I’ve always had horses involved in my life, my entire life, really, since I was a little fella. I was raised at El Questro Station, a million-acre cattle station out in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and I literally can’t recall a time when there weren’t horses around. I learned to ride when I was around three—basically as soon as I could walk—and after that, horses were just part of day-to-day life.
Back in those days, the horses we had were hard to handle. They were mainly rejects—horses no one else would take because they bucked too much or were just outright pains in the butt. A lot were ex-rodeos that other stations were getting rid of. You could ride them, all right, but it wasn’t always easy or pleasant. You certainly couldn’t trust them or relax while you were on them. And as for trying to have your lunch while riding them… no, never ended well.
We did have Arabians that we bred and sent off to Dubai for racing. They weren’t much for working stock, but their endurance and stamina was amazing. These horses could go all day long, every day, for weeks on end if you asked them. Average stock horses just wouldn’t handle that amount of work—they’d go half a day at best—but the Arabs would just keep pushing along. It was really something. Really impressive to watch.
My life really changed a lot when we shifted from the Kimberley down to Queensland. Everything was entirely different there for us. Suddenly we were having access to good horses—horses bred for working and interacting with cattle, as well as for competitions and events such campdrafting and cutting. My cousin Oli is a highly talented competitor and trainer, and watching him go out and compete made me see how extraordinary these incredibly well-bred horses were. They possessed what we would call “cow sense” and a desire and instinct for working cattle. Being on a horse that completely enjoys what they are doing is an entirely different experience altogether.
Having worked so hard for all those years coping with such challenging horses like we had on the station, finally being able to ride these magnificent beasts made them even more special. Our mission at Salerno Stud now is straightforward: breed horses that love their job, are athletic, and are a pleasure to ride. For me, horses are about understanding them, working with them, and nurturing their potential. A far cry from those Kimberley days, but those early experiences showed me just what to look for—and value—in a great horse.