Category: Welfare

Last November 19-year-old equestrienne Hannah Klep had a six-month goal of competing in three star events with her off the track thoroughbred, Reprieve. This week they will represent Australia at the Oceania Eventing Championships in New Zealand, blowing even Hannah’s own expectations out of the water.

“I have dreamed of representing my country since I began eventing but I can’t believe I am actually here,” an ecstatic Hannah said. “It’s been a whirlwind and it’s so exciting.”

Just four exceptionally talented athletes make up the Australian Young Rider Team and of the four horses they compete with, two are thoroughbreds. The second is Silver Force, a former West Australian galloper who is now partnered with Tayah Andrew, a trackwork rider from Perth. The team completed an intensive camp last week and the training has continued in Taupo.

“Reprieve flew over to New Zealand on a special flight on Monday night and I got in on Tuesday,” Hannah said. “Like always, Reprieve has taken it all in his stride and settled in really well.”

The Oceania Eventing Championships run from Friday to Sunday and include three phases – dressage, cross country and showjumping.

“Cross country is a significant test here because it’s a longer course than normal but this is where Reprieve will excel,” Hannah said. “Being an off the track thoroughbred Reprieve has the natural fitness and stamina to keep jumping and galloping at speed.

This is the first time Hannah has taken Reprieve overseas and it’s given her an invaluable insight into the demands of a being a professional rider.

“Representing your country is a massive deal and I am feeling the pressure to perform to the best of my ability but I am trying to put that out of my mind and just appreciate the experience,” she said.

“The camp last week and the training this week has really built my confidence and confirmed to me that Reprieve is in top shape.

“The are Olympians here both in the Senior team and as coaches and training alongside them has been priceless. The Australian coaches have been fantastic and literally by our side 24/7.”

Hannah first met Reprieve when she was 14 years old. Her horse went lame and her coach arranged for Hannah to borrow him. At the time Reprieve hasn’t long been retired and was being retrained by Kylie Higginbotham, a stablehand at Joseph Jones Racing where Reprieve had spent most of his racing career. She saw the bond developing between Hannah and Reprieve and agreed to sell him to her a few months later.

Hannah took Reprieve to Pony Club and continued regular lessons with him. They began competing at introductory level and completed 14 pre-novice events before qualifying for One Star. At age 15 Hannah and Reprieve represented NSW at The Interschools Australian Championships for the first time then progressed to two star competitions.

“He was learning while I was learning and he was just so good every step of the way,” Hannah said. “I think going through that journey together created our bond. He’s my once in a lifetime horse.”

Hannah hasn’t set any goals beyond the Oceania Championships. Instead she’s just taking it all in.

“We will come home next week,” she said. “I will put him on the plane and two vets will fly with him. The goal is the get him home safe, sound and happy. He is proof that hard work and persistence are the keys to success.”

Click here to help Hannah with the financial pressure of representing Australia internationally. https://www.gofundme.com/f/assist-hannah-and-reprieve-get-to-taupo-nz

With his shiny black coat and athletic 16.1h frame it’s easy to see why Brittanny Grovernor instantly fell in love with Cherokee Warrior, but the friendly young stablehand had to work a lot harder for reciprocal affection. When Cherokee Warrior arrived at the Joseph and Jones Racing stables where Brittanny worked he was shy, timid and didn’t want a bar of anyone.

“He was the most beautiful horse but so unfriendly,” Brittanny said. “I really felt sorry for him so I decided to make him my project.”

Every morning Brittanny would drop hay at Cherokee Warrior’s door and watch from a distance as he gobbled it up. Each day she would take a step closer until eventually she could stand in his box. She would talk softly to him and often just sit with him after hours on her mission to earn his trust.

“I spent as much time with him as I could,” Brittanny said. “I was going through a bit of a tough time myself and I could relate to how he was feeling.”

Over time Cherokee Warrior let his guard down and Brittanny became his favourite person, the one he looked to for love, care and reassurance. His newfound comfort showed on the track. In his second preparation for Joseph Jones Racing he notched three wins. But after failing to win a race the preparation after, his owners decided to sell him. Luckily for Brittanny Cherokee Warrior’s new owners were also local and he was sent to Mick Smith‘s Queanbeyan stable for a change of scenery.

