at the southern end of the valley. He was on a wee block before the irrigation was done, and was in a low lying area with about 30 cows. And that was for all the local town supply.”

“We’ve been very fortunate to have all of that family history and experience farming this land, my father was always able to help me through different weather events and it was really reassuring to have all of his knowledge and experience that has now been passed down to us.”

Horses also have always had a big part of the Williamson family heritage.

“When my grandfather bought the property he actually bred what they called quarter horses back then, which were quarter Clydesdale and used at stock horses.”

“My father did get involved in breaking those horses in too. He had three nice mares and he would breed off them from time to time. He did keep the good ones himself.”

“But as they were selling these horses, sometimes broken sometimes unbroken, my father, who was only 17 or 18-years-old then, would get approached to break them in for the buyers.”

“My grandfather wasn’t too impressed by that,” laughed Alan. “He thought it was double dipping, but they buyers wouldn’t hear of not paying for the service to have them broken in.”

Alan’s grandfather also became known for his animal welfare values, and his expertise was sought after by locals.

“There weren’t many vets around at that time. So his interest and knowledge with animal health, particularly with horses, was much needed by local farmers for their stock. He became known as a bit of a layman’s vet in the area.”

Racing has always been an interest for Alan and Annette.

After enjoying ownership involvement with syndicates locally in the past, it was a connection with Nigel Armstrong and Westview Racing that reignited the racing spark and breeding dream again for the couple in recent years.

“Annette was in the Westview syndicate that raced Madam Sass with Nigel and Brenda,” Alan explained.

“We would often try and get to her races and really enjoyed meeting the people in the syndicate. There were people there from all walks of life and it was nice to talk about other things other than farming,” Alan laughed.

“When she retired from racing after winning two races, Nigel and Brenda bred from her (that foal being Stormbreaker). And I had taken a bit of an interest in the stallion catalogue and looking at sires I thought could be a potential for her.”

“When I asked Nigel if he was breeding from her he said they weren’t really that keen to that season. So I asked him if we might be able to breed from her, and he thought that was a great idea because it was one less horse he had to pay for and look after,” laughed Alan.

They now take turns at breeding from Madam Sass, and the first foal Alan and Annette bred was Mumsdawitch by Royal Aspirations (1 win to date.)

Initially they had wanted to syndicate her to race, but Nigel and Brenda at that point had horses already placed into syndication with their owners.

“We panicked a bit, as we had kind of been counting on syndicating her, not racing her ourselves.”

After deciding to bite the bullet and race her themselves with some friends, they set about finding suitable a trainer.

“We approached Phil Williamson about training for us, but he had explained he was winding back his numbers and put us on to Matty (Williamson).”

After finishing fifth on debut at Addington as a two-year-old, Mumsdawitch did not take long to record the first win for herself and her breeders.

As a two-year-old she won at her second start at Ascot Park in December of last year, and has also placed second since at Addington.

“Her name is a nod to the Witches Syndicate, and we were so thrilled to have her be our first winner.”

Matty Williamson trains for the couple, and they have built a great relationship with him and the wider Williamson family.

“Matty’s really honest, he won’t give us false hope or lead us on with the horses. He’ll give us reports like ‘she does nothing wrong,’ which in our books is all good because we know that’s good report from him,” laughed Alan.

After breeding from Madam Sass the broodmare band began to grow.

Alan and Annette started actively looking for mares to breed from, and added some quality bloodlines to their stock.

They leased Elegant As from Paul Pearce, who is a Wrightson stock agent in Gore and Alan had dealt with for years, and put her in foal.

The Rocknroll Hanover mare hails from the infamous Tuapeka lines of Father Dan Cummings.

The next year Paul advised he wanted to sell the mare, so she joined the Williamson team permanently.

“She’s produced our best sales result so far, we got $40,000 for her Bettor’s Wish colt, Handsome As.”

Alan and Annette have bred Cheeky Joe (by Ultimate Sniper) from Elegant As, who they race from Matty Williamsons stable in their ownership. And also Ultimate Machete and Always B Miki fillies from the mare.

Cheeky Joe had raced before a paddock injury set him back, and will return to work in a few months.

Other mares the couple breed from include: Mercandante, a daughter of Pocaro; who has left winners in The Merc and Massive Merc with previous breeder Alan Clark, and has two foals on the ground for the Williamsons now and one on the way.

