Pam Ahern's remarkable story: Garryowen success to Edgar's Mission

I thought I would ride until I was a ninety-year-old lady and die in the saddle,” says Pam Ahern. And so did the rest of the equestrian community, who witnessed Pam’s many victories and achievements, including two Garryowen wins. Pam was at the top of her game until a pig, Edgar Alan Pig, came into her life. Pam founded Edgar’s Mission, a not-for-profit rescue farm animal sanctuary, in 2003, and in 2006, after winning her second Garryowen, Pam left the competitive horse showing world and became the full-time director of the sanctuary. She describes her change of focus and life with a quote from Douglas Adams’ ‘The Long, Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul.’ “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

“I grew up in suburban Thornbury (7km from Melbourne GPO),” begins Pam. “Mine was a non-horsey family, but I have always loved animals from a very young age. When I saw a picture of a horse, I just wanted one; such a magical being, you could climb on their back, and they would take you places you could never imagine going - beautiful animals; their strength, their nobility, their freedom. I think little girls are made for horses. Mum always said I could not have a horse, the budget would not accommodate one etc, but it all fell on deaf ears. Mum was a very concerned mother, too, and we were not even allowed to have bicycles. I had a scooter, and it was humiliating because all the other kids had bicycles. Mum worried about the danger factor, so you can see the difficulty horses presented. However, using Mum’s pantyhose and part of my scooter, I made a saddle that I attached to a kitchen stool and rode it for hours.

“Mum was determined that I was going to be a ballet dancer. I wasn’t very good, and she finally relented, that and her diminishing supply of pantyhose, and she took me to the local riding school in Plenty. I then got a pony from the Lower Plenty Pony Club, and that’s where my involvement with horses began. The horses became my teachers in so many ways, not just horse lessons, but life lessons. It serves me very well today that early learning about animal behaviour, the instinctive things you learn about, the horse’s body language, teaches you how to approach them, and that became so intuitive in me at such a young age. It really does serve me well with other animals today.

“When I got my first pony, Jimmy, I felt like, this is my calling, this is what I will always be. I was in heaven, and I could never have imagined that there would be a time I would never ride horses. He was the most accommodating of horses, especially considering my lack of ability. I think about the champion horses I have had, and if I had to name my greatest champion, it would be Jimmy. He never won anything in the show ring; he had bog spavins and turned in legs; a weird anatomy, but he was a champion. We did everything at pony club: bareback, novelties, jumping, etc, and my attention to detail developed. The major reason I wanted to improve my riding was not to win more ribbons, but my goal for improving my riding was that it would be more comfortable for my pony. And by the law of unintended consequences, my pony was more comfortable, and I was more successful. The better I became as a rider, the more harmonious my relationship with the pony would become and he became more comfortable to ride.

People have asked me: how do you win a Garryowen? I tell them it begins when you start at an early age to develop a harmonious relationship with your horse. It was the relationship with the horses that I really cherished. For me it was not the success, it was about the relationship with the horses that gave my life the greater meaning.

“I made my way to Mickleham with my mum in a blended family. There were five kids, and we all had a horse or a pony, and we started going to horse shows. I had lessons with the late Art Uytendaal, a wonderful teacher, and during that time, my love of show horses came through. I gravitated in that direction, and it became my passion. I have always wanted to be better and have lovely relationships with horses. My parental support aided me as much as any non-horsey parental support could within a limited budget and when I grew older it was left to my assortment of jobs to fund my horses. And with the horses, if I couldn’t do it, it didn’t get done. And I’ve never had a credit card because if I can’t afford it, I don’t have it.

“I started developing my skills, and I learned to plait, not very well at the beginning. I remember, too, at one stage, I got a Pelham bit, and I thought I was the bee’s knees. We used to go to shows in a stock crate that would come and pick us up, and our parents would follow along in the car. At the shows, all the other riders were in riding outfits, and I just had my pony club jumper. Not long after I acquired the Pelham, I was in a riding class, and all the top riders were called in. And I was called in as well. Wow, I thought, and I walked in so proudly. Then the judge walked up to me and said: do you know you’ve got the Pelham on upside down? I had to do the walk of shame out of the ring, and from that day, I have never put a bridle together incorrectly.