“I found Mick at the races and told him everything I thought he needed to know about Cherokee Warrior,” Brittanny said. “Feed him dry leaves, put a girl apprentice on etc. Chelsea MacFarlane was Mick’s apprentice at the time so I messaged her on facebook. I wanted to make sure they understood him.”

A couple of months later Brittanny landed her dream job as Head Girl at Jock Paget Eventing. She kissed Cherokee Warrior goodbye and boarded a plane bound for England.

“I stayed up to watch all of his races and my friends would go and find him and take pictures to send me,” Brittanny said. “The Cherokee Warrior Fan Club was never far away.”

Brittanny returned to Australia in May 2018 and her first stop was Mick Smith’s tie-up stalls to see her favourite horse. It was then Mick asked if Brittanny would be interested in adopting Cherokee Warrior once his racing career was over. She jumped at the chance and started planning for his arrival.

On 5^thOctober 2018 Cherokee Warrior ran his final race. At big odds he screamed home down the outside to run second, much to the delight of Brittanny and his owners who were there to cheer him on. But when he returned to the mounting yard it was clear something was horribly wrong. He could barely walk, prompting the jockey to jump off and stand him still. On-course vets gave him pain relief and X-rays revealed he had an incomplete fracture of his cannon bone.

“Mick asked if I still wanted him even if he could never be ridden again,” Brittanny said. “Of course I did and Mick and the owners paid for his treatment. They loved the horse too and wanted to do the right thing by him.”

After three months of box rest at Mick’s place, Brittanny was finally able to take Cherokee Warrior home. She lives in a one bedroom apartment so she has him agisted at Wallaroo with a group of other retired racehorses. Ironically Brittanny had an accident of her own and ruptured her ACL so she won’t be able to ride for at least another six months.

“I’m even more lame than he is,” Brittanny said with a laugh. “It will give him plenty of time to recover. When I can ride again we are just are going to do trails and have fun. I’m not interested in competing anymore. For now, we are happy just hanging out together. He was my bestie when I was a bit low and now I want to reward him.”

One of Elissar Maalouf’s favourite childhood memories is going to races with her father, Elie. Randwick, Rosehill, Canterbury, Warwick Farm. She loved admiring the horses, especially those owned by her Dad.

“My favourite was Grandiser,” she said. “He won four races from seven starts and even raced against the great Lonhro.”

By the time Elissar was 11 watching the horses wasn’t enough. She wanted to ride them. Her parents enrolled her in riding lessons and a year later she was confident enough to take on a horse of her own. Elissar’s then coach picked out a reliable Canny Lad gelding who was older than her. He never made the racetrack due to an oesophageal injury but had excelled in showjumping ever since.

“He came to me trained up and trained me up,” Elissar said with a laugh. “He was the most wonderful horse, never put a foot wrong. I learned so much from him.”

After a few years Elissar was ready for the challenge of a second horse she could train herself. She knew she wanted another thoroughbred and found the perfect match in a former Tara and Philippe Vigouroux gelding by the name of Still The Man.

“The day I first went to see him it was clear he was very green,” Elissar said. “He was a bit clumsy and unbalanced but came with the basics including trot, canter, left and right. He was so sweet and I wanted a horse I could take further so I adopted him.”

Elissar began retraining Still The Man straight away on an agistment property about half an hour from her home in Parramatta. She renamed him “Fresco” and spent all her spare time with him, teaching him to forget about being a racehorse and learn to be round and on the bit. In November 2016 Elissar and Fresco lined up for their first competition together – 80cm and 90cm events at Sydney Showjumping Club.

“He knocked over a few rails and had a tendency to drift but tried his hardest,” Elissar said. “Our second competition was better and you could see he was learning. He was a lot straighter. He’s just so eager to please.”

Since then the pair has participated in showjumping events at Hawkesbury, Tamworth, Camden and Sydney International Equestrian Centre at Horsely Park. Just last week they entered their first competition for 2019, going clear in the 90cm and knocking just two poles down in 110cm.

