We are saddened to note the passing of one of Australia’s great horsewomen, Maureen Walker. By way of tribute we publish this profile that first appeared in the July 1984 edition of The Horse Magazine.

Maureen Walker has an infectious enthusiasm and the sort of unbounded energy that stands her in good stead when preparing one of Australia’s largest, and most successful, teams of show horses, the Marena Horses. In every class – ponies, galloways, hacks and riding classes, you’ll find the Marena prefix, and usually right up the top of the placings.

When it comes to big shows, Maureen is an old hand. She started riding at Sydney Royal as a girl of five, and rode in every show right up to the War. Maureen had an eight-year break from showing, but came back to the Show ring, and has been showing solidly for the past twenty-five years.

Maureen started on an equestrian career with the help of her bushman grandfather:

“He taught me to be a horsewoman,” Maureen remembers. “The dressage and the showing I learnt just by watching and reading. I think I just have a feel for it. Even as a child I could watch someone working a horse, and see what they were doing, and then apply it to my own horse.”

“I suppose I’ve had a three day school with Karl Jurenak, and three days with Vince Corvi, and that’s it… Apart from that I’ve talked to a lot of people, especially old horsemen. Old timers that most people wouldn’t be bothered with… they know how to make horses do things. Even if those things are not in your field, you can apply their experience.”

Maureen and Marena Smart Guy

What is the most important thing to teach a horse?

“I require a relaxed, happy horse – that is the absolute key to what I want. There are too many show horses that are tense and jammed. My training concentrates on the horse that can move freely, and is happy… I like that in my riders too, sympathy in the body of the rider, sympathy and kindness. I like a horse that is looking bright and brilliant, but relaxed and happy.”

“When we start training we try very hard to make our show horses feel that they are horses. It is so easy for them to become pampered pets. When they are locked up, they are tense and unhappy. All that extra feed and the restriction of all their blankets, the restriction of the bits, they put up with a lot of restrictions.”

Bruce, Maureen and Lindy

Maureen was also a breeder with a keen eye for quality, and produced, with her husband, Bruce, some stunning horses, most of them small horses for the galloway ring:

“We’ve bred quite a few. We have quite a few friends in the country and I like those horses, especially New South Wales country horses. They are bred to work cattle, and they have a calm, intelligent brain. Most of my galloways come from the Stock Horse breed – but they are refined Stock Horses. They need very little balancing because of their breeding. I don’t breed from anything without ability. We breed horses that are balanced the day they are born. They find a flying change a piece of cake – the simple change frightens the hell out of some of them – these ones have to learn to relax and accept that change happily as it is very important to the future calmness as a show horse.”

The Australian horse world has lost one of its shining lights – our sympathies to her many friends and her family.