Northam is a very “horsey” town and situated only 100km from Perth in the heart of the beautiful Avon Valley. Northam is the “equine hub” of the Central Wheatbelt with superb Provincial Thoroughbred and Standardbred Racing Clubs and facilities, and with the Avon Valley boasting a large recreational, competition and race horse population and traditionally, great hay growing country.
Northam and the surrounding areas of Bakers Hill, Clackline and Toodyay offer many riding club options, good trails, agistment, cheap abundant stock feed and several resident equine vets, farriers, barefoot trimmers, Bowen and other Natural Therapists.
Please feel free to email Caroline at crutten@aapt.net.au for information on anything horsey in Northam. I am a long term local and know lots of people.
The huge majority of Northam horses are kept on privately owned properties.
The only commercial agistment centre is Twin Pines located 5km out of town on the Spencers Brook Rd. Contact the Manager, Caroline Smart, on 9622 5760 for further details.
It is also worth door-knocking to find agistment at local private horse properties or empty paddocks. You just never know your luck!
With Muresk Institute of Agriculture (Curtin Uni) now offering an Equine Management stream, each year several Muresk students go looking for local agistment. However; Muresk does offer excellent horse facilities, farm riding and agistment for students at very competitive rates. Contact Muresk Horse Club for more info (details listed below).
Riding Clubs, Horse Trainers and Riding Trails
Northam is blessed with a huge variety of equestrian activities and events including Pony Club, Polocrosse Club and tournaments, Adult Riding Clubs, Wellard’s Campdraft Challenge, Muresk Super Horse Challenge, local Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing, endurance riding, several accredited riding instructors and showjumping.
The annual Northam Agricultural Show hosts numerous breed, carriage, halter and ridden classes. Official Showjumping is also very popular and exciting to watch. Toodyay and York also hold Ag Shows and run large horse programs.
The Northam Equestrian Park, off Clarke St, is home to the Pony Club, cross-country course, polocrosse comps, Wellards Campdraft Challenge and Showjumping. Contact Angie Herzer on 9622 5821 from the Avon Valley Show Jumping and Pony Club for further details.
The Avon Valley is also home to the well known and highly regarded horse starters/trainers www.saltriverperformancehorses.com.au and www.watkinshorsehandlers.com.au . There are also several local horse breakers.
Horse riding is somewhat limited in town due to increasing urbanisation and traffic (we are even getting a McDonalds store!!); however the river and railway lines make for good riding. There is also the KEP Track, Golden Pipeline and bridle paths connecting Northam, Spencers Brook, Clackline, Bakers Hill, Wundowie through to Mundaring! Nature reserves and national forest around Mokine, Bakers Hill and Clackline make for fantastic bush rides or endurance training.
Northam Race Club – Nicole Bell 9622 7765
www.northamraceclub.com
Northam Trotting Club 9622 1373
Muresk Horse Club – Heidi Meyer 0410 300 584
muresk_horse_pc_club@hotmail.com
Avon Valley Show Jumping & Pony Club, Northam
- Angie Herzer 9622 5821
Bakers Hill Adult Riding Club
- Niki Chetwin 9574 1340
Bakers Hill Horse & Pony Club
- Anne Gilchrist 9574 1641
Avon Valley Adult Riding Club, Toodyay
- Caroline Venables-Kyrke 9574 1407
Avon Valley 10th Light Horse Re-enactment Group
Pres: Phil Sullivan 9574 1185
Northam Agricultural Society
Sec: R. Larkin 9622 1540
Toodyay Districts Horse & Pony Club
- Yvette Hogan 9574 2621
Toodyay Race Club
Sec: Ian Reid 0417 097 314
There are several excellent small animal, farm stock and equine vets in Northam and the Avon Valley.
A Country Practice, Northam
Dr Peter Morell (All animals) 9622 7479
Northam Vet Clinic (All animals) 9622 1000
Bakers Hill Veterinary Centre
Dr Peter McGrath (All animals) 9574 1061
Avon Valley Equine Vets / Waverley Park Vet
Dr Tanya Ladyman (travelling Equine vet only) 0427 210 023
Avon Valley Vets, Toodyay
Dr Phil Lawton (All animals) 9574 5055
**** Northam is in close proximity (2hr drive) to major equine hospitals like Belvoir, Belmont Horse Hospital, Ascot Horse Hospital and Murdoch University should the need arise. ****
There are several quality local resident farriers, barefoot trimmers, Bowen therapists, Equine Touch and equine body workers available. Email crutten@aapt.net.au for contact details.
Northam is still close enough to Perth to easily organise group bookings for other Perth-based farriers, Natural Therapists or barefoot trimmers to visit the Valley.
Avon Valley Equine Vets offer equine dentistry services including power floating. Several professional equine dentists including Karl Buckley, Shane Gaebler, Owen Gilbride and Greg Taylor travel regularly to the Valley for group bookings.
Branding services are offered by Karl Buckley and Jerome Fitzpatrick who regularly travel to Northam and the surrounding areas. A local farrier also offers a branding service.
Northam also has a resident licensed Artificial Equine Breeding Centre. Contact www.breakawaystud.com.au for all your equine AI, ET or general breeding requirements. They are highly professional and very well respected within the WA horse breeding industry.
We are lucky to have a few quality stockfeed stores in town and nearby. As the Avon Valley is a reliable hay, chaff & grain growing district, local feed prices are highly competitive and often cheaper than Perth prices.
Northam Feed & Hire 9622 3637
**Huge range of horse/stock feed & supplements, vaccines, veterinary, pet food, herbal, saddlery and rugs**
Avon Valley Stockfeed & Garden Supplies 9622 1037
**Huge range of horse/stock feed & supplements,veterinary, pet food, herbal, saddlery and rugs**
Ray Smith & Sons, Northam **Farm Direct** 0427 908 015
**Local producer & supplier of quality export hay rolls& bales, chaffs, lucerne chaff, and grain (whole or rolled lupins, barley & oats)**
Bakers Hill Rural Supplies 9574 1274
**Huge range of horse/stock feed & supplements, pet food, herbal, saddlery and rugs**
There are also local branches of Wesfarmers Landmark and The Farm Shop that sell a limited range of horse feeds, namely chaff, pellets and grains. Hay can be often locally sourced through word of mouth farm direct at considerable savings. Email crutten@aapt.net.au for contacts.
The Northam Saddlery shop on Spencers Brook Rd is brilliant for all your saddlery & leather repairs, custom made saddles (incl. western, swinging fender, half breed or stock!!) and bridles, hobbles, girths, western show, and other work/training equipment.
Contact Snow Brosnan on 9621 2097
The legendary saddle maker, Harold Pitcher, resides in Toodyay. He is famous for his hand made saddles and custom leather work. Email crutten@aapt.net.au for his contact details.
General Information on Northam & the Avon Valley
http://www.northam.wa.gov.au/
http://www.visitnorthamwa.com.au/
http://www.toodyay.wa.gov.au/
http://www.toodyay.com/
http://www.york.wa.gov.au/
http://www.yorkwa.org/