“That was due to rider error,” Elissar said modestly. “We’ll go clear next time. My aim is to step him up to 120cm this year and take him to more national shows.”

Elissar also has a goal of taking in one of hers or her father’s racehorses in retirement. Elissar currently has a small share in Salina Dreaming, an unraced two-year-old filly while her father part owns Through The Cracks. Both are trained at Gosford by Angela Davies.

“Retraining one of our ex-racehorses and competing on it would be the ultimate full circle experience,” she said. “I’ve only ever sat on thoroughbreds and never felt the need for a chunky warmblood when I have such athletic and willing thoroughbreds to work with.”

As Ethereal was entering the history books as the winner of 2001 Melbourne Cup, Hannah Jackson was entering the world at Sydney’s Nepean Hospital. Call it an omen or a simply a coincidence, this precious little girl would fall deeply in love with horses the moment she laid eyes on one.

Hannah begged her parents for a horse of her own and on her fifteenth birthday her wish was finally granted. “Rhodian” had been retired from racing for close to five years and had spent most of that time poking around a paddock. He was 16.1 hands and hadn’t undergone any retraining. Hannah had several years of riding experience under her belt and was working at a stable after school but wasn’t sure she could handle him. Despite this she saw his potential and so desperately wanted a horse, so she adopted him.

“I began with a lot of liberty-based training to get him nice on the ground,” Hannah said. “When we started under saddle he was on the lunge and I gradually introduced more exercises. Since he had spent close to five years retired he was really set in his ways. It took a long time to get him out of his shell, trusting me and listening to me. We learned together though.”

In September 2017 Hannah and Rhodian had their first competition-style outing at the Silver Hills Hunter Trials. Next it was off to Pony Club where they brought home ribbons for fourth in dressage and D grade champion showjumping. Hannah set a goal of competing at EVA 80 grade so she stepped up Rhodian’s training to five days per week and by December 2018 they were ready. But cruelly Hannah was robbed of the chance to put Rhodian to the test. On 14^th December a single lightning strike claimed the lives of both Rhodian and his paddock mate Zikomo, a quirky thoroughbred mare Hannah’s mum had rescued.

“I remember the day as clear as if it were an hour ago,” Hannah said. “I was driving home from school. I was really happy because I had just got my licence. Mum called and told me to wait for her to get home and that she would come with me to work the horses that afternoon. In the car on the way there my sister broke the news both horses were gone.”

“I couldn’t believe it. My heart was shattered into a million pieces. Rhodian and I had formed an amazing bond. He had become my absolute best friend and I couldn’t imagine a world without him.”

In the days after the lightning strike Hannah continued to go to the agistment property where Rhodian and Zikomo lived. It was a routine she simply couldn’t break. A concerned family friend suggested she go to Princes Farm to see some of the retired racehorses being offered to new homes by Racing NSW’s thoroughbred retraining program but Hannah didn’t want a bar of it. Rhodian couldn’t be replaced. Not now. Not ever.

Eventually, Hannah relented and went to Princes Farm with her mum and family friend but she wasn’t interested in any of the horses there. At the end of the road she was coaxed out of the car and into a paddock to meet a beautiful big bay gelding named Mossman’s Gold, a former Cody Morgan-trained galloper. Hannah reluctantly began to stroke his face and soon started thinking about the potential of this kind, calm, gentle horse. She returned a few days later and took him home.

When Hannah got Mossman’s Gold back to the agistment property she put a halter on him and rode him bareback into the dam. He waded straight in and loved splashing around in the cool water. Hannah loved having a horse again.

“At that point I realised I had struck gold,” Hannah said. “Here I was sitting on this off the track thoroughbred who was just so perfect. He wasn’t the horse I wanted, he is the horse I needed. Sometimes the best opportunities come at the worst times.”

For now Hannah is taking it slowly with Mossman’s Gold who she has renamed Moët. She has the same goals for him as she did with Rhodian and is excited to see how far they can go together.

