A lifetime spent around horses has finally led passionate young equestrian Victoria Farr back to Scone where she and her partner Bayley Fellowes have established Hillview Equine, a purpose developed farm geared towards the care of thoroughbreds and performance horses with a full range of services including spelling, complete broodmare/foal care and rehabilitation.
Victoria grew up in and around Scone and spent the weekends and school holidays of her teenage years working for Fred and Mary Moses at the old Kanangra, which has now been re-branded as North under the ownership of Mick Malone.
She attended many walk-ons with Fred and learnt her horse management and care skills from Mary including how to produce exceptionally well-handled youngsters and keep racehorses in prime condition.
Her riding and horse management went from strength to strength with a job in the pre-training and breaking business of Blair and Nikki Richardson at Vantage Hill leading to a passion for three day eventing, which ultimately led to a stint overseas in Europe working for some of the best eventers in the world.
Victoria honed her horse skills to an elite level and enjoyed her time overseas working for six time Olympic Medallist Andrew Hoy and current Olympic eventing team member Chris Burton, who heads to Paris. Having worked for two of the most meticulous horsemen in the world, Victoria has adopted much of their philosophy and her attention to detail is second to none.
“Blair and Nikki have been an amazing support and remain mentors to both myself and Bayley as we work to develop Hillview Equine into a more commercial business,” said Victoria Farr.
“After I came back from Europe I got out of horses and riding for a while due to injury and concentrated on learning about business management as a path to a different career within the horse world.”
An administration job followed for Victoria at Equestrian Australia as National Health and Safety Officer and then the opportunity came up to purchase a farm at Scone and Hillview Equine was born.
Victoria’s partner Bayley Fellowes has an immense agricultural background, working in NSW and Queensland on some of the leading cattle stations and cropping enterprises. There is no machine Bayley can’t operate and no fence he can’t build with those skills proving invaluable as the pair came to Hillview and began creating their dream.
They worked tirelessly to refence the farm with Duncan Equine Stallion Rail fencing, an exercise that was both character building and bonding with the goal for the remainder of this year to finish fencing for the entire property. Leading agronomists were also consulted to get the very best from their paddocks that now boast incredible pasture all year round.
“When we arrived here it was just before Covid and the farm was a relatively blank canvas, so there was a lot of hard work to be done and it was a challenging time in a very wet period,” Victoria revealed.
“I honestly thought we’d made a mistake, but Covid ended and we started to get systems in place and better clients came on board, so then you learn to build a trustworthy village rather than trying to do it all yourself.
“If it wasn’t for the encouragement from Blair, Nikki, and my all time idol Caroline Searcy, whom I once rode horses for, you’d probably find me out in the paddock absorbed into the mud of 2022.”
Victoria now has a 14month old daughter Eloise added to the mix and is seeking to combine family life and a horse mad toddler with a thriving equine business as so many women have done before her.
“I’m not riding any wild ones at the moment so pre-training and breaking are off the table and our focus of is on high quality spelling for racehorses and performance horses as well as broodmare care including walk-ons to the various studs which are all close by,” said Victoria, who does have a young off the track showjumper she is planning to take to Equimillion.
“Equine nutrition is a real passion of mine and we’ve had several RSPCA cases sent here to be rehabilitated and brought back to peak condition for rehoming and I find that very rewarding.
“I have always loved thoroughbreds and all of my top eventers were thoroughbreds, so I understand how they think and what makes them tick, which is important in the way you manage and feed them.
“Gut health is so important and when they first arrive we ensure they are healthy from the inside out. We find a lot of our clients are mind blown by the transformation their horses make physically and mentally after some time here. We feed the highest quality feeds, hay and supplements because I am so passionate and believe you only get out what you put in.
“We work closely with our clients and provide the very best care for their horses with Scone Equine Hospital just minutes away and the constant attention of respected farrier George Hunt to maintain hooves and address any soundness issues.
“Having a great relationship with our vets, who are so close, allows us get prime spots for our mares when they are ready to walk on.”
With the breeding season literally about to start, Hillview Equine offers full care of broodmares from foaling down through to pre-service checks, pregnancy scans and walk-ons with quality care in a safe environment for your valuable bloodstock.
“We’re looking forward to our first expected foal of the 2024 season. It is for a client and is by the Kia Ora based stallion Prague,” Victoria added.
“We did the walk on last year and all the breeding work for the mare so we are super excited to see the foal that’s due in early August to kick off the season for us!
“We are so excited to grow our client base and provide others with true excellence in equine management.”
For more information on Hillview Equine and the services offered by Victoria Farr phone 0457 330 309 or email hillviewequinescone@gmail.com.au
