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In This Issue...
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Great Offers For Our Yarrabin Friends
 Welcome to our latest newsletter. Thank you for reading (and also for forwarding to all your friends and family). Thought we would kick off with some GREAT offers we are running at the moment – dates with no or only a few bookings at this stage; “extend your stay” offer where you can add a third night and extra ride at a great price; “bring a friend” and you both receive a complimentary horse ride each day; AND no cost horse riding for Dads...
First, here are some dates where we still have some spots for you to escape from the city! And better still, for some of them, you can have the whole of Yarrabin to you and your group if you have 18 or more paying guests! But jump in quick. Dates with vacancies are Mon 31 Aug to Wed 2 Sep, Fathers’ Day Weekend Fri 4 to Sun 6 Sep (no cost for Dads to ride this weekend!), Tue 15 to Thu 17 Sep, Fri 18 to Sun 20 Sep (Kid F r ee Weekend), Fri 30 Oct to Sun 1 Nov, and Fri 20 to Sun 22 Nov. Hope we get to see you soon. And if you are still looking for something great to do for the October School Holidays, we do have limited spots available. Please call.
Have you heard about our “Extend Your Stay” special offer?? Beat the traffic jams, stay over on Sunday night for dinner, bed and breakfast, then ride Monday morning for just $95 per adult, and $50 per child. Normally $140 per adult and $100 for children.
Thirdly, we love to share with you our new “Bring a Friend to Yarrabin” special offer: simply bring a friend, who has never been to Yarrabin before, with you and you will both have a complimentary ride per day on the house!! Giddy UP!
And our special offer for Dads? All Dads staying with one or more of their children ride at no cost (that’s right f r e e!) for the Fathers’ Day Weekend of Fri 4 to Sun 6 Sep. And we promise to throw in a little surprise that weekend as well!
(The photo here shows the Legacy families who visited Yarrabin in August)
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GDay from the Yarrabin Team : )
 OK, so all the special offers and space available dates are done! Now we would simply like to update you on a few things that we have been up to, and some exciting things to look forward to. Plus we will update you on our wonderful horses and our equally wonderful team. And we trust that not only do you find this newsletter interesting, but it will spur you into action to come up and visit us soon : )
First, the immediate Phillips family. That’s us in the photo “riding” our horses! Of course, we don’t suggest you try this at home!! It’s one of the few photos where you will see us all on horseback at the one time. And the most amazing thing was the day the photo was taken, Annie and Graeme were running a leadership workshop, so Jessica, Harry, Jack and Will took the trail ride. How about that?
And what have we been up to at Yarrabin since autumn? Winter all up was pretty mild, but still tough on us and some of our horses (more of that in the Horse Section). Yarrabin has seen many more wonderful guests through its doors and on its horses. Some are returning guests and some have experienced Yarrabin for the first time. Our Adult Only/Kid Free weekends run once a month are hugely popular. July school holidays were busier than ever, with many wonderful families joining us, and two full full full Kids Camps (book soon for Dec/Jan ones because most are already more than half full). So much for the global recession – more and more people are coming to Yarrabin, maybe to escape the GFC??
A super group from Father Riley’s Youth Off the Streets program joined us in August. The youth were simply fantastic, despite the challenges life has thrown them at such an early age. They all rode, and we are pretty sure they all gained so much from their Yarrabin escape. But the visit was even more special because each youth had to care for a special needs kid. All part of their “Walking in Your Shoes” program. We would love to welcome the Father Riley’s Youth Off The Streets kids back any day!
Yarrabin also gave a gift to Legacy families – to holiday with us at no cost as our way of giving to others who have had challenges in life. Whilst all families had lost their Dads in combat or post military service, everyone had the most amazing time. One of the widows, Julie, gave a heartfelt thank you on behalf of the group at the conclusion of the weekend, and we were all very touched. Thank you to our volunteer helpers, Trish and Les, who gave their time, energy and boundless enthusiasm. We are committed to hosting a Legacy group every year. Please let us know if you would like to volunteer your time, or even make a donation.
