Jock and Kate Gordon are first and foremost, farmers from the Central West of NSW. However, horses, and in particular good horses, are their passion and their recreation source.
Jock came from a campfrafting background and Kate had been involved with show horses, so when they saw a 2.y.o colt advertised by Tamarang who was by Acres Destiny and from Bruce McNaughton’s mare “Serene”, they knew he ticked both their boxes. With this breeding he had all the genetics to be a quality Campdraft horse. Added to that, he was an amazing animal for conformation, temperament and his standout markings definitely meant he had outstanding eye appeal.
The colt was at Jamie Vickory’s after having been broken in by Michael Wilson and after inspecting him Jock and Kate were amazed at how clever he was under saddle.
They hadn’t been looking for a colt, but their initial interest in Tamarang Destinys Serenity meant they needed to do some serious soul searching and decide whether or not they wanted to go down the path of promoting a seriously good competition horse. After consultation with Michael, they purchased their horse and agreed to send him back to him for preparation for the NCHA Snafflebit Futurity, where he immediately impressed with his athletism and ability.
The intention was always to use him primarily as a home based competition horse so after the Snafflebit Futurity he returned home and was set for the ASH Futurity and Maturity. This was Jock’s first experience in the showring and some very credible results followed. He also competed on the local Campdraft circuit with regular placings.
The decision was then made that Destinys Serenity really needed to gain more exposure on the National level, which Jock and Kate weren’t in a position to provide. So he was then sent to Maryanne Gough for a brief 8 week preparation for the ASH Nationals and the Open Challenge. He again impressed and his career moved onto the Campdraft arena where he was campaigned by Kimberley Sammon.
This was an immediately successful decision when Tamarang Destinys Serenity and Kimberley won Cutouts on their first outing and then the Novice at Kyogle at their next appearance.
Landmark 2017 saw a change of jockey when Vicki Hiscock stepped up at the last minute and the successful team placed a very close 3rd in the Stallion Shootout.
Tamarang Destinys Serenity them spent the next 8 months standing under a tree before being collected by Pete Boulton enroute to competition in the Triple where did extremely well at each venue.
Another sojourn after Warwick and then back to Pete in January with instant success running 90’s and 24 cut outs with zero preparation.
Kate and Jock are very excited to own Serenity and are really looking forward to seeing what he will do in the future and more importantly what he will produce. There are many stallions out there, but not all are sires. In his first crop of foals he has put a stamp on them all and they all seem to carry his great temperament. They are looking forward to the next couple of years when they start competing.
A word from the owners…
‘Acres is definitely a big reason why we purchased Serenity as we have several mares by him and feel that he produces exactly what we are after – natural cow, looks and temperament. Time and time again he produces horses that are winning in all circles and that are the complete package. But, probably the main reason is his dam Serene.
We are big believers in a very strong mare line and with Serene, not only does she bring in much sought after genetics, she also has the performance to back it up. We have had a number of top competitors in the industry come up and tell us that Serene was one of the best mares that they have seen.
‘To match his great depth of breeding is a great conformation. He is built a bit like a sports car, he is very compact with an incredible turn of pace. He is like a kelpie dog when on cattle – its just so natural for him, he just seems to know what to do without having to be trained. You cant teach a horse that. He is also very eye catching. As much as looks don’t make a horse go any better in drafting, most people would prefer to ride something that looks good and it also means that they can be used as show horses, making them multipurpose.
He has great markings which we hope crossed over plainer mares will produce progeny that will have a bit of style. But most of all it is his temperament that we like. We have small children and have always said if we were to own a stallion he would have to be really quiet.
Serenity is just so easy to get on with, even as a young colt he hardly makes a noise when away competing and is really good with our kids. Nothing seems to worry him, and we are hoping he will pass this no-fuss attitude on.
Life is so busy now that we and a large majority of competitors don’t have the time to ride every day so we need to breed horses that don’t require a huge amount of work. As we have a farm to run there are weeks when we don’t get time to work the horses and even at this young age Serenity turns up on the weekends and performs.’
Jock & Kate Gordon