Rafiki Equestrian

02/10/2024

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity and initiative!

*** ANNOUNCEMENT ***

We have heard your feedback! As there are additional spaces available, we have now opened the EV OTT Clinic to ANY OTT THAT HAS BEEN CLAIMED on the OTT Community.

We have also extended the closing date to Monday 7th October.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn from experts in the industry who are also passionate about the OTT thoroughbred.

Register now! https://form.jotform.com/242331011662038

17/09/2024

Love this product and my horses are thriving on it, if you are keen to try it for your horses, use code JULES at checkout for an introductory 20% discount

08/09/2024

Rossco “Rafiki Epic Deal” living up to his name and winning again at Spring Horse Trials, this time with Georgie Birrell who kindly took on the ride when we made a last minute decision to head to Italy. What a fantastic ride you gave him Georgie to lead from start to finish, no pressure 😂😂 and finishing more than 5 penalties in the lead, and this after only having 1 week to get to know each other. Thank you so much for looking after my beautiful boy. Rossco looks the picture of health and performs at his best thanks to being fed Ultimate Daily supplemented with Ulcer Armour+ by I can’t thank you enough for for providing Rossco with the best of nutrition to meet Rossco’s dietary requirements and keep his gut healthy. Thank you to the class sponsor and to all involved in running this great event.

01/08/2024

There is a lovey editorial going to air today about my passion for Off The Track Thoroughbreds, it will be aired at 12.44pm on Racing.Com thank you Sam and Leigh for putting this beautiful production together, to everyone that supports me in my endeavours .j .gollings.dressage for developing the best feeds and supplements to optimise my horses health and therefore their happiness and ability to train and perform to their best. As it is horses birthday please use code JULES at checkout to get your 20% discount. Happy Birthday to all the horses today and special love to all the Rafiki horses I have had the pleasure of transitioning to their new lives after racing. My biggest gratitude is to my beautiful husband for believing in me and encouraging my passion, I couldn’t do any of this without you by my side, thank you babe 💕💕🎂🎂🎂🏇🏇🏇

25/07/2024

Very wise words

Ok I am sticking my neck out and opening a can of worms by saying what I feel strongly that needs to be said.

We are living at a time where there is no privacy and everything that happens behind closed doors is spoken about and shown in public. Some of this is good and some is not.

I feel very strongly about horse welfare because we as riders and trainers have the power over horses wellbeing as well as over the misuse of horses. It is our obligation to look after them and care for them.

Saying that, we as humans learn to do the right things by often making mistakes first. When I look back on my career as a rider and a coach there have been many times that I would now say I have done the wrong thing by my standards today.
I have done the wrong thing by horses in my past, riding and training in a way that I would NOT accept today, because today I know better.

I have many times looked back at horses in my past and apologised to them, feeling bad about my actions, knowing that they came from a lack of knowledge, pressure, frustration and my own ego at the time wanting to prove myself.

All these experiences have made me the rider, coach and person I am today. I have learned, grown and have become more knowledgable and compassionate as a result of my past.

What is the point of my confession and this post?

The point is that we have a current situation where a rider/trainer is punished and dragged through social media which might threaten her career not to mention the personal trauma inflicted on Charlotte herself.

We have a whistle blower who is crucified and haunted by supporters and fans, I can not imagine how he/she must be feeling right now.

We have a horse who is no better off.

All of what is happening right now, with the time that has passed has no benefit for anyone. It is only causing pain. I beg you to put yourself in the shoes of both people involved. How terrible must they feel right now.

But we can learn from mistakes so lets learn.

Riders, if you are in a lesson where something happens that you are not comfortable with, that you feel is doing wrong by you or your horse, speak up! You can only help your horse if you speak up there and then.

Parents, friends, families, if you are witnessing a lesson where the rider is not able to speak up, support them and speak for them! Stop the lesson, pay and walk away.

I know how hard it can be, I have been there myself as a rider and as a parent where I felt I had to speak up and end a lesson. Not because the horse was abused, but because I felt it was not the right way to train. Why did I know that and why could I speak up for the horse?? Because I have learned from my mistakes in the past.

Coaches and trainers, I know how hard it is to combine your love and passion for horses with the need to create an income to be able to have a sustainable business that pays the bills.
I know how difficult it can be to fulfil riders expectations and help them to achieve the sometimes unachievable.
Be courageous enough to be honest to your riders and make them understand the importance of time! It is the shortcuts that harm our horses and they are taken because we don't allow the time it takes.
Horses are in no hurry, it is us who have to learn to be patient.

I don't know the details of what has happened but I wish that we can find a way back to having conversations. Speaking to each other even if we disagree. Taking videos, slandering each other on social media and suing people who we once admired is not who we are as a horse community. Lets do better.

Lets, learn to say YES when you mean yes and learn to say NO when you mean no. Lets have discussions, disagreements and even arguments but behind closed doors and in small circles.
This is something that we all can do better so that we protect our horses at the time when they need our protection, not years later.

