Stock Horses
Nonda Happy Ever After
Beautiful broodmare by the great Doc’s Freckles Oak
NONDA HAPPY EVER AFTER
Doc’s Freckles Oak – Nonda Night Bird
Age: Chestnut mare (foaled 17/10/93)
Height: 15 hh
Registration: ASH 135798/ AQHAA15309
Comments
- Nonda Happy Ever After is from Nonda’s finest mare family, proven on cattle since 1923. She is a three-quarter sister to Warwick Gold Cup winner, Nonda Let’s Talk Later (Terry Hall). This mare was drafted by Terry Hall before she was retired to stud. She produces outstanding foals, and will be an asset to any leading Australian breeder.
- This mare is offered in foal to Australians leading sire, Acres Destiny. The cross with Doc’s Freckles Oak mares is a proven source of so many Australian performance champions. This will be a much sought after and extremely valuable foal.
“Happy is a beautiful mare. She was a very talented mare herself, and she has already produced a couple of serious young prospects for the campdraft arena. Most importantly, she is a three quarter sister to the winner of the Warwick Gold Cup. She comes from a wonderful producing family and she’s in foal to Acre’s Destiny, the leading stallion in Australia. It’s a package that ticks all the boxes. You can’t find a better investment than that.”
Pedigree
Sire
Docs Freckles Oak (Docs Oak – Freckles Fancy)
Nonda Let’s Talk Later is an own daughter of the late Docs Freckles Oak who is a legend in his own lifetime. Many great judges regard him as “the best quarter horse to ever come to Australia”.
The influence of this horse on the Australian working horse industry is already significant and will further increase in future decades. He has sired the winners of every major camp draft in the country as well as multiple cutting champions, reining champions, Cloncurry Stockmen’s Challenge Finalists and placegetters and polo ponies.
He is now proving to be a champion broodmare sire as well, and his daughters remain in great demand commanding very high prices.
Dam
First Dam
Nonda Night Bird (Nonda Skywatch – Nonda Cuddles)
Pedigree Notes
Nonda Night Bird was an exceptional type of mare. This original taproot family was developed by the Brown family in 1923 at Nonda Downs station, Julia Creek N.W. Qld. They were an outstanding line of camp drafters, station stock horses and all-rounders with tremendous heart and stamina.
Performance
Nonda Night Bird was shown by champion trainer Ian Francis.
- 2YO: Junior State Champion Working Horse of Qld at the State Championship Show.
- 3Y0: won the Station Hack Class at Brisbane Royal Show (youngest horse in history to do so): second at the 3YO Widgee Futurity
- 4Y0: Retired to stud where she produced 5 daughters until her untimely death.
Stud Record
Her foals include:
- Nonda Bounceback (Rivoli Rex)
Sold by Nonda as a 2Y0 and drafted by Peter Cominsky. This mare placed second in the Novice Draft at the ACA National Titles (by one and a half points) Peter Cominsky had a very high opinion of this mare. She was later re-purchased by Nonda to join their brood mare band where she proved extremely successful. Her progeny include:- Nonda Military Cross (Acres Destiny) sire owned by Mr David Rathie and successfully campaigned by Mick Connelly
- Nonda Spider in the Swag (Nonda Swag) successful sire in Western Australia
- Nonda Undoolya (Beaver Doc) Multiple halter and show winner for her owners.
- Nonda Sweet Dreams (Boab) See above.
- Nonda Allnightlong (Docs Freckles Oak) Not shown due to injury. At stud she has produced the outstanding and widely respected Open campdrafter ONE DARK NIGHT (Acres Destiny) owned by the Hick Family, of St Elmo Julia Creek, NWQ
- Nonda Happy Ever After (Docs Freckles Oak) Drafted by Terry Hall before she returned to the Nonda broodmare band. She has produced a number of quality colts.
Second Dam
Nonda Cuddles (Skymark – Nonda Blue Mist)
Nonda Cuddles was a brilliant camp mare at Nonda who became a wonderful producer. This family has been owned and bred by members of the Brown family at Nonda Downs for 83 years: NH Brown (1923-1953) Reg Brown (1953-1975) Heather Brown (1975-2006).
The Rotorua family has always been regarded as Nonda’s best family. This family carries outstanding thoroughbred blood – the kind of bush thoroughbred that passed on speed, conformation and temperament.
Due to the distance and isolation of Nonda Downs, a station in North West Queensland, Nonda Cuddles was only ever bred to the one stallion, the thoroughbred Skywatch (Lumley Road – Countess Lloyda).
What she might have achieved if she had the opportunity to be bred to some of the more popular campdraft sires in the South can only be left to the imagination.
Her foals include:
- Nonda Bull Mitchell (Skywatch): station camp horse and picnic race horse
- Nonda Flynn (Skywatch)– station camp horse
- Nonda Jeannie Gunn (Skywatch)– halter winner at Brisbane RNA
- Nonda Daisy Bates (Skywatch) – broodmare
- Nonda Nellie Melba (Skywatch)– broodmare
- Nonda Salute (Skywatch) – gelding
- NONDA NIGHT BIRD (Skywatch)
- Shown by champion trainer Ian Francis.
- 2YO: Junior State Champion Working Horse of Qld
- 3Y0: won the Station Hack Class at Brisbane Royal Show: second at Widgee Futurity to another Nonda owned Filly.
- 4Y0: Retired to stud
- NONDA NATIVE SON (Skywatch)
- Remarkably tough, handsome horse who won a legion of admirers. He was used as a station camp horse at Nonda Downs during the years when the BTEC clean-up campaign was under way, and his speciality was running bulls. He was one of the greatest natural horses on cattle we have ever bred.
- He was shown at Cloncurry Show and Hughenden Show, where he won the Champion Stock Horse stallion on both occasions.
- His only other outing was in the Winton to Longreach Endurance Ride. Heather Brown was asked by outback legend RM Williams to accompany him for part of the ride and write about it for the Weekend Australian in order to promote the then yet-to-be-built Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach.
- Then a 6YO – and coming off the back of a long winter muster on the station – Native Son started the Ride without any special training. He vetted through at Eversham, 96 miles down the road, and the next day completed the 35 miles from Maneroo station into Longreach in 2 hours and 11 minutes. He vetted through again and won the admiration of both vets and horsemen everywhere.
- In a stud career cut tragically short by his early death (32 registered foals) Native Son managed to sire:
- NONDA BEBOPALOOPA (Charlie Brook) Champion Polocrosse Horse of Australia
- WOODBRIDGE GAZELLE winner of the prestigious Victorian Barastoc Horse of the Year.
- NONDA NATIVE WHIMSEY – won Station Hack at the Brisbane Royal Show in 1983, the only horse from the north to ever do so. Trained by Ian Francis, she also won another 8 working stock horse events.
Price
For Private Sale
Photo Gallery
Docs Freckles Oak ridden by Graham Amos
Nonda Night Bird cutting (ridden by Ian Francis)
Nonda Cuddles as a 3YO in 1967
Nonda Native Son
Nonda Native Son – ridden by Johnny Banning (aboriginal stockman)
Heather Brown and Nonda Downs stockman Joe Wilson. Native Son is photographed minutes after he crossed the line after traveling 35 miles in 2 hours and 11 minutes
Heather Brown and RM Williams
Nonda Bebopaloopa
Woodbridge Gazelle
Nonda Native Whimsey