“He’s helping mend a huge hole in my heart,” Hannah said. “When I want to go and hug Rho I can hug him instead. He’s such a quick learner and every day he does something to impress me.”

While Love Gun was no star on the race track he’s certainly shining in life after racing and now he can add TV star to his resume.

Rebeccah Vaclavik from Prime 7 News put together this heartwarming report on his new career as a trail riding horse.

Click here to watch it.

As a racehorse Kilwinning Luck was average at best. He managed two wins in 25 starts and an awkward movement on his front nearside had stewards considering whether they should let him race at all. In the end it was a bleeding attack that forced Kilwinning Luck into retirement.

Nelson Smyth grew up around horses but wasn’t that interested in them until he went to watch his sister participate in pony club and discovered the disproportionately high number of girls to boys.

Fast forward to 2018 and this unlikely pair has gone all the way to the highest level in Australian showjumping. Now renamed Laurel Glen Lucky Time, Kilwinning Luck is the only full thoroughbred to be competing in World Cup events in Oceania.

Nelson is no stranger to competing on off the track thoroughbreds. After discovering his natural talent and passion for showjumping as a teenager, he joined Olympian Ron Easey’s travelling team in his first year out of high school. Ron was initially Nelson’s coach and when Ron injured himself he asked Nelson to compete on his horses.

Nelson’s first big trip was to Cairns where he was named Leading Rider. He then won Champion Horse and Rider at The Royal National Show in Brisbane before being selected for the National Elite Young Rider Team. He began competing on his own horse, Classic Mischief, an unraced thoroughbred which had been re-trained as an eventer by Sam Lyle.  After a few years of competitions Nelson sold Classic Mischief to a young girl in Western Australia who also made it onto the National Elite Young Rider Team. She only retired Classic Mischief last year at the ripe old age of 22.

While Nelson was away on one of his trips his father Kerrod was offered another off the track thoroughbred, Kilwinning Luck. His trainer Lyle Rowe was a showjumper himself and was confident Kilwinning Luck would succeed in that discipline. Kerrod first put him over the 60cm cross rail and after handling that with ease jumped a 90cm barrel. Kerrod started lunging him then Nelson took over when he came home.

“He was a bit of a naughty horse at the start but we persisted with different ways until Lucky understood what we were asking him to do,” Nelson said. “We gave him plenty of spells and when he figured it all out he improved out of sight. There’s a lot of work involved because you have to teach the horse to move in a way they never have before.”

Nelson and Laurel Glen Lucky Time competed in their first showjumping event six months later. It was the start of an exciting journey and for the next few years they travelled up and down the east coast of Australia from competition to competition.

Towards the end of 2017 Nelson and Lucky were comfortably jumping 145cm so he set a goal of competing in a World Cup showjumping event within 12 months. He made the relevant applications to the Federation of Equestrian International and in September at the Royal Adelaide Show he ticked his first World Cup event off his bucket list, finishing an impressive 13th overall. They did another World Cup event at Sale in November, finishing 12^th against the best riders in Australia, New Zealand and The Pacific.

“When I first got Lucky I never imagined we’d go this far but here we are,” Nelson said. “He’s tough and he’s such a trier. Over the five years I have had him we’ve developed a really strong relationship.

“I’m proud of what we have achieved together. Some of the horses we’re up against in World Cup showjumping are worth upwards of a quarter of a million dollars.”

Now Nelson has his sights set on the World Cup Showjumping at the Boneo Classic in January.

“I’ll be happy if we continue to improve,” he said. “This will be our third World Cup event together so hopefully it’s lucky!”

It takes a special kind of horse to be a successful trail rider. They need to know where to go when the rider doesn’t know how to direct them, stay calm especially if the rider is nervous and stand still when the rider decides to try and take their jumper off over their helmet and gets stuck halfway.

“That happens more than you would think,” Jason Newman, Owner/Operator of Tamworth Kootingal Trail Riding Adventures said. “Our horses need to be bombproof to counter the inexperience of our riders. We don’t take chances.”

