Turning onto the long, gently-curved driveway affords
you the first glimpse of the Château de la Bernardière.
Standing proudly in the Loire Valley, this 18th
century château is now home to the legendary Redwood
Lodge Arabians and the location provides the perfect
setting for the beautiful herd of white horses which
grace the paddocks. With deer running free in the
forests which surround the paddocks and the sun shining
through the New Year gloom, Trevor and Sue Patrick
welcome you into their home.
Redwood
Lodge needs little introduction: established in 1980 and
one of the most successful studs to come out of
Australia, the stud took the world by storm in 1997 when
they brought the impressive stallion Om El Abadan*
(Carmargue** x Bint Estopa) to Europe and took
the Reserve Senior Male title at both the Salon du
Cheval, Paris, and the All Nations Cup, Aachen. If
anyone wondered whether this was a one-off, Redwood
Lodge returned to Europe the following year with their
homebred colt Espano Estopa* (Om El Abadan* x
Malikah Estopa). Having taken the Junior Male title
at the All Nations Cup, Espano went to Paris and
added the World Champion jewels to his crown.
With such unequivocal success two years’ running, a
worldwide star was born: Redwood Lodge set up a European
base while continuing their presence in Australia and
Espano Estopa* went onto become one of the most
impressive stallions in Europe. His offspring include
the 2000 Junior Female Reserve World Champion Redwood
Lodge Romantik* (ex Camrbiaaa) and her full
sisters, Redwood Lodge Angelikaa and the
multiple-champion Redwood Lodge Antiguaa, as well
as the UK’s own Junior Male Reserve World Champion
LVA Maximus* (ex Challon Salana), owned and
bred by Andrew and Virginia Brown of Lillyview Arabians.
Described by Sue and Trevor as the heart of the stud,
Espano should have been the stallion to take the
stud well into the 21st century. Fate thought
differently, however, playing a cruel hand when the main
artery to his heart ruptured tragically cutting him down
in his prime last August, leaving the world in a brief
instant and a huge hole in the stables of Redwood Lodge.
With grief packaged up into boxes, Sue and Trevor’s son,
Steve, and his long-term partner Jenni May moved into
the Château de la Bernardière in November, with just
enough time to prepare the house for a family Christmas
and arrival of Sue and Trevor for the 2006 World
Championships. Now settled into their new home, Redwood
Lodge is open for visitors and I was delighted to have
the chance to be one of the first.
There are two things that strike you most about a visit
to Redwood Lodge. The first is the atmosphere of the
house and its surroundings: no matter whereabouts in the
estate you go there is calmness and a tranquillity which
is difficult to express on paper. The environment is so
soothing, the horses so relaxed, that it is impossible
to imagine anything other than peace and happiness
occurring there. The second is the standard of the
horses. There is such a high level of consistency
between them that they really could have come from the
same mould. All ethereal-white sisters, mothers and
sons, a visit to the newly-finished stable block
confirms that the new home for Redwood Lodge really is
like a little piece of heaven on earth.
“I spent a long time looking at horses in my search for
the right stallion and right result” explains Sue. “I
always knew what it was that I wanted to do – to breed a
world champion – and I liked the Spanish and Egyptian
lines. I find that the Spanish blood adds a calmness and
serenity to a horse.
“In
1994, during one of my regular trips to the USA, I
identified a fine young stallion – Om El Abadan
who had impressive bloodlines which I knew would
compliment the exceptional pedigree of my pure Spanish
mare, Malikah Estopa (AN Malik x Estopa).
After importing him to Australia the result of this
breeding, my first serious attempt to breed my world
champion, was Espano Estopa. It was just
amazing.”
This was the beginning of the European journey for
Redwood Lodge and Europe is where their story will
continue to unfold. With the stud in Australia
dispersed, their new base in the Loire Valley will
provide a home for the Redwood horses for generations to
come.
“I think that, really, we have always bred a European
style of horse,” reflects Sue. “So when we first came to
Europe with
Abadan,
we wanted a fresh opinion on the stock that we were
breeding and on the type of horse that we have. Our
beliefs were vindicated with Redwood Lodge horses being
awarded major championships in Denmark, Germany, France,
Belgium, the UK, Italy and Holland. So it was a natural
progression for us to end up here.
“Trevor and I are semi-retired now and the Château de la
Bernardière will be our second home. Steve and Jenni do
a great job with the management of both the farm and the
horses, so we know that the future of Redwood Lode is in
good hands.”
And set in 51 acres, Château de la Bernardieré is an
impressive home. From the cellar where the Polish hid
during the Second World War through to the servants’
quarters on the top floor with their slanted, secret
view of the driveway, the Patrick’s new family home has
a lot to offer.