And how AWESOME is this? There is now a song about Yarrabin, written and performed by two regular and cherished guests, Steve Koroknay and Mark Horsley. It is very moving and very special to us, and we thank Steve and Mark for taking the time and effort. We will load it onto our new website – or come up and listen to it at Yarrabin. It could easily go to Number One on the charts!!!
Finally, Yarrabin now has a Facebook page!! Mel and Jess run it, and the focus is towards Kids Camps and kids. Just go to www.facebook.com and put Yarrabin in the search box. Oh, and please write some comments and add us to your friends list!! Many thanks : )
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Our Wonderful Horse Team
 omething is always happening in the Yarrabin horse herd! Annie, Mel and Jess constantly work hard on maintaining our mob at its peak of fitness and performance, but also ensuring there is an appropriate horse for everyone. We now have close to 40 horses on the property, with about 30 of them “in the line” and in work. Others are either in foal, being rested or not suited at the moment for our guests to ride. Unfortunately, as is the way in nature, we have very sadly had to say goodbye to some very special horses.
But first the new additions. We welcome Alfie, an Australian stock horse, to the team. That’s him in the photo being ridden by Mel and leading the “charge up the lookout run. Although not yet easy to ride, he is starting to settle in and provides a challenge if that is what you like!! He comes from a strong sporting background and hasn’t quite got the concept that one can just mosey along!! Jock also joins the team - he is our new “gentle giant.” Another stock horse, who stands at 16 hands, but is a real gentleman! We are constantly on the lookout for new horses, so if you know of any who are looking for a new home, please let us know.
Angel is now “holidaying” at the grazing part of our property, Menmuir. Why? She is now 6 months pregnant!! She is doing very well, and it looks like she will foal over the Christmas break. Join us in January to see her new foal! Or even suggest some names...
Some Yarrabin horses competed in the school competition “North West Expo” at Coonabarabran in May – Fly (who, ridden by Harry, came second in the cross country competition), Milo and Lady. Fly (ridden by Jessica) and Major (ridden by Mel) competed in a One Day Event in Harden and achieved admirable results.
We were deeply saddened to farewell our little super star, Snuggles. A favourite of thousands, she had a long and touching life, born here at Yarrabin, and going fast until the last couple of years. Who will ever forget those magical fast dashes up the lookout run? Finally during her 34th year, she simply lay down and went to sleep. We know she will be missed, but we also know she will be happy in horse heaven.
Sao, another special Yarrabin horse, also found this winter challenging. We had retired him to ‘Lazy Acres,’ a friend’s farm down the road, and he did enjoy the last 8 months of his retirement. Tragically, we also lost our dear palomino, Rosie. For those who knew her, she had a back leg that sometimes gave her trouble, and on a trail ride over July holidays, she put it down awkwardly and it snapped. She is remembered fondly, and missed terribly, especially by the group of very brave teens who were on the trail ride at the time. Sometimes things just happen. Fortunately, she left us the gift of Lilly, who is proving a pleasure to ride by the staff. Only another year or so and she will join the line!
(Photo is Alfie being ridden by Mel, our wrangler)
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Our Wonderful People Team
 Our wonderful people team, who not only complement our super horses but also ensure your holiday is memorable and safe, are always receiving loads of compliments from guests for their happy and tireless work. We are grateful to have them and their tireless efforts.
Mel continues to be a wonderful asset to Yarrabin, and practically runs the place. In many ways, she is Annie’s understudy. Jessica, our eldest child, has moved to the gulf country of Queensland to jillaroo for 3 months. She is sorely missed but is having a great experience. Jess will return to run the January Kids Camps (maybe with a cowboy in tow??). Harry, our almost 17 year old son, has stepped up to fill Jessica’s shoes – when he can fit us in between polocrosse tournaments and Rugby Union games! Jack (now 12) and Will (8) continue to love life and life at Yarrabin as part of our team.