13/07/2024

I can testify that my horses have significantly improved since starting them on Ulcer Armour +

Cielo has suffered with Ulcers in the past and I have used pharmaceutical treatments which have helped, but inevitably been short term. My preference would always be to use a natural supplement for treatment and prevention. Ulcer Armour+ has been the solution for my horses. Actively taking preventative measures, this proactive approach has made my horses more resilient , their stress levels have significantly decreased, and they're just generally happier. It’s providing them a shield, not just a temporary fix. When it comes to horse gut health, it’s all about long-term commitment, not just stepping in when there’s a crisis. I am a firm believer that if you have a healthy gut, you have a happy willing horse and who doesn’t want that? Thank you High Horse

19/06/2024

Thank you for publishing Off The Track

Is windsucking a vice to avoid – or a trait that could actually indicate positive attributes for horses at the elite level?

Racing Victoria Acknowledged Retrainer Julie Bramucci believes we shouldn’t shy away from a windsucker – and neither does three-time Olympian Boyd Martin.

READ | https://www.ottcommunity.com.au/ott-tack-room/c707807b-6396-5786-aa51-2c2c24d0bfd1

05/06/2024

Any one available to plait a horse for me for Thursday and or Friday please? Attending YEH Melbourne International Three Day Event

04/05/2024

Rossco was a star for me again this weekend, so perfectly behaved doing all I asked of him, a beautiful test, lovely clear SJ, a dream XC, annoyingly I was well up on the clock and sat up to avoid speeding fines, however, misjudged my hold for 2 seconds too long costing him placing 3rd instead of second, oops. Congratulations to all place getters and many thanks to the organisers, officials and volunteers that work so hard to put on this wonderful event. Thank you to all the sponsors. My OTT class was highly contested, as a Retrainer it thrills me to see so many OTT’s performing so well and enjoying their lives after racing, thank you to Racing Victoria’s Off The Track Program for continuing to sponsor dedicated OTT classes. Rossco looked beautiful and performed so well thanks to his diet being supported by High Horse, I am so happy to be part of their team. A special shout out to Mother Nature, she really put on a show for us yesterday, Ballarat has never been so warm in May!! Best of luck to all competitors today.

02/05/2024

So excited, thank you Team High Horse 🙏👏👏

01/05/2024

Love this shot, beautiful photo Michelle Terlato Photography, I just love this young horse so much, I didn’t even think to mention on the day that he was in fact bred by His Royal Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, founder of Godolphin, I couldn’t be more proud of how well Rossco behaved and performed in the main arena Adelaide Equestrian Festival

Always happy to have a cover !

This month its the May Issue of EQUESTRIAN HUB MAGAZINE https://issuu.com/equestrianhub.com.au

Image of Julie Bramucci on 'Rafiki Epic Deal' participating in the Cross Country Masterclass for OTT horse with Amanda Ross held at the Adelaide Equestrian Festival

Read all about the 'Life after Racing' story on Page 20 of the issue out now!

Amanda Ross Equestrian
Off The Track
Godolphin
Racing Victoria

30/04/2024

Beautiful Bronzie 💕

30/04/2024

I am both thrilled and humbled, just to be nominated was a nice pat on the back, but to have made it to the top 2 when there are so many worthy individuals is a pleasant surprise. We do it for the love, not the accolades, but it is very nice to be in this position. Congratulations to all the nominees and finalists. I very much look forward to meeting you and seeing your stories at the awards night. Thank you Godolphin for celebrating and acknowledging the hard work that we all do in this industry. I would also like to thank my husband Marco for being my number one supporter and nominating me.

30/10/2023

🐊🩸💕💕💕

30/10/2023

That’s going to be another exciting day of racing 🐊🩸💕 you are a true champion

Alligator Blood is set to make one more appearance this spring, with training partnership of G*i Waterhouse and Adrian Bott yet to decide whether it will be the

30/10/2023

It was a very blustery day, but so much fun getting involved with The Cup tour once again, it was my absolute pleasure and privilege to have such legends as Efficient and Twilight Payment in my paddock. I should have locked the front gate, I think they would enjoy living at Team Rafiki 😂😂 great to have you visit Andrew, Sheds and Tayla, you are all welcome anytime 💕💕🏆🥂 Living Legends Racing.com Flemington Racecourse and Victoria Racing Club

22/10/2023

You never forget seeing or holding the Melbourne Cup, The Cup comes to Queenscliffe on Tuesday arriving at the ferry terminal around 10.30a.m be there for all the excitement, Searoad ferries have all the details, later in the day there is a fund raising Cocktail Party to be hosted at Suma Park, it will be a great few hours of Cup history and celebrations, all while raising funds for Cottage By The Sea. Hope to see you there. Living legends Efficient and Twilight Payment will be there along side Melbourne Cup ambassadors.

21/10/2023

While I love 🇮🇹 food, it also loves my hips, so time to cut refined carbs and gelati for a while 😂😂 5 weeks turned into 5 kilos, oops! So worth it though ✅ now to be good for a while 😇