So You Think is one of the best stallions in the country and while his glamour Group I winning mare Nimalee sold for $3.6million at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale last Thursday evening, earlier that day I took a drive to the Southern Highlands to check in on the progress of a So You Think gelding following a different path in life.
The subject of racehorse rehoming is a hot topic and with too many horses and not enough good homes it’s one that has to be taken very seriously, so the story of my personal experience with a horse that didn’t turn out quite as we would have liked is one worth telling.
My whole life has revolved around horses and thoroughbreds in particular since childhood, not from the influence of horsey parents, but from an inherent and obsessive passion that has come from within.
My twins, Jack and Jasmine, have been drawn into my horse world and are both terrific riders with Jasmine responsible for the introduction of a young off the track horse to Daybreak Farm in January 2021.
Since we moved out of Sydney in 2013, we’ve had a number of thoroughbreds come into our ownership and all have enjoyed a successful transition to new careers in varying degrees, so we were confident the latest addition would follow suit.
When Jasmine and I were visiting close friend Charlotte Manuel at her spelling and pre-training farm Bella Lodge, she offered to give Jasmine a ride on a couple of pre-trainers for a taste of what riding a real racehorse was like.
One of the horses was a lightly raced four year-old gelding by So You Think called Mission Dream that had won two races and was preparing to return to training following a wind operation.
Jasmine adored him from the start, a big strong, long strider standing nearly 17 hands, he was not unlike the showjumpers she was used to, so when his return to racing proved unsuccessful, we decided to give him a home despite the ringing of several alarm bells.
When Charlotte had mentioned to his trainer Mark Newnham that Jasmine had ridden him in pre-training, he said, “Why did you put her on that horse? He’s mad, I only put my strongest riders on him.”
To which Charlotte replied, “I thought he was quiet, he’s always quiet here.”
I duly spoke to Mark, who I have known for years since we worked together as kids, me for Les Bridge and he for Bob Thomsen and then later when we both worked for Gai Waterhouse.
He was frank in his assessment, “He’s a lunatic, took three of us to saddle him up the last day at the races, but he’s not a nasty horse.”
Despite my misgivings, I decided to give Dream the benefit of the doubt and he joined the team at Daybreak Farm where he learned to be a showjumper.
Between Covid lockdowns, endless wet weather and a series of niggling injuries, his transition over the past two years did not go smoothly and when Dream finally came sound and competition returned we discovered that pressure situations brought out his demons.
He’s one of those unusual horses that is genuinely lovely and quiet until he’s not and that 10% when he’s not has the potential to cause serious damage in the wrong hands, so then the dilemma you face is what next?
With Jasmine now working full time for Chris Waller and Jack departing to live and work in the UK later this year, Dream was not a horse I wished to keep long term as I already have two horses that I can jump and show which is more than enough, so what to do with Dream was a problem that needed to be solved.
As a sound and well educated six year-old it seemed a shame to let his good qualities go to waste, so I had the thought Scott Brodie might be the man for the job.
Scott is an accomplished horseman with a police backgound having made his name working with the NSW Mounted Police before focusing on the re-training of thoroughbreds for Racing NSW and then establishing his own burgeoning business Scott Brodie Equitation Education.
Dream was delivered to Scott at his Helensburgh base at the end of January and to my great delight is thriving in his new environment where he has become a firm favourite.
“We love him and he’s settled into our routine and has become a valued horse in the team,” said Scott Brodie, who is trained in classical dressage.
“One of my horses that was being leased by a couple of lovely ladies developed cellulitis so is going to be out for a while and those ladies have now leased Dream and they adore him.
“His dressage is improving and they both have lessons on him each week, so that keeps him busy and paying his way.”
A gentle giant that loves a cuddle, Dream has also a shown great aptitude as a clinic horse for Scott’s Horse Aid charity which seeks to address mental health issues suffered by military veterans and first responders through the healing powers of the horse and in particular the thoroughbred.
Read more about Horse Aid here which is a not-for-profit charity reliant on donations.
A horse that has had to overcome his own serious anxiety issues, Dream has a natural friendliness towards people that is perfect for this assignment and at the five day residential clinic last week he was clearly gaining a new group of friends.
Under the expert eye of Scott, the six ex-racehorses used in the clinic – two from Godolphin- worked their magic over five days at Heartland Horse Farm to draw out nine participants and bring smiles and laughter to replace darker thoughts.
By Thursday when I was there, even the participants with no horse experience were able to interact confidently and lunge these horses in pursuit of the ‘sweet spot’ when horse and human speak the same language.
“When you work with a horse, everything else in your head goes away and that’s the beauty of it… just living and being in the moment,” Brodie added.
Horse Aid and Scott Brodie Equitation Education can be followed on Facebook if you are interested in upcoming clinics or wish to donate to a great initiative within the broad spectrum of life after racing.
