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Avast me hearties!!! The third annual Save Equus rally saw more than 20 horse-riding pirates and ordinary people (who were being pirates on the inside) turn out to ride the treacherous wilds of Wandi in search of hidden treasure! They came from all points of the compass, north, south and east of the river, to converge on Magenup Equestrian Centre.

Marshalled by their Captain Smith and his parrot Cecil, teams of scabby sailors were thrown a map of intrigue and a scrambled list of cryptic clues, to test their wits and bravery. They were charged with finding as much booty as they could before the sands ran out, and bringing it back to count up. Interesting items were hidden around Magenup Lake. Some had to be remembered and some collected, and yes okay, there should have been more chocolate. What did the Black Pearls make of the eyeballs hanging in a tree? Were the Gold Doubloons foiled by Black Bess' last ride? Did the Blue Gums find the rum? And just why did Jack Sparrow's Girlfriends ride right past Davey Jones' locker yet not see it?

If you don't know, you probably weren't there, and should walk the plank as penance (or just come next year). But everyone had a great time, and rode safely with their horse's wellbeing in mind. As a result, everyone returned home in one piece for a big barbeque lunch and horsetalk. The winners of the treasure hunt were declared to be Jack Sparrow's Girlfriends, and the winner of the Saddleworld summer rug gate-prize was Antje Lopez. Huzzah!

To all who rode (or walked) the course, and to all who helped behind the scenes, a huge THANK YOU from Save Equus for a fantastic day! Together we succeeded in raising funds for our rescue horses, plus building a community of advocates for horse welfare in WA.

Congratulations and see you next year!

Photos from the rally

As I wandered around the grounds of the Wandi Fair, looking at all the crafts and displays, I came across a tent displaying a pin-up board with the title 'Save Equus'. Being a horse admirer, I wanted to see what it was about.

There was a story of a horse called Khan. As I stood and looked at the pictures and began to read the articles, my heart became heavy and my eyes filled. I couldn't believe that there are people who treat these beautiful, majestic creatures with such disregard. That's when a man, who introduced himself as Frank, approached me. I'm sure he could see I was becoming distressed. He told me Khan had become his horse and showed me a picture of his beautiful boy now. How he had returned to his former self. Standing tall and proud, back to the magnificent creature he had always been.

Frank explained to me the purpose of this volunteer group called Save Equus. Their objectives and goals are to promote and facilitate the humane treatment of equines. I wanted to be a part of this team and help achieve these goals. I joined then and there, at the tent. Even if I was only helping financially by becoming a member, I wanted to be a part of this group. Since then I have become a committee member, hoping to help in other ways.

These magnificent creatures deserve a life void of pain and suffering.