JUST hours before the Melbourne Cup, but far from the razzle dazzle of Flemington, five-year-old thoroughbred Backgammon nuzzles up to his best friend, Scott, in anticipation of his next workout on the lunging rein.
It appeared to be a genuine sign of affection from the beautifully groomed former racehorse. After all, he could easily have ended up at
the knackery.
A short distance away Barry, fresh out of jail, talked quietly to us as he led a less-settled chestnut, Moaring Z, around the training sandbox.
It was only Barry’s second ‘‘workout’’ with the gelding, and so he had to show more patience than usual working him with the rein.
He didn’t have to speak to the horse. He didn’t need to. Once completed, he stroked the gelding gently on the mane to show he’d done a ‘‘good job’’, before leading him back to his stable.
At Canterbury racecourse, his boss Scott Brodie and staff now look after about 50 former racing geldings and mares who either broke down in their legs or feet — or just didn’t cut the mustard for racing.
It is part of Racing NSW’s rehab and retraining program and a partnership formed with NSW Corrective Services, which has Brodie, 49, regularly attend St Helliers Correctional Centre at Muswellbrook to train inmates and staff in the skills of natural horsemanship, work in hand and lunging, in order to ready horses for ongoing training at the program’s headquarters at Canterbury. Horses sent to St Helliers spell for about six months before their re-education begins.
The first six weeks of their training is carried out at the prison by inmates under the watchful eye of experienced horse handler/warders, educated in the Racing NSW training program.
Horses are then rested for a month for them to digest new knowledge, then moved to Canterbury where Brodie and his team train them as pleasurable riding partners. The stables are supplied by the Australian Turf Club.
The horses are schooled to a preliminary/novice dressage level and are given an introduction to jumping. They’re then put up for sale.
‘‘Some of these unwanted thoroughbreds might have starved to death in paddocks, or been put down in the past,’’ Brodie said. ‘‘They do need a lot of work and care, but of course they end up having a much better — and longer — life after they’re trained and sold to good owners.’’
Brodie started the job after the Australian Jockey Club asked him to retrain thoroughbreds and find homes for them. ‘‘Then Racing NSW got behind it and we ran a pilot program at Randwick for 12 months, before expanding with involvement from the prison.’’
Barry ended up in jail for two years and appreciates the job he was given — just two days after getting out. ‘‘I grew up in a rural district so I appreciate horses,’’ he said. ‘‘Horses understand body language, so you just have to show some patience with them.’’
Scott Brodie is excellent with that.
He won a bravery citation in the police force, and while with the Mounted Police for 12 years he won their highest award, the Silver Spurs, before competing in eventing and dressage.
On Sunday Brodie will ride other ex-racers such as eight-year-old Mr Clangtastic in the morning divisions of the Sutherland Shire Horse Owners’ Anniversary Dressage Championships at Carina Bay Reserve, Como, where award sponsors include Carss Park Pool managers Dick and Jenny Caine.
Retraining program
MONEY made from the Racing NSW Thoroughbred retraining and rehoming program is put back into the training of more horses. The NSW Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Trust has been set up as the charitable fund-raising arm for the program, and funds donated to the trust also go wholly to the training and care of the many racehorses that retire from the NSW industry. The goal is to have all retired NSW racehorses re-housed at the end of their career.
More details on the purchase of trained horses or to donate a retired racehorse: Scott Brodie at scott.Brodie@optusnet.com.au, 0448088844.
