White Robe Lodge, based at North Taieri, has been synonymous with thoroughbred horses since it was established by Brian Anderton in the 1950s.
The business has grown over the years and has expanded to become a real family affair.
The training is done by Brian and son Shayne, while Shayne's wife Sharyn is office manager.
The stud is managed by Wayne Stewart, assisted by his wife Karen, who is Brian and Lorraine Anderton's daughter.
"I think the big thing around here is ... teamwork. Nobody's better than anybody else. We all just do the same jobs," Mrs Stewart said this week.
It was also quite an unusual operation in that they raced their own fillies, having first bred and broken them in. They were syndicated out to racing enthusiasts and, if they proved any good, they were then destined for the broodmare paddock for breeding.
Two stallions that left a huge mark at White Robe Lodge over the years were Australasian champion sires Mellay and Noble Bijou.
Now, the family is excited about its two latest stallions - Gallant Guru and Raise the Flag - and their breeding potential.
"You keep pinching yourself, really," Mrs Stewart said.
Describing it as the chance of a lifetime, she said the stallion's arrival had already given the stud a lot more clients.
A son of champion sire Sadler's Wells, his first foal was due in August. He stood for an "affordable" stud fee of $4000, whereas if he was further north, Mrs Stewart expected it would be between about $10,000 and $15,000.
They were also getting a lot of good feedback regarding the progeny of Gallant Guru, a son of champion sire Montjeu.
White Robe Lodge has a consignment of 16 horses for the yearling sales in Christchurch in August. Like everything at the moment, business was tough but there was still a market for a nice horse, Mrs Stewart said.
Both Sharyn Anderton and Karen Stewart laughingly concurred that Brian Anderton was still "the boss" at White Robe Lodge.
He was on holiday in Australia at the moment - although he did ring up most days - but was "up and at it every day" when he was at home, his daughter said.
Father and son trained about 35 horses year-round, assisted by about 10 full-time staff. At the moment, in the stud side of the business, there were five full-time staff which increased during the stud season.
They also took on young people for work experience and some had gone on to successful careers in the racing industry.
Getting the right staff could be difficult and it was sometimes hard for young people to understand the seriousness of the business.
"It's not something you can teach someone, to work with a horse. I can work with someone for a day or two [and] I know whether they've got what it takes or not," Mrs Stewart said.
At the moment, her twin nephews, Ryan and Matt (18) were both working at White Robe Lodge, while her son Jack (21) was returning from playing rugby league in Australia to work during the stud season.
Mrs Stewart, who trained as an enrolled nurse, worked alongside her husband on the stud. Daily work involved getting horses fed and cleaned out and "keeping them happy", while it was "full on" during the stud season.
She fed close to 100 horses every day and they were "old school" with their feeding methods. They did not use a lot of pre-mixed feed and still crushed oats and barley.
"You'll never change Dad's thinking on that. He's done well on growing horses out that way," she said.
On Sunday afternoons, it was only family members who fed the horses.
Sharyn Anderton did the administration work, took bookings and kept in contact with clients, while she and her husband also did foal watch.
White Robe Lodge had a lot of loyal clients, some buying horses from the stud sight unseen. Mrs Stewart has noticed a recent increase in the number of female clients.
Asked the secret of the stud's success - particularly coping through economic downturns - she attributed a lot to good judgement and horsemanship.
Fees were quite affordable and clients continued to come back.
The stud had some exciting bloodlines and this year's foal crop was one of the best they had ever had.
"I think our name's still right up there."
