Bali Business

When a riding establishment on the tropical island of Bali was advertised for sale, it set life changes in motion for two Australian Equine enthusiasts.

Leanne Rewell was on her way to Canada to finish 60 hours of small animal training, all that remained of her veterinary nursing studies, when friend Natalie Boyer contacted her with a business proposition. Island Horse, a riding establishment in Bali, Indonesia, was up for sale and Natalie suggested they go into partnership. All of a sudden one of life’s surprises was taking flight.
Natalie Boyer, from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, had moved to Bali in August 2007. She’d opened Shoot Bali, a photo gallery in Kuta, and also a small riding stables at Pantai Saba. The businesses combined her interests in photography and riding with experience in small business management back in Australia. She enjoyed life in Bali and was ready for a larger challenge. When the suggestion was raised, Leanne was open to change and the idea of moving to Bali was attractive. Having owned and worked with horses most of her life, competing in dressage, halter and hack classes at home in Central Victoria and later strapping racehorses and doing stud work, she was well qualified for the task. A trainee vet nurse at an equine hospital in Bullsbook, WA she put her studies on hold and in 2008 moved to Bali.
The friends purchased Island Horse, at Yeh Gangga Beach, in Tabanan, just west of the famous Tanah Lot temple, in July 2008. There are other riding schools in Bali but Island Horse offers different experiences; adjacent to a large stretch of beach, the rides include river crossings, temples and waterfalls along the way, which offer great photo opportunities. Riders can view a bat cave, hike up to another temple accompanied by a guide and ride through the local village - another popular element as many visitors to Bali don’t have the opportunity to experience traditional village life. Another river crossing takes the tour back along the beach to the stables at the end of a two hour ride.

Riders have the opportunity to see the local temples.

Island Horse caters for wedding photos, special requests as needed and is the only riding centre in Bali to offer sunset rides, after which there are always complimentary drinks and nibbles.
Currently, there are sixteen horses at the stables at Yeh Gangga including two stallions and four geldings, the rest are mares, which are the preferred mounts for clients and guides. Another five horses are kept in private stables in Saba at Natalie’s villa, where the brood mares and foals are also stabled. In total, there are twenty three horses, ranging from 11.2hh to 16.3hh, so all rider requirements are catered for. The breeds are mostly Thoroughbred crosses and Bali ponies - derived from Mongolian stock imported by the Chinese in the 6th Century, they rarely top 13 hands, but these ponies and cross-breeds have hard feet, cope well in the heat and never go lame. Some of Island Horse’s ponies were already at the stables when the business was purchased but Natalie and Leanne have imported horses from Java - mostly Australian/American Thoroughbreds that have raced in Java - for those riders wanting a bigger horse.
Leanne and Natalie have also started a race-horse breeding program, with the first foal born in September; a colt named Putra, destined for racing in Java. Two other mares with Australian blood-lines are in Java, to be put to the New Zealand stallion, Tuscaloosa, with the resulting foals destined for sale as racing prospects.
Male horses are commonly kept entire in Bali so stallions are common and are very well behaved - at Island Horse, the beginners are put on the stallions! There were ten mares at Island Horse when the business was purchased and these will be useful in the side-business of breeding race-horses.
With fifteen staff, ten of whom work at the stables, the high ratio of staff to horses means that each rider can be accompanied by a guide, for reasons of safety and enjoyment, and so beginners or those wishing not to canter won’t be left behind. The local Balinese and Java personnel have worked with race horses and all have a good knowledge of shoeing (all the horses wear shoes, which come from Java) and veterinary treatment with natural medicines. This helps keep costs down as vets and western medicines are expensive and the veterinary knowledge of equines is limited. Balinese are very knowledgeable in local plant lore and Island Horse staff have special knowledge of equine treatments; for example a mix of lime, ginger, jacaranda leaves and other plants that don’t have English names, treat swollen legs very successfully.

Leanne (left), Natalie (right) with their pet monkeys, Molly the dog and staff of Island Horse.

Because of the climate horses are prone to tropical infections such as skin parasites which can appear like mange on a dog and cause hair loss. Sweating makes the condition worse, but bathing the horses every morning, swimming in the sea and hosing them after every ride helps relieve the symptoms, as do the fans that have been installed in the stables to increase the horse’s comfort. Basic veterinary products are available and for any wounds that require stitching, a local ‘human’ doctor does a very good job. Horses are not drenched in Indonesia, so if they develop colic an injection of vitamin B12 is given and local natural medicines administered, along with coffee or soft drink.
Equipment for the riding centre comes from Australia, Singapore and Java, although the saddle blankets are made locally in Bali. The tropical heat and high humidity makes it necessary for 95% of equipment to be synthetic, as the humidity causes leather to mould very quickly, and as the horses are in water a lot, leather just doesn’t last. Most of the saddles are Wintecs which are taken over from Australia by friends and family when they visit.
The horses are stabled twenty four hours a day, seven days a week as the partnership doesn’t yet own any land. Horses not in work are walked twice a day and given the opportunity to pick at grass and relax. Part of the stable management routine includes a daily training program to maintain responsiveness to walk, trot and canter, both for client safety and to keep the horses from becoming bored. Safety for clients plus fitness and well-being for horses are priorities, so training and games such as flag- and barrel racing, pole work and polocrosse also take place daily.
All horse feed is imported from Java and costs around the same as it does in Australia. Local, green (mung) beans, with salt, bran, pellets and vitamin supplements added are fed as a mix twice a day, with fresh-cut grass fed in-between. Vitamin injections are given to horses working hard as the horses sweat a lot in the heat and need electrolyte and salt replacement.
Leanne and Natalie have just leased an acre of land to grow their own grass for the horses, which they cut themselves. It’s a busy life, but both agree that living and managing businesses in Bali is a great challenge, and a wonderful experience.