Tamworth and Kootingal Horse Riding Adventures caters for first timers through to experienced riders aged 12 and older.  Jason carefully hand picks his trail riding horses and tests them himself again and again to be certain they are suitable for the job. He has ten horses in his team at the moment and the star of the herd comes as a surprise to most.

Love Gun is an off the track thoroughbred who failed to fire as a racehorse. He began his career with John Thompson in Sydney but poor trial results showed he wasn’t up to city class so he was transferred to Melanie O’Gorman’s Tamworth stables. In his one start for her he came 17 lengths last so she knew she had to find a good home for him sooner rather than later. She approached Jason to see if he wanted Love Gun as a trail riding horse and initially he wasn’t interested.

“I said to Mel I don’t mean to be rude but thoroughbreds are born to run and I don’t think he will make a very good trail riding horse,” Jason said. “But Mel insisted he was ideal so I agreed to have a ride on him. From the get-go he was so placid and laid back. He was only three at the time but was like a cool old horse.”

After about ten rides Jason was satisfied Love Gun was going to be a suitable addition to his team and began retraining. He took everything in his stride and never put a foot wrong.

“It’s like he was born for this industry,” Jason said. “I can outrun him with thongs on but he is such a sweet-natured horse and none of the silly things riders do faze him. I am thinking of renaming him Forrest Gump because that’s the sort of personality he has.

“He fitted in beautifully with the rest of the herd and doesn’t bite or kick. It’s clear he has had a good education previously as well. That’s really important.”

It’s a relief for Melanie knowing Love Gun has gone to a nurturing home where he has a purpose. When Jason next needs a horse for his trail riding business Melanie O’Gorman’s stable will be the first place he looks.

“You still have to be careful and assess each horse individually,” Jason said. But I’d happily take another thoroughbred like Love Gun. We’ve had him for three years now and he’s just a pleasure to be around.”

Find out more about Tamworth Kootingal Trail Riding Adventures here.

Skygge ran his last race at Orange on 23^rd November. By 27^th he was easily jumping 50cm under the guidance of talented young equestrienne Stephanie Mackillop.

“He raced on a Friday and I rode him the following Tuesday and he was so willing to learn and very quiet,” Stephanie said. “Even better he is showing lots of talent already.”

Skygge’s owners made the decision to retire him after a disappointing 11^th of 12 finish. The will to win he once had was gone and their focus turned to finding him a quality home.  One of the owners Neill Ross had had Skygge, affectionately known as Scotty, since he was weanling so nothing but the best would do. He turned to his long-time friend Jock Mackillop who welcomed Skygge to his Sydney property, Highgrove, for his daughter Stephanie.

At just 22, Stephanie is a rising star on Australia’s showjumping circuit and although she has competed on thoroughbreds before, Skygge is her first off-the-track retraining project.

“I really enjoy retraining because you can mould the horses into what you need to them to be,” she said. “When you succeed on one you know it’s because of all the hard work you put in. It’s very rewarding.”

Stephanie, who owns Team Mackillop Equestrian, has spent the past few weeks taking Skygge through the basics. They have been doing flat work, cantering on both leads and going over small jumps.

“He’s been easy to teach so far,” Stephanie said. “He’s very soft, listens well and is not spooky at all.

“Racehorses need to learn to use their body in a different way for showjumping which can be quite confusing for them.

“They need to get accustomed to new gear, a heavier saddle, longer stirrups and different aids but he has taken to it like a duck to water.”

Stephanie is so confident in Skygge’s ability she has entered him in the Bega Showjumping Cup at the end of the month.

“That will be the real test for him,” she said.” “It’s four days of jumping. We’ll start small and go from there.”

As a budding showjumper who has successfully transitioned from racing life, Skygge needs a new name.

“I think I am going to call him Beam Me Up Scotty,” Stephanie said. “His stable name was Scotty and he’s leaping into the sky so it makes sense and it’s a bit of fun.”

Former owner Neill Ross, who has been part of the racing industry for more than four decades, couldn’t be happier with the new partnership.

“I’m over the moon,” he said. “I worked for trainer Kevin Hayes as a young man and he instilled in me the importance of ensuring the future of each horse after racing. Kevin always found good homes for his horses and never put any through a sale yard.