“My horses have been my greatest teachers and my greatest allies. I always loved to get a horse to produce, mould them and bring them up. I had a lovely horse, Givenchy, that was a real challenge. I remember riding him in Centennial Park, Sydney, and he just did a lap on his hind legs. I didn’t know how I was going to get him in and around the arena at the Easter Show. Somehow I did, and somehow he was second in his class. I fell in love with him, but I remember when I got him home from the show, just sitting in the paddock crying because he was so difficult. But I loved him, and again, it was a challenge, and I like a challenge. He carried me to second place in the Garryowen in 1989, and I won a few riding classes with him. I was Reserve Champion Rider at Melbourne. It ended up that some people borrowed him for their kids to ride, and that was just wow, because he went from a horse that I was crying about to a kid’s horse, and that was all through training. It just shows what can be done by pushing that envelope just a little bit further and never giving up.

“People often talk about what their spirit animal is. I reckon mine is a cockroach; you just can’t kill me, I keep going. I had a relationship breakup in the late ‘90s and had to sell the horse I had. I almost gave up as I was so down, but as I said, I’m a cockroach. I won the Victorian Rider of the Year early in 1996, and then the relationship broke down. At the time, I had a little bloodstock insurance business that a big insurance firm underwrote, and when the Todd family from Deniliquin bought Pageant and brought him over from Perth, they insured him with me. When I saw him, I loved him; he was beautiful but naughty. They ended up wanting to sell him because of his quirky ways. At the time, I wasn’t able to go to the Nationals for the Rider Final in December because I didn’t have a horse. The Todds were trying to sell Pageant, but that was a bit of an issue because of his behaviour. I have always loved him, and I thought, what if I could take him and give him a bit of work and take him to the Nationals, and after that, they might be able to sell him? I put it to them, and they thought that neither of us had anything to lose. So I picked him up and took him to a few shows. He was quirky, but I love those quirky horses. The challenge, the beauty as their spirit fires underneath and somehow you keep it under control – but not by strength or domination, but partnership, understanding and kindness. We were National Champion Rider in 1996. Then Pageant went back to Deniliquin and me to my new life.

Mum, who knew how much I loved him, urged me to make an offer. I could not afford what they were asking. I was working in a lolly factory at the time, and I thought my offer would be an insult. But I rang Mrs Todd and explained my situation; “I know it’s not what he is worth, and also, I would have to pay him off!” Kay and Rebecca thought about it for a moment and accepted my offer, and I paid him off. Every time I packed a box of lollies, I thought, ‘that’s another bit of Pageant.’
My 1997 Garryowen win on him was the result and the first of many major successes together. I remember as I started to do the workout and it started to rain, I said to Neville (Pageant’s nickname) “Ain’t anyone going to rain on our parade today little buddy.” Neville went on to produce one of the most amazing workouts of precision, harmony and spark. I reckon I could have put him over the moon if we were asked. We knew every inch of the other and it showed brilliantly and with trust.

“I judged Hype at the NSW Horse of the Year, and I loved him. I was delighted when I managed to get him, and we really clicked. He was a dear horse, and we knew each other so well. It takes a while to know as much as you can about a horse, but you can’t know everything. I was second in the Garryowen on Hype in 2003, and he was Champion Hack at Adelaide in 2005.

“Edgar Alan Pig trotted into my life in 2003, the year I started the sanctuary. It was not that I got Edgar and decided to start the sanctuary. The idea had been growing, and before Edgar entered my world I started to question my involvement in the show world. I always thought I would ride, but I started to feel that I didn’t think I was meant to be here; I thought I was meant to be doing something else, but I loved the horses. However, I was always behind the eight ball. I remember going to Canberra Royal. Others would be up there days before settling in, but I would stay working as long as I could. I would work the afternoon shift in the lolly factory, 3pm-12am, so I could do the horses during the day. I would get picked up at midnight, drive to Canberra, and compete that day.

