Digger’s Rest Station
It feels like the Dry Season is around the corner!
We have recently been getting afternoon storms, full of gusting winds, thunder and lightening, and not so much rain. These storms are feeling like the ‘knock’em down’ rains that come at the end of the wet season, knocking the seeds off the grasses and flattening the taller grasses. It is a bit early this year,…
Continue ReadingDiggers Rest Family|Remembering Helen
It is rare to have a friend who understands and accepts all of who you are. Helen Packer was that friend to both Roderick and me. Her qualities of acceptance and understanding also made her an excellent horsewoman. We first met Helen when she came on a trek with us in 2006. Ever since, Helen…
Continue ReadingUpdate on horse treks in 2019
A few of our 2019 horse treks are filling up, so here’s an update on saddles still open for the 2019 season. We hope you can join us! 4 saddles open on the May 23-26 trek 7 saddles open on the June 2-8 trek 4 saddles open on the June 12-16 cattle muster 3 saddles…
Continue ReadingEssentials for the saddle bag
Our saddles are fitted with pommel saddle bags, or ones that sit on the front of the saddle, making it easier to access while out on the trail. With the saddles bags up front, you can keep your eyes “on the road” and don’t have to worry about getting taken out by a branch (as…
Continue ReadingThe challenges of caring for horses in the Kimberley
The Kimberley is a region roughly the size of France, and there are very few large animal veterinarians based here. We are incredibly fortunate to have an excellent vet based in Kununurra, who also happens to be a pilot! Peter Letchford has decades of experience caring for horses in the Kimberley, and is very practical…
Continue ReadingEver wanted to muster cattle on horseback?
We have just added another adventure to our 2019 schedule, the opportunity to join an authentic cattle muster! The annual muster takes place in June, when we bring in the cattle for processing, and then walk them back out to their grazing paddocks…mind you, some ‘paddocks’ are tens of thousands of acres. If you are…
Continue ReadingThe camping scene on our horse treks
Part of the unforgettable experience of horse trekking in the Kimberley is camping under the millions of stars, eating meals cooked over an open campfire, falling asleep in your swag with your horse close enough to hear him chewing away contentedly (though there’s plenty of space if you want to get away from their night…
Continue ReadingA snippet from our May trek of 2018
Here’s a look at our four day horse trek from last May. Images and video were taken by Ange Coote Photography, and compiled into this clip by Rachel Dillon. It really does give you a good gander into what our horse treks are all about.
Continue ReadingA brief guide to horse riding ability levels
Riding ability is a somewhat relative rating, but it does help when matching horse to rider. The author Tom Cole, when asked if he could ride, would respond that he could ride a good, quiet horse. He was a horse breaker in the Kimberley and the Northern Territory back in the 1920s and 30s, but…
Continue ReadingFitness and riding go hand in hand
This post is more of a personal editorial but an important subject nonetheless. The older I get, the more I am aware of my fitness, and just how easily it can slip away. Working with horses and riding as often as I can remains at the top of my “what makes me happy” list. So,…
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