By Callum Ludwig
Back in local hands, Shirley Heights Equestrian Centre is making progress on plans to improve the facilities for riders near and far.
A planning permit for a new office and amenities has been approved by Yarra Ranges Council and is the first of a few different plans to offer new facilities at the centre.
Owners Michael and Sandy Rutledge said they are upping the catering they’re providing to all the competitors step by step.
“We are hoping to start in the next month or so and once we’ve got that done, we’re working on upgrading the arenas because they’re pretty old now and they don’t drain very well in winter,” Michael said.
“We have an architect that I know helping us look at what we’re doing at the moment and making sure that we have all the activities that emanate from a central hub. The offices are important because that’s ‘Mission Control’ for when you’ve got a competition on.”
The Broxam family owned the Shirley Heights farm in Launching Place from 1976, opening the centre for the first time in 1987. Due to personal family circumstances, the Broxams decided to sell in 2011 to the Victorian Pony Clubs Association.
However, the Rutledges have brought Denise and Kylie Broxam and their wealth of knowledge back into the fold in the new Shirley Heights Equestrian Centre in Gladysdale.
Kylie Broxam is a director and trainer at the centre and said the facility is thought of as welcoming and friendly, with riders from as far back as 30 years ago still coming back and competing.
“The amenities here have a reputation for being great and are only going to get better. We go and compete at other places and they don’t clean it for 18 hours, while we have cleaners around every hour,” she said.
“We’ve just been approved for our first national event, which is a two-day horse trials in the last week of September, and we hope in three years we can build that up to be an international one.”
Further ambitious plans for the centre include opening a cafe/restaurant to replace the old canteen, building stables and creating another new arena to help expand the centre’s potential for events, including to cater for para riders or host horses and carriages.
