Dozen Roses in stable

“An opinionated and feisty mare that no one wanted” is how Tanya Davie describes the horse her parents bought for her when she was a teenager.  Little did she know that the mare could jump like a stag and would go on to produce some of New Zealand’s top Grand Prix showjumpers.

The horse had been to a number of homes but the people working her had found her to be on the difficult side.   

“I really just got her by default, her owner wanted to sell her and the horse had put her leg through the fence while at a trainers getting schooled so was sent home.   Her owner contacted me once her leg had healed, asking if I wanted to earn some money and ride the horse for her,” says Tanya.

“I was 15 years old so some pocket money seemed a good ticket.”

Dozen Roses became a showjumping icon in the late 1990s.

Tanya took the horse on.  Two weeks later, she went to her first show, won the Straith Taieri Leaping Championship and the family bought her straight away.

“We just clicked and away we went, and yeah … the ride hasn’t stopped!”

She named the Thoroughbred-cross Dozen Roses, or Rose for short.  She was by the New Zealand Sport Horse Shamal, and out of a Thoroughbred mare called Gypsy Witch. She was a feisty, fast, athletic type of horse and as Tanya built a real partnership with the mare, she revealed herself to be “super genuine”. 

Rose was a star in ‘round the ring jumping’, an event judged entirely on style and rhythm of the horse.  Over time, she went on to become a successful Grand Prix showjumper and therefore drew a lot of attention from the horsey community.  She won countless hunter jumping titles all over the South Island, wins at Grand Prix and young rider level.

“Dozen Roses was a very special horse to our family that we travelled New Zealand with.  She became something of a local icon in the region of Otago.”

Dozen Roses and one of her early foals.

When Rose was 16, Tanya decided to start breeding from her so the attributes that made her such a great horse could continue on.  She was a brood mare for eight years and then retired.  Nearly every foal produced carried the name “Rose” as a nod to their remarkable dam.

It is no surprise that Tanya has put her own stamp on the progeny along the way, according to ESNZ Showjumping TC member Eryn Duffy who remembers Dozen Roses fondly from competition days.

“Tanya is a standout horse woman that genuinely cares for her horses and produces them from the ground up. Both breeding and training. Tanya balances the nurture vs nature philosophy wholeheartedly,” says Eryn.

It’s now 30 years since Tanya’s  journey with Rose began, and her line has produced a number of remarkable showjumpers in that time.

“We’re still having fun with the legacy she has left.   One of the key factors in the Glenbrooke success has been placing the horses with good riders.  A number of her offspring have gone onto become Grand Prix showjumpers in New Zealand and Australia,” says Tanya.

Names like, Glenbrooke Forever Roses, Glenbrooke Archie Bunker, Glenbrooke All Roses, Glenbrooke Roses and Glenbrooke Final Rose are All out of Dozen Roses. We are now seeing her grandchildren Glenbrooke Rich as Roses, Glenbrooke Rosarno, Glenbrooke Centarose, Glenbrooke Rockin Roses, Glenbrooke Violet Rose and Glenbrooke Royal Rose joining the jumping circuit and jumping to the levels of their grand dam.    

“People see the foals with ‘Rose’ in the name and they comment, ‘that must be a Dozen Roses foal’.  So that’s quite cool for people to remember all these years later,” says Tanya.

“We have been super lucky to have had a mare like Dozen Roses to breed from. The mare really does count! It hasn’t mattered what stallion we have used over her they all have been above average jumpers. We are a small stud and like to keep numbers to one or two foals a year. This enables us to give foals, young stock and competition horses the resources and time they need without being overrun with too many,” describes Tanya. 

Glenbrooke Final Rose ridden by Tanya Davie at the National Jumping Champs in January.

Glenbrooke Final Rose is one of the last in the line, and is currently being competed by Tanya.  In January, they won the Performance Equine NZ National Amateur Rider Series at the Tavendale and Partners NZ National Jumping Championship, and came fourth in the Horse 1.20-30 Leaderboard, where she jumped seven rounds over four days and only had one pole down. 

“It just shows how resilient she is, to jump four days in a row and still go clear on the final day”

Tanya says she still breeds sport horses as a hobby, and she and husband Ben began breeding Standardbreds three years ago under the BT Equine name. They also manage approximately two thousand cows across two properties in Otago, while raising four children.

Glenbrooke Rich as Roses is ridden by Sophie Scott at World Cup.

Tanya says she won’t be going to Defender Horse of the Year 2025, but she will be keeping an eye on Sophie Scott and Glenbrooke Rich as Roses.  The duo have just won the Mana Stables Show Jumping Masters 2025 Sue and Denys Holden Three Star Tour 1.30m and the 1.35m. Glenbrooke Rockin Roses and Suzanne Black will also be at Horse of the Year taking part in the 6 year old class.

“They all jump, and they’re all super genuine.  Just incredible to have a line I know will keep consistently performing. We’re super grateful that we ended up with the mare that no-one wanted!” says Tanya.