Louise Mackey

Louise from Greta, VIC predominantly competes in the sport of Endurance Horse Riding. She has been using Kelato products for the past 4 years with huge success!

In 2023 she and her homebred WalerXArabian Gelding, MarLou Park Billy’s Alibi successfully completed amongst various other rides the Imbil, QLD Tom Quilty Gold Cup (160Kms in 24hrs) and the Historic Winton to Longreach Endurance Event which saw them complete 178Kms on day 1 and a final 42kms on day 2 to arrive from Winton, QLD to the Longreach, QLD Showgrounds – a total of 220kms!

At the Winton to Longreach event, they achieved a placing of 3rd Heavyweight and were 1 of only 16 out of 32 starters to complete the event. Louise has been endurance riding since she was 8 years old, beginning this journey on her first pony Rusty without saddle, bridle or really any idea of what she was doing. She fell off almost every day.

Perseverance saw her through and ever since she has competed all around Australia, and has even ridden in Malaysia, clocking up 5 Tom Quilty Gold Cup Completions, 2022 Heavyweight Victorian Distance Endurance Rider of the Year, as well as Billy achieving the 2022 Heavyweight Victorian Distance Horse of the Year, amongst many other completions, placings and of course vet-outs along the way.

“I definitely wouldn’t be able to achieve what I do without the support of Kelato as well as my parents and husband who have all aided me in both the good and bad that comes with owning, breeding and competing horses!”

Her love for both the horses and the sport continues and so Louise and her husband, along with working full time, also own and manage MarLou Stud which is a boutique breeding enterprise, specialising in the producing of Arabian, Waler and ArabianXWaler Horses for a multitude of disciplines. Louise absolutely loves what they do and is thankful for the life horses and the sport of endurance has given her. “As the great horseman Jack Makim once said, ‘When you’re in tune with your horse, it’s a pleasurable occupation.’”