As beautiful as the house is, for an equestrian property
it is a dream. Outside is a 17th century
hunting lodge and annex where coach horses were once
stabled, complete with an intimate chapel next door. The
annex will be converted into a stable block with rooms
above. “It has been used as a cow shed somewhere along
the way,” said Trevor. “We plan to turn it back to its
former glory and make a focal point of the courtyard
hidden on the other side. The lodge was built in 1604 so
there is a lot of history there and we want to keep
that.”
Work has already started on the renovations with an old
barn being converted into a peaceful stable block,
currently home to the Redwood herd until the hunting
lodge conversions have been completed.
“The plan is to have visiting mares and maybe some
youngstock in the barn and then our own horses in the
lodge,” explains Steve. “The barn is more secluded and
will provide a relaxing setting for the horses stabled
there.”
Entering the barn, you can only agree with Steve’s
thoughts on the atmosphere. Despite having only been in
the barn for a short time, all the horses are happy and
content, looking at each other through the bars that
separate the stables, eager for a pat or a word.
The
jewel in the barn for Sue is Espano’s dam, the
very beautiful Malikah Estopa. Now 19, this mare
has a gently gracious air about her, befitting her
position as queen of Redwood Lodge. With youngstock
either side, Malikah is a precious part of the
stud’s history and Sue, in particular, loves this mare
with a passion. “She takes my breath away every time I
look at her,” says Sue. “She is simply the most amazing
horse that I have ever seen and she passes her
characteristics onto all her children and grandchildren.
We have had problems getting her in foal at various
points in her life, but we would love to have even just
one more foal from her. Her lines run through the stud
and it will be a sad day when she leaves us.”
Stabled opposite Malikah is her two-year-old son
RL Maalik Shah (by Al Adeed Al Shaqab).
Heir to Espano’s throne, Maalik is similar
to Espano. “I am sure that he will grow up to be
a beautiful, functional horse with correct, even paces,”
says Jenni. As with all the horses in the barn Maalik
is happy to be brought out of his stable for inspection,
following Steve’s instructions and standing up for the
selected audience.
Steve has long been a handler of Arabian horses, his
enthusiasm for the horses developing as he watched his
mother handle Warmbloods and later Arabians. Having
trained in the US, Steve was one of the top handlers in
Australia and it was he who brought
Abadan
to Europe, showing him to second place at Menton. Once
in Europe, Steve quickly realised that with the
competitive nature of the European show scene, a
professional trainer who was more well-known in Europe
was needed for the visits to the All Nations Cup in
Aachen and the World Championships in Paris later that
year. The results achieved at these and subsequent shows
prove this decision to be a wise one. Steve himself is
happier training and doing the groundwork with the
horses at home and has little desire to return to the
show-ring. “Steve’s a natural horseman,” says Sue
proudly. “He really bonds with his horse and the bond he
had with
Abadan
was remarkable. He was a very difficult horse and Steve
ignored all that and got on with the job in hand – with
great success.”
“He would even breed on command,” adds Steve smiling.
“All you had to do was say ‘up
Abadan’
and he would! It was a very sad moment for me when he
moved on.” Sold to the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia in
1998,
Abadan
was crowned Supreme National Champion and he sadly
passed away in 2005.
As
we walk down the barn, with mares and fillies either
side of us, eating their hay, Sue explains that three of
the Redwood horses are still at different training
centres. “As a management team, Steve, Jenni and myself
plan the show career of our horses very carefully and we
identify the trainers who will most suit the individual
character of each horse. This means that we are not
aligned with one particular trainer or facility. During
2006, Redwood Lodge Romantik and her son RL
Poetic Justice were with Tom and Glenn Schoukens and
Redwood Lodge Artique was with Erik Dorssers.”
Redwood Lodge Artique
(Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Redwood Lodge Romantik) is
a striking grey two-year-old colt who has already had
great success as a yearling. As well as taking the
Junior Male Champion title at the Lowland Arabian Cup,
held at Exloo in the Netherlands, he went on make the
Junior Male Top Ten line-up in Paris last December among
strong competition. A grandson of Espano,
Artique is sure to continue making his mark not just
on the show-ring, but also in the breeding barns.
RL Poetic Justice
(by WH Justice) is a three-year-old colt, as yet
unshown. “We may geld him,” says Sue. “We have a very
strict policy with our colts and even if they are out of
the best mare, they are often gelded.”