“A horse is not a short term phase, it’s a lifetime commitment and Beam Me Up Scotty is going to have a cheer squad at his competitions for the rest of his days.”

From the day he was born Reprieve was full of promise. He was the first foal from multiple group-winning mare Shania Dane, was perfectly put together and had a beautiful temperament. The colt began his racing career in Sydney but it soon became clear he wasn’t going to be the star everyone hoped for. He was transferred to the Canberra stables of Barbara Joseph and Paul Jones where he managed to notch just one win before having time called on his racing career.

Barbara Joseph has been training for more than 40 years and has a reputation for finding quality homes for her racehorses in retirement. She has a large network of contacts which she uses to ensure the right horse goes to the right new owner but she didn’t have to look far for Reprieve.

“One of our trackwork riders Kylie Higginbotham had put her hand up to take him well before he retired,” Barbara said. “I was happy for him to go to her because I knew he would be educated and stimulated. It’s important these horses we have loved and cared for are going to have a quality life after racing. I don’t want them standing in paddock.”

Kylie brought Reprieve home and began re-educating him straight away. He took to jumping like a duck to water and earned a cheque in his first pre-novice one day event.

“He never put a foot wrong,” Kylie said. “He was just a beautiful, level headed, brave horse who always tried his best.”

Kylie then decided to give Reprieve a shot in the NSW Mounted Police but despite shining in most of his training he failed the final test and came home. This cloud had a silver lining though and the timing couldn’t have been better. Literally down the street a talented young equestrienne named Hannah Klep was left high and dry when her horse went lame. Her coach Fiona Gruen reached out to Kylie to see if she was willing to lend a horse to Hannah to allow her to keep training. Kylie agreed and offered Reprieve.

Hannah was just 14 at the time and had only been eventing since the age of 13. Reprieve was six and while that’s considered quite old for a racehorse, it’s young to be competing in equestrian sports. There were no problems though and the pair got off to a flying start.

“He was my first big horse but he was so quiet and easy,” Hannah said. “I fell in love with him and when I was offered the chance to buy him I did.”

Hannah took Reprieve to Pony Club and continued regular lessons with him. They began competing at introductory level and completed 14 pre-novice events before qualifying for One Star.

“He was learning while I was learning and he was just so good every step of the way,” Hannah said. “I think going through that journey together definitely strengthened our bond.”

Because Hannah was under 18 she had to request permission from Eventing NSW to compete at One Star Level. Permission was granted, Reprieve was given a passport (necessary for any horse competing in Federation Of Equestrian International events) and off they went. Over the next 12 months they competed up and down the east coast of Australia and qualified for the Melbourne International Three Day Event at One Star level where they placed in the Junior category. Hannah was then selected to represent NSW at the Interschools Australian Championships and was bestowed the honour of captaining the eventing team.

“Representing the state was an amazing experience and I was very happy to finish fourth,” Hannah said.

Having excelled at One Star, Hannah and Reprieve were ready to step up to Two Star events which they have now been competing in for the past 12 months. Their biggest challenge to date came at the Australian International Three Day Event in Adelaide over the weekend. Now 19 years-old, Hannah was the youngest rider there and faced some of the country’s best eventers, including Olympians, in the competition. They managed to finish 15^th out of more than 50 with Reprieve performing best in the Cross Country component.

“We completed the course clear and just 5 seconds over the optimum time,” Hannah said. “Because Reprieve is an ex-racehorse he has the speed and stamina needed for cross country. 17 horses in our class didn’t even get around the course and 12 had jumping faults.  I was so excited just being there, let alone completing the course and being competitive.”

Reprieve will now be sent for a spell over Christmas while Hannah will continue working at Bimbadeen Park horse breaking, training and spelling facility. They will resume training together in the new year with the aim of competing at Three Star level in February.

“You can tell he has been well handled in the past,” Hannah said. “We’ve done so much travelling and he’s always been an angel. I can just pull off to the side of the road, get him off the float and he will have a drink a pick. He’s also very versatile. I’m looking forward to seeing how much fitter I can get him. I’m so lucky he is mine.”