Our casual staff include long term favourite Elise, currently completing her combined nursing/paramedic degree in Bathurst, and Zoe, who is completing her Social Science/Psychology degree also in Bathurst. We welcome Tash to our team. She just loves the horses and is also completing her combined nursing and/paramedic degree. Quick with a smile, Tash has fitted in well to the team.
We also welcome Richard onto our team. Richard is a local guy who is keen to do a bit of cooking – okay, he is really a chef with loads of experience in 5 star establishments such as the Sheraton. Not only can he cook (!), but he is one of those people who, when you meet them, it’s like opening a bottle of great champagne (thank you to Winston Churchill for those words!).
Yarrabin now has two “permanent” positions for working holiday people to join our team. If you know of anyone or are interested yourself, please let us know. The BIG prerequisites are proficiency in English and horse riding, to be quick with a smile and have a strong team attitude. Josie (who was with us in Dec, Jan and Feb with Camilla) enjoyed her working holiday so much that she is back with us for a short time. We’d love to keep her permanently!
(The photo shows Zoe riding Gerry)
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Our Wonderful Farm Animals
 Another key part of the Yarrabin team is our menagerie of farm animals. They have entertained and educated many guests over the years. There are two new spring lambs, Shimmy and Shake, who are the cuddliest lambs ever! There are always new baby chooks born every week, thanks to our incubator!
Mathilda the pig has steered clear of the Equine Flu (whoops, we mean Swine Flu lol), and our dogs (who have 7 legs between them) Tunka and Teddy are always looking for a hug – and a good brush!! Of course, who can forget the two rabbits, Thumper and Snowy (they are always escaping!), Brewster the Rooster, his “peep” of chickens, and our “paddling” of ducks? (Please let us know if these collective nouns are not correct!)
And spring will see more cuddly lovely baby animals join our mob... so come up and spoil them!
(The photo shows Amy, from the Youth Off The Streets group, and Shimmy the lamb)
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“Tenth Year at Yarrabin Celebrations” Fri 27 to Sun 29 Nov 09
 December this year marks our tenth year at the reins of Yarrabin! We have had loads of fun, met loads of wonderful people, and shared some amazing times with many of you over these special years. So we plan to celebrate!!
The celebration weekend is from Fri 27 to Sun 29 Nov 09, and we have an all-inclusive rate. If you would like to join us, please book in soon – not only will we have some great times, and share in a big cake, we will also reveal some new trail rides! And test how many people the new spa can actually hold!!
The HUGE celebrations at Yarrabin will be when we celebrate 50 years of Yarrabin in 2013. Planning is under way for a book on Yarrabin (send us your photos and stories!), some special publicity events, and some even more special party weeks and weekends! If you have any suggestions, we would love to hear them.
So for now, it is farewell from us here at Yarrabin. We sincerely trust that life is wonderful and a gift to you all. We’d love you to share a few moments with us and our horses soon.
Go gently. Annie, Graeme, and the Yarrabin Team. August 2009.
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Did you know that our popular Adults Only (or Kid F ree) Weekends are now run once a month? It’s always hard to please everyone all the time – but we like to try! Only 18 spots are available, and they all pretty much book out, so grab some like minded friends and join us – or be brave and come by yourself. Not only will you enjoy fantastic Yarrabin hospitality, food and horse riding, you will meet many other wonderful people and experience a special activity like wine or coffee tasting. The weekend is an all-inclusive package of only $345 per person twin share.
“Best camp ever.” “I love Yarrabin – especially the horses!” “We love Kids Camps at Yarrabin. Why can’t they be longer?” These are some of the comments we have received on our world famous Kids Camps. 
Did you know that we also run workshops (for adults) with a focus on both improving your horse riding/horsemanship skills AND enjoying 4 days of decadence at Yarrabin. Imagine riding every day, receiving some invaluable tips from our guru horse riding instructor Annie, trying some sports riding, soaking in our super spa, sipping on complimentary champagne AND receiving a complimentary 30 minute massage? Sound like heaven?