Dam to both boys, Redwood Lodge Romantik, is
another of the stud’s horses who is known the world
over. Herself an Espano Estopa daughter,
Romantik is out of the beautiful El Shaklan**
daughter, Camrbiaa. With many titles to her name
at home in Australia, Romantik hit the European
scene in the year 2000 when she took the champion title
at the All Nations Cup and reserve at the World
Championships. Now nine years old, Romantik has
continued to enjoy success in the show-ring and with the
stud now settled in France, she will certainly
contribute to the legacy created by Sue’s insightful
breeding plans.
Romantik’s
sisters Redwood Lodge Antiguaa and Redwood
Lodge Angelikaa also deserve a mention. Antiguaa
is the dam of two WH Justice daughters, Redwood’s
own Redwood Lodge Saffron and RL Cotton Candy,
the current British National Champion Filly and Reserve
Supreme, now owned by the Tyzack family in the UK. With
her amazing nature, Antiguaa is one of those
horses it is a pleasure to spend time with. Having
spoken to Redwood Lodge fans since, it is obvious that
this mare touches everyone she meets, such is the power
of her gentle expression.
Angelikaa
is, like most horses here, ridden and Jenni in
particular enjoys taking her on the trails around the
estate. Like peas in a pod, these mares epitomise the
fruition of Sue’s vision 13 years ago when she bred
Abadan
and Malikah.
All the horses have a very distinctive look and the
consistency between them is incredible. “I knew the
bloodlines that Espano had,” explains Sue. “The
stud was always going to be framed around him. He has
passed onto his children strength of substance in both
body and character.
“I have found that his offspring have a natural,
effortless panache and there is just so much energy that
goes into each stride. Even when they stand still, they
command your attention; and Espano was just the
same. When he died, it felt as if the heart of the stud
had been ripped out and it left all of us absolutely
devastated.”
Did they think about quitting, I wonder. “No,” responds
Trevor firmly. “Quitting is not part of our character.
We have been in the lucky position of enjoying the good
times with all of our horses and we know that with the
good times, there are bad times which need to be
endured.”
With the New Year barely a week old, however, now is not
the time to talk of quitting and Sue smiles as she talks
about the plans the stud has for 2007.
“We have two foals due this year,” she says. “We knew we
were moving so we didn’t plan to have too many mares
covered, but this year we will put the three Espano
daughters in foal to a Straight Egyptian stallion.
“2007
is also all about Artique: he is the next
stallion in our programme and we very much like what his
sire, Al Adeed Al Shaqab, has brought to the
stud. Artique has inherited his sire’s extreme
movement and our dream would be to breed Artique
to Malikah, combining the bloodlines which we
have based our stud on. Whether or not we do that
breeding remains to be seen!”
Sue adds that she first saw Al Adeed in Qatar
when he was a yearling and she knew straight away that
she was going to breed to him. The resulting foal,
Maalik Shah, was planned 10 years before he was
conceived and by using Artique on Malikah,
Sue is hoping to develop the stud’s lines into the next
phase.
“Of course, there is a lot of work to do to restore the
chateau and the hunting lodge to the grand style of its
original heritage,” says Trevor. “But we are committed
to developing the horse facilities to rival the best
establishments in Europe. Steve and Jenni designed the
layout of the paddocks and we know exactly what we are
going to build.
“Things have gone full circle for us now: it was almost
10 years ago when we first came to France with
Abadan
and many of our Australian friends wondered just why we
were bringing our horses over to Europe. The success we
have had so far has vindicated that decision and we
thoroughly enjoy the vibrant Arabian horse community
which is so evident in Europe.”
There is someone, however, who is very obviously missing
from the new home: Espano Estopa. His ashes will
be permanently interred as pride of place in the chapel,
ensuring that while he can’t be there in person,
Espano’s spirit is there to watch over the legacy he
has created.
Managed by: Redwood Lodge Europe, Steve Patrick & Jenni May
Ph +33 (0)549 63 03 96, Mobile +33 (0)631 177 479
The
jewel in the barn for Sue is Espano’s dam, the
very beautiful Malikah Estopa. Now 19, this mare
has a gently gracious air about her, befitting her
position as queen of Redwood Lodge. With youngstock
either side, Malikah is a precious part of the
stud’s history and Sue, in particular, loves this mare
with a passion. “She takes my breath away every time I
look at her,” says Sue. “She is simply the most amazing
horse that I have ever seen and she passes her
characteristics onto all her children and grandchildren.
We have had problems getting her in foal at various
points in her life, but we would love to have even just
one more foal from her. Her lines run through the stud
and it will be a sad day when she leaves us.”
Romantik’s
