From a Why Not Moment to a Breeding Dream
How Sunnyside Performance Horses grew from one brave decision into a purpose-driven breeding program.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to breed horses. I just never thought I’d be able to afford it or that the timing would be right. But life has a funny way of nudging you exactly where you’re meant to be.
After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Equine Science, I spent the 2018 breeding season working for Seven Creeks Equine under Stacey McGregor. Days filled with AI, embryo transfers and working around impeccably bred Quarter Horses and Stock Horses lit a spark in me. I remember thinking, this is where I want to be, this is my world.
A few years later, life shifted again. I met my partner John in 2019, and in 2022 I moved to his farm. For the first time, my horses were able to come home with me. Around the same period, I began working as a veterinary nurse at Young Vet Clinic. An injury had sidelined me from riding, and one of my competition mares was spending her days idle in the paddock. With access to staff discounts and a growing sense of possibility, I reached that pivotal “why not?” moment.
I began researching stallions carefully, focusing on temperament, type, and suitability for my very modest budget. That search led me to Belldiva Legacy. I ordered semen, crossed my fingers, and waited. Fourteen days later, my mare scanned in foal.
Suddenly, everything felt possible.
Even before that first pregnancy check, my mind was racing ahead. Names, ideas, and branding filled my thoughts. One of our family farms is called Sunnyside, a name I had always loved, and it felt like the perfect fit. Sunnyside Performance Horses was born.
I reached out to Eminent Equine Australia with a jumbled list of ideas, and somehow they transformed that chaos into my dream logo. They also created a secondary design that became the heart of the brand. DC Freeze Branding then turned that design into a physical freeze brand. Seeing it for the first time made the whole venture feel real and tangible.
As foaling plans took shape, I realised I did not want a foal crop of just one. Determined and working within a budget, I began searching for a broodmare already in foal. That is when Ruby found me. A beautiful, soft-eyed Quarter Horse mare from Queensland, she settled into our farm as though she had always belonged.
Foaling season brings out my most intense side. With no intention of sending mares away to foal, I set up cameras, yarded mares as they waxed up, and ran on two-hourly alarms through the night. I was there for both births. Ruby foaled easily, delivering a stunning Duck N Down chestnut filly with a blaze. Luna, my maiden mare, needed assistance, with only one leg initially presented, but with gentle help she delivered a beautiful burnt buckskin filly.
From that moment, I was completely hooked.
Watching those two fillies grow into confident, athletic two-year-olds was deeply rewarding. Then came a moment that still feels surreal. My Stock Horse filly was purchased by Guy McLean, destined for his show team. The chestnut filly found a wonderful home with a rider aiming her toward cutting. Seeing others recognise and invest in horses you have bred is a feeling unlike any other.
As my involvement in the Cow Horse world deepened, my focus shifted more strongly toward Quarter Horses. Ruby has since produced a gorgeous red roan Granite filly. That same season, Luna sadly lost her Granite foal, a reminder that breeding delivers the highest highs and the lowest lows, sometimes within the same week. This year, Ruby foaled again, delivering a stunning bay roan Blue Fox Valentine filly.
My favourite part of breeding is the entire process. The research, the anticipation, the scanning, the foaling, and watching young horses grow into athletes that will one day carry someone else’s dreams. There is nothing quite like it.
Breeding also teaches hard lessons, and it teaches them quickly. Semen does not always arrive on time. Mares absorb. Foals are lost. You can invest your heart, time, and savings into a season and walk away empty-handed. But then a positive scan appears on the screen, or a healthy foal nickers softly at its dam, and you remember exactly why you do it.
I have been incredibly fortunate in the people who have supported me along the way. My partner John, who patiently tolerates two-hourly alarms, constant anxiety over scan results, and an ever-growing hay bill, not to mention my habit of borrowing his livestock paddocks for horses. My parents, especially my mum, who has always believed and reminded me that I could do this.
I am deeply grateful to the veterinary teams who have guided me. Young Vet Clinic in the early days, and now Jantien from Hilltops Equine, whose dedication and commitment to her clients is extraordinary. If you are involved in horses, thank your vets. They give so much of themselves.
I also owe heartfelt thanks to Tish Healey from Healey Quarter Horses for being my go-to stallion guru, Wendy Sheather for her invaluable knowledge of colour genetics and for encouraging me to buy Ruby, and Megan and Todd Hensley for trusting me with their beautiful broodmare this season. Breeding horses truly takes a village.
Looking ahead, Sunnyside Performance Horses is entering its most exciting chapter yet. This season I have three broodmares. Ruby has just foaled and will return to Granite. My new Quarter Horse mare is safely in foal to Tapt Dancin Cat, and my lease mare is in foal to Meteles Cat. It is shaping up to be my biggest season so far.
What began as a whim and a careful budget has grown into something that brings me pride, purpose, and genuine joy. Sunnyside Performance Horses is still young, but the foundations are strong, and the future feels full of promise. I cannot wait to see where the journey leads next.