"Cattle kings ye call us, then we are kings in grass castles that maybe blown away upon a puff of wind...”
Patrick Durack 1878
Fossil Downs Performance Horses is situated in the NT. We breed only a very small amount of foals per year working on the theory of quality rather than quantity. We believe that maternal lines are very strong and that great mares will produce great foals, on that note we only keep mares that show a lot of ability and/or perform, have great temperaments and have a depth of breeding that will hold the test of time. We have tried to breed these mares to the best ASH stallions we can find matching type, temperament and genetics to suit the individual mare.
We work horses and cattle for a living so first and foremost we look for horses that we enjoy riding to work, they must be tractable, comfortable to ride and show natural cattle sense. Due to our work commitments we are unable to compete as much as we would like and really only get to at the most 10 campdrafts per year. However our horses have been taken on by friends to campaign, Wayne and Rachel Bean took Lilt through her challenge year and enjoyed success on her at Rocky Rush, Gary Faulks and Kate Townsend took Rhythm to Paradise Lagoons and made the final of the Acton Superbeef on her.
I have grown up in the Kimberley in WA on Fossil Downs Station, hence the name. Fossil Downs was settled on the 3rd of June 1886 by William Neil MacDonald. This overlanding feat from Goulbourn NSW to the Kimberley WA is considered the longest droving trip in the world and took the the MacDonald brothers 4 yrs to track across the continent to finally arrive at their destination. Fossil Downs remains in the original family to this day. I have spent a lot of time with notable horse people such as Theo Hill, Wayne and Linda Hingst, and Wayne Robinson, also attending clinics with Ray Hunt, Ian Francis and Mark Buttsworth. My partner Stewart grew up in southern QLD and has spent the majority of his years on properties throughout the NT, as headstockman, manager and he has also run his own contract mustering business.
We welcome you to our site and feel free to contact us with enquiries on our horses.
Stewart Boyce & Amber Henwood
PMB 42
Katherine 0852 NT
08 8975 0758
Visitors
Special thanks to professional photographers Narelle Wockner, Tricolby, Kenyon, Cassie Grover and Jess Doherty, whos photos feature throughout this website.
|
 |
We are moving to the NT on the 23rd of Febuary and will be busy packing and getting organised in the next couple of weeks. Our new postal address and email address is all updated in the Welcome and Contact section of this page.
Cheetah foaled a Hazelwood Conman colt on the 24th of January. He is a bay with star, snip and two hind white, she will now be joined to RS Chisum.
December 2009
Green Gully Snowie foaled a buckskin colt on the 6th of December. She will be joined to Hazelwood Conman later in the month.
October 2009
Rythm ran a 90 in the first round of the Canning Downs Draft at Warwick, coming equal 2nd. She then ran an 88 in the first round of the Warwick Gold Cup. She made both second rounds not getting into the Canning Downs final but making the final of the Warwick Gold Cup where she had three scores and ended up twelfth.
Green Gully Chloe foaled a a filly foal by Jats Bar Radiums Coster on the 15th October. She is a palamino with a blaze and 4 white socks, so lots of chrome and colour!
Tennant Creek was our last draft for the year, run on the 2nd to the 4th of October. Rythm won the ASH Open, it was one round and a final, at the completion of the final there were three tied for first so we had to run it off. Senator also came fourth in the ASH Open. Rythm won Top cut out in the Ladies with a 24 having to run it off as well. Overall Rythm had 5 runs with five 23s and then a 24 for the run off for the Ladies TCO. Lilt ran third in the Open draft and third again in the Ladies after another three way run off! The three maiden horses also ran really nicely so all in all it was a nice way to finish up. It was so great to catch up with friends we haven't seen for two years so there was much fun had all round.
August/September 2009
Richmond draft was on the first weekend of September, Senator made the Novice final, Rythm and Senator made the Second round of the Open and Lilt came third in the Ladies. two weeks later we travelled to Brunette Downs on the Barkly, NT. Senator picked up round money in the Open and also a minor placing in the Ladies, Rythm was the top cut out in the Open with a 23 and Madeleine came second in the Novice with an 87 and 84. That will be Madeleine's sixth start so we were happy with how she went.
July 2009
After having no drafts for the last four weeks due to work commitments we went back to Camooweal for the Mt Isa Draft. Another good weekend Aria made the Maiden final and placed fourth in the district Maiden. Senator made both the Novice final, going in with second top score of 88, and the Open final. Goldfinger got fourth in the Restricted Open. Madeleine had her first start and went at it like an old pro! Rythm had to stay home as she went lame a day before we left for Camooweal, she is slightly better but won't be going anywhere for a bit.
The weekend after Mt Isa we went to Cloncurry Challenge, again Senator made the finals of both the Novice and the Open. Madeleine at her second start made the Novice final. It was good to see Heath and Kellie Stewart who came over from WA to have a look.
June 2009
Camooweal draft was on the last weekend of May and what a great weekwnd it was, Gary Faulks won the Maiden on Rythm, Stewart won the Novice on Senator, Lilt got sixth in the Ladies and made the Novice final. Both the very "maiden' maidens went well Aria ran an 82 in the Novice missing out on the final by one point and Flute on her first start ran an 80 in the Maiden.
Unfortunateley the Monday after Camooweal Starmaker tragically killed herself in the yard, very upsetting for us as she was a terrific filly.
Normanton draft was on the 5th -6th of June, Senator got second in the Novice and Rythm second in the Ladies. Ballistic went to a new home in North QLD.
May 2009
After a long and "wet" wet season with many flies, bugs and insects we were finally able to get to Winton draft on Anzac weekend where Rythm yet again got second by one point, this time in the Maiden draft. Senator and Lilt made the second round of the Open and Aria had her first start in the Maiden on a tough little steer.
Over the wet Fire n Ice found a new home in southern WA, where he now resides and Regalo a new home in northern WA. I hope that Jo and Bonnie have heaps of success and fun on them in years to come.
Julia Creek was on the 15-17th of May, finalled Rythm and Senator in the Maiden and Rythm in the Novice.
December 2008
Comara Goldfinger is going great guns down south. Goldfinger was purchased by me from Julie Tonkin as a two year old. After Warwick Gold Cup Julie took Goldfinger back to NSW to campaign him over our “wet” season. He has had two outings so far, at Guyra he made both Open finals and the next weekend at Nundle he placed second in the restricted Open with 2 89’s and made the final of the Open. Needless to say everyone wants to know who the new kid on the block is!
October 2008
We decided to take some holidays and go down to Chinchilla and Warwick drafts. Rhythm ran and 89 in the first round of the Ladies draft and won the cut-out with a 24. Lilt made the novice final and Goldfinger missed the open final by a point.
We had our first venture to Warwick in 2008 and we were really happy with the results. Lilt missed out on the ladies final by 1 point but made it back into both second rounds of the Canning Downs and the Gold Cup. She ran an 87 in the first round of the Gold cup but unfortunately a bad bullock was on the agenda for the second round! However there were 700 plus horses in the 1st rounds and they only took 250 back into the second rounds. Both Cheetah and Goldfinger made the second round of the Canning Downs
While we were away Snowie produced a lovely Holmrose Lawmaker filly which you can see on the foal’s page.
September 2008
Sensation foaled a lovely bay filly to Holmrose Lawmaker she can be seen on the foals page
July 2008
Rhythm went with Gary Faulks and Kate Townsend down to Paradise Lagoons where Gary made the final of the Acton Superbeef on her, again huge numbers so we were really pleased to see her in the final
|
|
