Colette Keenan

My name is Colette Keenan, I live in Tooradin with my husband Pat, 2 children Joshua and Teagan, 2 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats, chickens and parrots.

My love of horses started at age 2 with a bite on the little finger, after falling out of the family campervan and wandering over to pat some horses.  I still have a bent pinkie and the love of horses.

I got my first horse at age 11 after many years of dreaming.  He was a 16.3hh bay gelding named “Barrington”.  Barry was as wide as he was tall, I loved him more than anything in life, he was my best friend for 18 years, finally putting him to rest at age 33 in 1997.

I’ve had a few horses over the years, rescuing them from here and there, including 2 very special PHHWV boys.  PHHWV Texas whom I rescued as a 10mth old colt now has a fantastic loving home and PHHWV Creature Comfort whom I’ve had the pleasure of loving for 6 years now, he is a huge part of our family. I love to be with horses and to ride, whether it’s down the road, along the beach etc, with Dressage being my passion.  Creature has many ribbons and sashes from showing and dressage comps.  Creature lives with my newest baby, a beautiful TB gelding named Rondarmi, they are both so loved and spoilt.  I am a member of the HRCAV and love the friendliness at rallies and competitions.

I became a member of PHHWV in approx 1988, became further involved in 1994 when I rescued Texas under the guidance of then President Helen Jones, who trained me to be a representative, I then went onto become Treasurer.  I am very proud to be a part of PHHWV to watch the organization grow every year, to witness the kindness of everyday people. I have made some wonderful lifelong friends whom I never would have met if not for PHHWV.  The most rewarding part for which words cannot describe is to see the sparkle return to the eye of a rescued horse, to hear them nicker when they see you coming with brekkie, to see the recognition in their eye of friendship and care.  This is what keeps us going, when as expected with the friends made both human and equine along the way we also see the worst kind of people and the worst kind of situations.