Graeme Hart: Golden Kiwi

Claire Wilson catches up with one of the most successful and visionary show jumping breeders in New Zealand, Graeme Hart of Fernhill Stud

Graeme at home with some of his lovely youngsters (Kampic)

In the prizegiving line-up at pretty much any jumping show around New Zealand, you will find a horse with the ‘Kiwi’ prefix. The most famous of them all is Dunstan Kiwi Iron Mark, who with rider Katie Laurie convincingly won the World Cup series in the 2014-2015 season, then went on to compete at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas. He then came home to a second wonderful career as a schoolmaster in the show hunter and show jumping rings for his owner, June Berrington.

But let’s not forget Mark’s hugest supporter, his breeder Graeme Hart. Graeme is the man behind Fernhill Stud, a family-operated sporthorse breeding facility, situated on the outskirts of Hastings, Hawke’s Bay.

I have known Graeme for many years, but this interview was the perfect opportunity to dig up a few breeding secrets!

How many horses have you bred?

I really don’t know, but maybe up to eight a year for about 20 years.

Is your love of breeding hereditary?

I guess so! My father, Alan Hart, bred a few ponies. And my grandfather, Charlie O’Reilly, bred draught horses. 

What was the main reason why you started breeding show jumpers?

I learned that jumping talent was inherited.

Who was the first horse you ever bred?

Showtime, who was sold to Ray Schofield, and was successful at pony club champs.

Who has been the best horse you have ever bred?

Kiwi Ironmark. And the special thing about this horse is that I bred both his sire and dam. His sire, Kiwi Ironclad, was by Ironclad out of a Kiwi Gold mare. And the dam, Kiwi Lass, was also by Kiwi Gold, so Mark has Kiwi Gold blood on both sides. 

Another top horse would be Donnybrooke who won the HOY puissance in 1988 and was sold to Phillip Smith from South Africa, who placed third in the Royal Windsor Grand Prix and was selected to compete at the World Equestrian Games. 

Also, Molly Bennett and Kiwi Brave had considerable success at the top level both nationally and internationally.

Kiwi Ironmark competing in Las Vegas with Katie Laurie

Tell me about your foundation sire, Kiwi Gold

He was by Golden Gamble, who was out of a full-sister to Rifleman, who was very successful with John Cottle. And he was out of Cherokee, which made him a half-brother to Tony Webb’s superstar, Reservation. I competed Kiwi Gold and he won the North Island B-Grade Championship as a 6YO. He had a perfect jumping technique and hated to touch rails. He lacked scope, so we always tried to breed scope into his foals with the right matings.

When breeding a superstar, in your opinion, what percentage of brilliance comes from the dam?

Sixty per cent. I free-school my youngsters and generally keep the best fillies to breed from.

What characteristics are the most important in a show jumper?

I go by the 5 Ts! Talent, technique, trainability, type and traceability (ie. bloodlines)

It’s all about talent, technique, trainability, type and bloodlines for Graeme (Kampic)

Is there any one thing that you look for in a young horse’s conformation when trying to identify a future champion?

No, more often than not, the freak jumpers still have conformation faults. All I look at is their jump!

How often are top full-brothers and -sisters as good as each other?

Not often! Just look at children in different families: all kids have different characteristics even when they have the same breeding and upbringing.

In your opinion, how many horses will make it to the top?

Maybe only 5%, but the great thing about New Zealand is that we can still place the other 95% in the right home, where they can be superstars in their own world. Look at Kiwi Lansing, and how he is going with Lorina Dolman – he is in the best hands and was virtually unbeatable in the 7YO series and then in the Pro-Amateur series. The same can be said for 2011 Young Rider Horse of the Year title winner, Matthew Dickey’s Kiwi Guard. Logan Massie’s Kiwi Ludo won the Junior HOY class in 2011 and then the Young Rider in 2012 then went on to compete with him in Europe. Also, Kiwi Trick with Bridget de Barre, and Kiwi Relic with Maurice Beatson have had national honours!

Kiwi Lansing with Lorina Dolman (Kampic)
Kiwi Ludo with Logan Massie

I understand that you were proud when Kiwi Motto beat Dunstan Delphi at the Young Horse Breeders Show, as a 4YO!

Yes, we often laugh about this! You see, Dunstan Delphi went on to be one of the top show jumping horses in the world. But Kiwi Motto is also a true champion in his main discipline of show hunter, with Chloe Hansen [nee Akers], winning the HOY title four years in a row from 2010 to 2014, and the University series in show jumping from 2012-2014. It is all about placing them in the right hands!

Kiwi Motto with Chloe Hansen, is a multi-champion in the hunter ring

It seems like you have been heavily involved with show jumping as a volunteer all your life. Where did that all start?

I got my heavy traffic licence when I was 17 and my first job was to cart our jumps to the Napier Park Racing Club to have a show jumping practice day for our Junior Horse Society. I have been on various committees ever since as a volunteer.

You created the Young Horse Breeders’ Champs, are you happy with how this show is developing young horses?

I was chairman of the Horse Development Sub-Committee that set up the Young Horse Breeders’ Champs, and yes, I am astounded with how well it has worked. Different people have stepped in to run it, which has been great – but I have been on every committee since the show started in 1996. I am so, so happy that the Hawke’s Bay SJ group has taken it on for the last couple of years!

You also dreamt up the age-group series classes and it is interesting to see that the Kiwi horses always seem to dominate these. What have been some of the personal highlights for you?

My son, Ashley, won the 7YO title at HOY on both Kiwi Currency and Kiwi Thunder. He has also ridden Kiwi Cash, Kiwi Haka, Kiwi Motto and Kiwi Currency to win national titles at the Young Horse Champs.

Graeme’s son Ashley Hart, on Kiwi Lux (Kampic)

Could you see a benefit for loose jumping 3YO old classes, like they have in Ireland?

I tried to get this running once at the Horse of the Year Show, but it was more of a novelty event. NZ is just not big enough for this type of class, I think.

Having been in the sport for a number of years, what vision do you have for the future of NZ show jumping?

Our sport lacks culture at the moment! We need our leaders to have been developed from within the sport. People who have ridden, run shows, been on area committees and then can move up to decision-making positions.

What other equestrian disciplines are you involved with?

My grandfather, father and mother were very keen on racing so I got horses going for them and we had a lot of fun. Now my wife, Ngaire, and children Sharron, Tessa and Ashley, all enjoy racing and we have some exciting prospects. I have also hunted all my life, mainly to educate young show jumpers. But my main focus is breeding super show jumpers. The foals that I breed end up giving someone a lot of pleasure and have a great life and that is all I could hope for!


Graeme on 5YO Kiwi Major winning the Merrylegs Bowl at the HB Hunter Trials in 2015. Kiwi Major is out of a half-sister to Kiwi Ironmark and by Kiwi Emillion,
  • This article was first published in the March 2015 issue of NZ Horse & Pony
Previous articleAntioxidants in the horse’s diet
Next articleWhat’s that lump?