Take a stroll in our Horse Paddock. There's quite a variety of horses and ponies here. They are of different sizes, breeds, colours and talents. Let us introduce you to your ideal mount for a ride in the rainforest.

Madame Patches Galore: Usually gleaming snow white, Patches' true colours show when she's wet, as you can see in this photo. Her pink skin is covered with big black leopard spots. She is a 15hh, few-spot Appaloosa cross Warmblood with only a very few black hairs in her tail. Patch excels at sporting events and attends shows with Lisa, Whiskey and Sonny. If you're attending a show around the Hunter Valley and see a redheaded rider with two 'white' few spot sporting horses, one an Appaloosa cross and the other a Palouse pony, it's probably Lisa, so please do stop by and say hello!

Jade: Alert, attractive, always the centre of attention. Jade is about 13.3hh and black/brown with white socks and a blaze. She knows she's a beautiful girl. Swishing her long, flowing tail and mane, she is cute enough to feature in shampoo advertisements! Jade is forward-going, loves to jump and is a fun mount for confident children/teenagers or small adults.

Tommy: Tommy is about 14.3hh, bay and has a very sweet nature. He's forward going and a true gentleman, taking extra-special care with riders who may be less than totally confident. Tommy is a 'gaited' Standardbred, which means that he has five 'gears'- walk, trot, pace, amble and canter. Tommy had quite an extensive racing career, but he seems to have forgotten all that nowadays.

Roly: The shortest working pony at Topline Park. Roly is a little above knee high to an adult (human)! He is terribly inquisitive. Roly just has to stick his nose into everything, and quite often pick up and taste things (like hats) to make sure they're not edible. Roly adores showing young riders around. Roly can also often be persuaded to politely "shake hands" with visitors. When Lisa first took Roly onto a horse float to bring him home to Topline Park, Roly untied himself en route and jumped out of the float's front door in between the car and float while they were moving along the road! Lisa says she is still getting over the shock, years later, but Roly wasn't at all concerned at the time, let alone injured. After jumping out of the float, he just wandered off across the road and started eating grass. That episode pretty much sums up Roly's intelligence, motivations and temperament...

Trigger: Small, but gutsy! Like Roly, Trigger is a minipony. He does a terrific job, being only about 6.2hh, keeping up with the big horses while safely carrying young riders. Trigger loves going to gymkhanas and competing in a variety of events. He can also jump very high for his size. Lisa says that Trigger is worth five times his weight in gold!

Tosca: Another tiny pony. Tosca is a mini cross Shetland. He is piebald and looks a little like a "saddleback" pig or a giant "Oreo" cooky on legs! His front and back ends and legs are white and he has a broad white patch around his barrel. He also has one blue eye and peeps at guests from under a thick black forelock. His blue eye looks quite unusual under all that black hair!

Nugget: Is a wonderful children's mount. Nugget is gentle, sensible and loves children and food, not necessarily in that order. He is a bay gelding about 13hh, and nearly as round as he is high! Nugget is also up to carrying a small adult and is a wonderful mount for nervous riders.

Rocky: aka 'The Rocket'. But don't let his nickname fool you! While Rocky does like a canter from time to time, he's also a delightfully well-mannered boy with an amiable nature. He's another Standardbred, but is not gaited like Tommy. Rocky is about 15.2hh, a rich red bay with a star and socks. The picture on the left shows Rocky with Lisa at his first outing under saddle. Since then Rocky has been to Riding Club and shows as well as competing succesfully in harness events. Rocky is a wonderful horse to drive or ride.

Wally: Is well named. He can sometimes be a 'bit of a wally'! He is young and curious and loves to pick things up and play with them, like saddle blankets. Wally often picks things up in his mouth and waves them around to draw attention to himself and get pats, which he adores. Even though he's quite tall, at about 15.3 1/2hh, he is a very cuddly, affectionate horse. Wally likes to sleep outside Lisa's bedroom window and he snores! Loudly.

Jake: a super schoolmaster for advanced riders wishing to polish their Dressage or jumping skills. Jake stands about 16.2hh and is very solidly built. Jake has lovely movement, loves to jump and is an absolute delight to ride. This picture shows Lisa and Jake competing in a hack class at the Trans Tasman Masters Games.

Doozie: At four years old, Doozie is a youngster so he hasn't yet officially begun work at Topline Park. He and Lisa are currently working on his under-saddle education. Doozie is the smallest of all the miniponies at Topline Park and just loves getting underfoot. 'Watch that last step, it's a...'

Jack: at about 17hh Jack is a monster! But only in size. Jack is a gentle giant, with size seven feet (!) who will soon be completing his basic education and available for guests to ride.

Gertrude: Isn't a horse at all. She's a donkey! So cute with her long ears and big, soft eyes that look like they've been outlined in kohl. She is the horses' 'dinner gong', loudly announcing every meal. 'Gertie' can hear a feed bucket rattle from 200m away! And if those buckets aren't rattling by 6.30am, she complains loudly...