Enjoy these stories from some of our wonderful members. They are all great examples of how much fun standardbred ownership can be, and how versatile the breed is.
We always welcome stories from members - contact us !!

 "Check out these pics of Sam being ridden for the first time!  A friend of mine put me in touch with a guy called Brian who does shoeing, teeth, schooling etc so he came out to do my horses last week. I told him I was planning to break Sam to saddle and had started working with him a bit, and I asked if Brian could help me – he said yes, how about right now? So we tacked him up and pretty quickly Brian got on him!

Sam was really good – he looked rather uncertain but wanted to stop rather than run off which was a relief. Brian rode him around a bit, then the next day I got Neil to help me and I did the same, just at the walk. So his riding career has begun at last, and I think he will really enjoy going out with one of the other horses in due course"

Anzac

Join the Fan Club -
"Gentleman Jim" (AKA Sovereign!) & Sarah

Adopting a racehorse, everyone expects issues, but someone should have warned Sarah about the fan club.

Her vet was the first to diagnose her black gelding’s “rock star” condition. “I call him Sovereign but I gave the vet his papers and he said: ‘Is this Gentlemen Jim? This horse is a legend!’,” Sarah said. “Then he left me and went over and talked to the horse. He’s more famous than I am, damn horse!

“The vet did the second vet check and he talked to the horse as an individual. He said: ‘Good on you mate, really pleased you landed on your feet’. There was a genuine respect.”

Then “Jimmy’s” previous owner tracked down Sarah, to share her own love for him. “She was in tears,” Sarah said.

Then there was the guy who fixes her horse float. And on it goes.  “There are a lot of people who feel passionate about this animal,” Sarah said. “Everyone can tell me a story”.

From being one of Australia’s best trotters, Sovereign now has a chance to shine in a new field: mediaeval events. Sarah is a keen jouster, here and in Europe, and designs and organizes events.
Even if Sovereign doesn’t go all the way as a jouster, his 16.2-plus black hands will look magnificent in costume for “skill at arms” events with swords and lances. Sarah had decided she didn’t need another horse when Sovereign came up, and definitely not one that size. All it took was one look.
“When I saw him, I said, ‘Oh Jeez, I didn’t know Standardbreds could look like that! I got him home and saw him trot and thought, ‘Wow! He’s got such presence. Magnificent'.”

A winner through and through, Sovereign needed a few lessons in who was boss, but once that was established “he is a lovely boy”. “He is lovely. I feel very attached to him now. I feel very warm towards to him,” Sarah said “He is beautiful to ride. We were crossing the river and there were people around and he was just awesome. Really sensible. I had a lot of trust in him. I just knew that he would be OK even though he hadn’t been under saddle out before. He was just a really good companion.”

After her monster mediaeval year, including two trips to Europe, Sarah is “really looking forward to resting and just riding and enjoying him and enjoying my other ones without having to rush”.
In 35 years riding, Sarah has done “a bit of everything”, from pony club to sidesaddle, camp drafting, “even a bit of goat tying”! But the next challenge is a Mediaeval games show in March to which all Standardbred riders “who like to dress up and fang about” are invited.
And it’s a good chance to join Sovereign’s fan club.


(NOTE: Gentleman Jim earned $131000 in his racing career, with 66 starts, 21 firsts, 3 seconds and 6 thirds)

Standardbreds -
Keeping an Australian Legend Alive

I adopted Tex and Rambo in 2007 from Braidwood.  I was looking for a couple of fine looking horses to ride in parade for the Eurobodalla Lighthorse.  The boys settled in straight away at home with the other horses and love being part of the herd.  I wasn't sure about riding them, but they are so well-behaved and wonderful natured, though their trot is like a washing machine!
When Anzac Day was approaching we decided to take the boys to Corrimal as we try every year to represent the Lighthorse there.  The boys led the march down the highway from the Corrimal RSL to Anzac Grove in Railway Street.  They did a marvelous job and represented the Lighthorse with pride.
Tex and Rambo have become family and though we don't get  alot of riding in, they are always true gentlemen when needed.  On the October long weekend I rode Rambo from my place to Araluen.  We had a wonderful ride over 2 days, and Rambo was ever-faithful and dependable

Thank you for the opportunity to love such wonderful horses.  They are only too willing to please and are so easy to look after.  You will see them at every Anzac parade from now on, taking their place with pride to remember ther incredible ancestors

       

 Bert & Glenn -
The Beginning

    I met Bert for the first time in 2008 (yes, I am a sucker for brown eyes!).  He had not been broken to saddle, so not having broken in a horse prior to this, two "old friends" offered to help.

The Breaking-In Crew:  Jack - 77yo Korean War Vet, with asbestosis and arthritis, leading from the ground; Pat - early 70's, by-pass op and defibrillator rode the lead horse; Me - 63yo, 2 by-pass ops - being the youngest of the group and the owner of the horse I was nominated as Rider.
This gave our families much amusement, suggesting a new occupation with names like the "Geriatric Horse Breakers" .... very funny ...NOT!

     After four rides, Bert was also shaking hands, bowing and backing up on voice command from ground level.  Bert's 5th ride under saddle was in the Snowy Mountains National Park.  locals say this is a good area for a green horse to learn.  Some of the new tasks Bert learnt:  floating 500km each way, electric fencing, hobbles, grazing with Brumbies, stepping over fallen logs, crossing creeks, overnight snow falls, walking and staying on Brumby pads, going through soft mud bogs, kangaroos, steep slopes, avoiding slippery limestone rocks, rides up to 6 hours long.  Bert's 2nd trip to the Snowy reinforced and improved on most of the above, plus cantering over the rolling hills - NICE!
    Having taken 2 older horses into this area for 15 years, I forgot how much they had learnt.  It was with some reservations to start again with a young horse, but so glad I did.
........................Glenn