Cust harness racing breeder Laura Smith’s passion for horses leads to thriving business

Cust harness racing breeder Laura Smith has a special bond with horses which she believes is essential for success in this competitive industry. She is pictured here with mare One Over Da Skye.

Growing up on a Cust dairy and sheep farm, Laura Smith’s goal of having her own farm was clear in her mind from an early age.

“From the age of 10, I dreamed of owning my own farm and I always wanted to be involved with horses,” she said.

“Commercial horse breeding farms aren’t that common around here and I think my parents were a bit worried about the viability of this type of operation, but it has worked out well so far.”

Realising she needed to learn more about horses and breeding to gain some practical experience, Smith trained to be a veterinary nurse but the pull of being outdoors and actively working with horses proved more attractive than a vet clinic-based role.

She started off working with horses at Wai Eyre Farm in Eyreton and then worked for a thoroughbred stud in Ireland.

“I just love working with horses.

“It’s hard work but at the same time, it doesn’t feel like work when you love what you do.

“I have learned so much from working on farms here and overseas.”

After returning to North Canterbury, Smith purchased a 20ha (50-acre) block of land in Cust which had been a deer farm and converted it into a horse breeding and preparation property.

She has now expanded her horse stud to over 40ha, but it hasn’t been an easy journey.

“The first block was originally a deer farm so I had to put a lot of work into to get it to the point where I could have horses on the farm.

“I am also at the smaller end of the horse stud market, so I have grown at a sensible pace to ensure that I make good decisions.”

Despite not having any connections to the horse industry, Smith has created a thriving breeding and yearling preparation business based totally on word of mouth.

Smith focused on developing a good business model to ensure that she prepared a quality product for her clients.

“It was a bit hard to break into the industry at first as I wasn’t involved with it when I was younger, so I didn’t have the connections.

“I have never done any advertising, but I think when people come here, they get a sense of how we operate and then the results speak for themselves.”

When Smith first started her business, she looked after spelling racehorses, however; she soon started fielding requests from owners retiring racing fillies who wanted to breed from them.

“I do a bit of everything now from the breeding side of things to caring for the foals and yearling preparation for the sales.

“I have over 70 horses on the property now which is about the maximum for the land that I have.

“I like doing things with proper care and attention to detail.”

Smith said having access to irrigation water through Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL) was important for her farming operation as she liked to grow her own feed to ensure that it met her quality standards.

“The land is good here and having the irrigation enables me to grow all my own feed on-farm.

“That’s important to me because I can make sure of what is in the feed I am giving to the horses which ensures they all get a good start in life.”

Successful horses that have been born or gone through yearling preparation on Smith’s farm include Merlin and Amore Vita and the unbeaten Millwood Nike.

“Some horses are just born with a presence.

“It is hard to explain but you can just feel it right from the start.

“If you look after them well and handle them properly with care, they will be more inclined to give you results at the other end.”

As for her long-term goals, Smith would like to expand her operation if she can find suitable land to purchase.

“I’m happy with how everything is going now, but if I could expand that would be great too.

“I just want to keep doing what I love for as long as possible and for me, that’s working with horses.”