They also have Taylor Kate, an Artsplace mare out of Black Maire, making her a half-sister to the legendary Lauraella, Kruizir and Estilo.

Make Way For Glory is a daughter of prolific producer Breath Of Life, a full-sister to Fight For Glory and Power N Glory, and half-sister to GI Joe, Aiming For Glory and Hoping For Glory.

Other broodmares include Katys Art (out of Katy Perry), Lady Godiva and Shake It Up Sister, who they share breeding turns with Nigel and Brenda with.

The selling of their stock through the sales is part of their breeding plan to sustain it going forward, however a flux of fillies has not always been a help in that department.

“We haven’t had a lot of luck with getting colts, we’ve had eight fillies and two colts from the last ten mares we have bred. So not being able to sell colts has created a bit of financial pressure.”

“But this year we have entered two colts and two fillies in the sales, and they all have strong pedigrees. Including a filly out of Madam Sass by Tactical Approach.”

Stallion selection is key, with their own study supported by opinions they trust helping to make the choices.

“I also have got to know John Dunn really well, through the Westview syndicate and Nigel and Brenda.”

“John has been a wonderful help for us when we have been looking at stallions for the mares, as he has the connection with Dexter in the States and knows a lot about what is happening up there.”

“He’s been able to guide me to stallions that aren’t too hot headed, as we have been wanting to avoid that for our mares. We really appreciate all the help he’s given us.”

“He told us have to have a look at Bird Parker, who I had never actually looked at with the European pedigree. So we talked to Louise at Yabby Dam Farms and she was able to help us get Mercadante to him this season.”

Years of breeding exceptional quality sheep through their stud, has flowed through now to how they view their equine bloodstock.

“We are always trying to improve on what we have. And looking through pedigrees we try and select those that are going to improve on our mares, but the advice we get is always a bit help in that.”

“It is always hard trying to predict who is going to be flavour of the month in two years time, but that’s all part of it.”

With the help of local horse enthusiast Bridget Emmerson, and good friend Russell Nevill, Alan and Annette have learned how to foal and wean their horses at home.

Russell and Alan have actually been ‘curling cobbers’ for years, participating in the winter sport together for three decades. They were victorious together in the New Zealand two day outdoor bonspiel in 2012. It was only the second time their Poolburn Club had won the competition.

With busy lives on the farm, and a smaller resource base for expert equine care in their area, Alan and Annette have entrusted their mares and breeding needs to Wai Eyre Farm.

“We used to use the boxes at Omakau Racecourse for weaning and early education, that was before we converted one of our woolsheds into suitable indoor areas for the mares and foals. We have three boxes and an indoor area where the foals can be taught to lead and all that under cover.”

“And while we did foal a number here at home initially, we had some bad luck in losing a foal and then the mare soon after with complications. We had utilised local vet care, and whilst they had extensive horse knowledge, the breeding side was something they weren’t really that experienced with. We were having trouble getting some mares in foal at home too.”

“So we then decided we had invested too much to take a chance, and that’s when we started our relationship with Wai Eyre Farm.”

“The mares now go there to foal and be served, and then we bring them back home.”

It’s a very long trip from Ida Valley, around seven hours each way, and Alan has converted a float to be able to transport two mares and their foals back from the stud.

“It is a bit of a journey, especially with a loaded float, but it’s worth it for the care we get for the horses.”

“Having Wai Eyre Farm support us has made a huge difference to. It’s taken a lot of the stress out of it. We’d be stuffed without Wai Eyre,” Alan explained.

Despite the financial stresses of breeding and the heartbreak that can come with bad luck and injury, there are many reasons why Alan and Annette choose to keep going.

“Without a doubt the best part about being a breeder in harness racing is the people,” Alan enthused.

“We’ve met people from all walks of life, through syndicates, breeding, racing and being involved in racing clubs. It allows us to take time away from being busy on the farm, and just be harness racing fans amongst people who love it as well.”

“I also really love working with the young stock, I’ve learned a lot over the last three or four years. I think I’m improving,” he laughed.

Their goals are modest, yet full of ambition as breeders as well.

“Of course we’d love to breed a great horse. But we are just happy being able to sell them where we can, race the ones we have and just take it as it comes.”

“The experience of breeding and the highs and lows that come with it keeps us realistic about our goals, we just love our horses and enjoy the journeys with them.”