“In 2003, the code of practice for pig farming was being reviewed. Most people, including me, grew up thinking our laws were designed to protect all animals. But we humans play favourites, and do not treat animals equally. Farmed animals, in particular, have been excluded from the Prevention of Cruelty Act by way of Codes of Practice. At that time, I was volunteering with Animals Australia on a campaign called the ‘Save Babe Campaign.’ It just so happened that at that time James Cromwell, who played Farmer Hogget in the film Babe, was filming in Victoria. Could we get in touch with James and try to get some media interest in our campaign? James could not do enough to help us, and of course, the media wanted a photo of James with a pig. We approached one of the children’s farms and they wanted $150 for the privilege of photographing one of their pigs. I had a place in the country and always harboured a desire for a pet pig, so the day before the photoshoot, in the carpark of a pub in Central Victoria the deal was done. I parted with $50 and Edgar became a part of my life. Little did either of us know how life changing that deal would be.

“Mum and I spent the afternoon washing the piglet, which was our first experience with pigs. Edgar fell in love with my little dog ET and would follow him everywhere. The photo shoot went very well, and James had the idea: ‘what if I walk up the steps of Parliament House with Edgar demanding a better deal for pigs?’ So, I had a week to train Edgar to walk on a lead. There I was in the local park with ET on one side and Edgar on the other. It caused a sensation, and so many people wanted to know, what’s the go with the pig? When I explained to them just some of the legal things that could be done to pigs, that we would never tolerate for animals like little ET, people were horrified and the effect was profound; they could see how happy and personable Edgar was, no different really from ET, except he looked different. It really is human perceptions change, not the animals. The great tragedy for animals like Edgar is that so few people really get a chance to know them or think how their choices impact them. All animals, regardless of form, want to feel safe and not have their bodily integrity jeopardised or harmed. It is only an accident of geography that the dog is our friend and not on the menu.

“I was still doing the horses then, and in about 2004 I got a call about a grey horse that was just in a paddock, and the owner wanted to get rid of him; ‘you can have him.’ He was skin and bone and a flea-bitten grey, but he had the most beautiful bone structure I had ever seen. I thought, imagine this horse all built up and going around the show ring, so that’s how he got his name, Imagine. I had three show horses on the go at the time; I was working in the lolly factory and also in the office at Lindsay Park Stables. So, after successfully campaigning Imagine for a couple of years he went to Rebecca Farran. I had entered what I knew was my last Garryowen in 2006. I had a beautiful horse at the time, but he injured his shoulder six weeks before the Melbourne Show. I then had the idea of riding Harvey, as I called Imagine. I rang Rebecca and asked, what if I ride Harvey? She said that would be fantastic.

“The rest is history. Rebecca had done such a wonderful job on him. Again, he was a quirky horse, and you had to be careful that when you went into canter, he didn’t buck. You just had to think, canter. We won. Interestingly, people say the Garryowen is a very expensive event to do, and it can be. But I won it once on a horse, for which I paid $2,500, and for the second time on a horse that was free. I rode in a beautiful second-hand saddle that used to belong to Vicky Lawrie and my sister’s jacket and breeches.

“At that stage, I was an avid advocate for animals and forever writing letters to the papers about animal welfare issues. In 2006, Carolyn Burnside presented the Garryowen sash. She was married to Rob Hulls, the Victorian Attorney General, and as a barrister herself, she had done a lot of work on social justice and animal rights. When she put the sash on, I said to her: “you’re not the Carolyn Burnside who advocates for animals?” “Well, yes I am,” she said. And then she said, “You’re not the Pam Ahern who writes all the letters to the papers?” “Well, yes, I am.” Over the traditional Garryowen lunch, we were talking about animal issues, and I said: I’m having the grand opening of Edgar’s Mission on Sunday; what are the odds we could get Rob Hulls out there to cut the ribbon. She said he’d come. So, Rob Hulls cut the ribbon on the Kindness Trail at Edgar’s Mission, all because I won the Garryowen.

“I could have kept doing the same thing with different horses, but that challenge had gone, and I felt it was time for me to get off my high horse and champion the cause of animals. At Edgar’s Mission, we never tell people what to do or what not to do. What I do is encourage people to think about their own personal values. I truly believe in the goodness of the human heart, and people need to be guided by that, not Pam Ahern.

“If we could live happy and healthy lives without harming others, why wouldn’t we? We are running out of reasons not to.”

Article: Anna Sharpley.