He was cut from the finest cloth as a blueblood racehorse and although possessing abundant talent, 28-year-old Bellomahal has since shown his real worth off the racecourse.

Bellomahal, a son of superstar sprinter, Maybe Mahal, has spent most of his post-racetrack days based at the Ballina & District Riding for the Disabled (RDA) Centre.

Kerry Johnston has looked after ‘Bell’ since his racing days and absolutely adores the horse.

“It is hard to put into words my love for this horse, the joy he has given me and others over the past 19 years and the impact he has had on people.”

Bellomahal commenced his racing career in Victoria, having been successful at Flemington and Sandown.

The gelding then headed to Sydney where he won the Spring Cup (Listed race) at Warwick Farm with Mick Dittman aboard.

His dam, Maybe Mahal, was a freakish Bart Cummings-trained sprinter that raced during the 1970s and was 1977/78 Australian Racehorse of the Year.

Maybe Mahal’s list of victories included two Lightning Stakes, a Newmarket Handicap, Craven A Stakes, George Adams Mile, Doomben 10,000 and Doncaster Handicap.

However, Bellomahal’s tally was much more modest, finishing his career with six wins and 13 placings from his 55 starts with $140,000 in prizemoney; good money nearly two decades back.

He wound up his racing days in the NSW Northern Rivers region under the care of Grafton trainer Mike Dougherty, who won a race at Armidale with him and had placings at Ballina and Casino.

“He was always a quiet horse; just a nice type to be around. He was gilt-edged,” Dougherty said.

“When I first offered him to the Riding for the Disabled they said he may be a bit too big and strong but they took him.

“I even offered them a ‘money-back guarantee’ and told them to send him back if he wasn’t the right fit – as I expected, he never came back!”

Veterinarian, Dr Oliver Liyou, has been looking after Bellomahal’s dental work for most of his off-track years and regularly inspects his teeth.

“He’s an incredibly relaxed horse and he’s always been looked after extremely well.”

Bellomahal then landed on Kerry Johnston’s property in February 2000.

“My property at North Teven was, at that time, the home of Ballina & District Riding for the Disabled and he was a gift from Michael Dougherty of Grafton.

“Bell joined other horses at the Centre and was given some training and an introduction to basic aids.

“He responded well to this training and started his life as an RDA horse assisting many children and adults to acquire riding and horsemanship skills.

“It was quite a transformation for him to go from a racehorse to a Riding for the Disabled horse. But he did and he became a much-loved and valued member of the RDA equine team at Ballina.

“In 2013 the Ballina and District RDA Centre moved to another property which had been bequeathed to them. Brian McNamara, a local farmer had donated his beautiful home ‘Glen Burnie’, a 40-hectare cattle property in Teven, to RDA.

“Bell was transferred to my care as he had not been ridden for a year due to his sway back making it difficult to fit a saddle comfortably on him.

“At this stage, Bell started his life as one of the five members of the horse herd facilitating an equine assisted therapy and learning program. This was especially appropriate for Bell as no riding is involved.

“He is the revered wise elder of the horse herd team and has a wonderful ability to respond to people.

“I remember when one of the herd ‘Roy’ was very old, had health problems and had to be put down.

“Bell had been very close to him and just froze when he realised what was happening. He let out this scream – you can never underestimate horses, they certainly know what’s going on.

“Now Bell is assisting children, youth and adults with social and emotional challenges in their healing journey.

“Bell is very sensitive to the emotional state of people around him and will seek them out with his presence.

“Bell enjoys his supplementary feeding program, regular hoof trimming by Abby Parkes, veterinary care by John Clunie and dental care by Oliver Liyou.

“He also is rugged up in summer to avoid the mosquitos, and has winter rugging to keep warm.

“But despite his advancing years he is a wonderful animal and deserves all the love and affection he invariably receives!”

*RDA (NSW) provides riding lessons for disabled community members with programs catering for people with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, injuries resulting from accidents, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Down syndrome, visual and hearing impairments, autism and amputees.