Pepper Tree Farm, situated in the fertile Lachlan valley in central west New South Wales, was established by Rob and Julie Vandyke in 1996.
In that time, we have grown to be one of the leading standardbred studs in Australia.

The stud is run at two properties, each with purpose built horse facilities.
Pepper Tree Farm is our base with the office, stallion collection barn and foaling centre. It is home to the foaling mares, while Wynnefield, just a few kilometres away is the breeding base for the dry mares.
Our facilities are modern, practical and designed for the care and safety of the horses. We provide 24 hour foaling supervision with experienced staff ; breeding expertise right through to yearling sale preparation.

A firm foundation is of the utmost importance for young horses – both in terms of nutrition and handling. The early growth period is critical for young horses, when they are developing the bone and muscle tissue that will support them in their racing career. Our weanlings receive a specialised diet designed to assist their development during this vital time and special attention is given to their education and handling. At Pepper Tree Farm we aim to have all our youngsters leave us with the best possible foundation for their racing future.

The “proof of the pudding” for stud farms is the success of their breeding programs and we are very proud of our young “graduates” – the substantial number of quality racehorses that have been bred and reared here since the stud’s inception.
Already these include four Australian 2Year Olds of the Year; an Australian 3YO of the Year; six winners of the Group 1 Australian Pacing Gold, as well as Victorian and NSW Derby winners, Australian and Victorian Oaks winner and NSW Sires Stakes Champions.

Pepper Tree Farm saw some changes for the 2008 stud season – the most significant one being the move to Victoria of two of our stallions – USTA leading sire, Art Major and World Champion, Ponder.
Alabar Bloodstock have purchased a share in both Art Major and Ponder and we are very pleased to have them based at this world renown and highly respected stud farm.
One of the major advantages for breeding clients in this move is the eligibility of these sires’ progeny for the strong Vicbred scheme which along with significant prizemoney also pays a 10% Breeders bonus on a range of races throughout Australia.
Progeny can also be eligible for the newly commenced NSW Breeders Challenge and all stallions are also nominated for the Bathurst Gold Crown series and the Australasian Breeders Crown.

Pepper Tree Farm continues to focus on its aim of providing clients with the best opportunities to breed for success in the standardbred industry.
We are proud to be bringing world class stallions to the Southern Hemisphere for breeders to access and look forward to the impact we believe these sires will have on our industry here.