Wanting a ‘relaxed, ho-hum kind of horse’ to spoil, Lindy Pearce’s instinct to get a standardbred proved perfect for her lifestyle.
“I’d been looking specifically for a standardbred for a while last year, as I really wanted a calm horse to take to some shows and I’d heard great things about the standardbred temperament”, Lindy explains.
“I saw Keepy advertised on Facebook and he seemed like he’d be a good match for me. We haven’t looked back since I brought him home last May and we’ve done some really fun things in our first year together.
“I’ve joined a few different riding clubs, including a couple of HRCAV groups and even a western club, and I also registered with the Standardbred Pleasure and Performance Horse Association (SPPHAV) so I could take Keepy to standardbred shows.
“Through participating at events and clinics, I’ve met some really nice people connected to standardbreds. People have been very encouraging and shared some great advice and compliments, which is lovely.
“I was really enjoying working with Keepy, which inspired me to watch the HRV Hero social media pages for other standardbreds looking for homes. I saw a very handsome horse named Frank pop up and he caught my eye, as I thought he’d be a standout in the show ring.
“I submitted an enquiry for Frank, even though I wasn’t expecting to be selected from all the people I figured would want him. I was quite surprised to receive a call from a lady named Janelle, who had been working with Frank on behalf of his owners.
“Janelle was open and honest about where Frank was at in terms of his retraining and she asked about my experience and what sort of riding and activities I was planning on doing.
“Janelle must have got a sense that, if he ended up with me, Frank would be very loved and spoilt (which he certainly is, with his wardrobe of new rugs!) I took a short drive down the road to meet Frank and picked him up the next day! It made Frank’s racing owners very happy to know he was going to stay local and that I’d keep in touch.
“Frank is such a lovely horse to handle, with great manners. He’s a really gentle boy and he’s been easy to do everything with so far.
“It’s early days still and I’m big on building a relationship and letting Frank settle in properly. We’ve been focusing on groundwork and I hope to start riding Frank a little later in the year and maybe get him out to a few local shows, even just in the led classes, and to adult riding club rallies.
“As someone who doesn’t know much about harness racing, I was chuffed to learn that Frank was quite famous in the racing world. I was chatting to a lady I met at work and I mentioned I had Frank, who raced as Brallos Pass. The lady said she had followed Franks’ career on the track, thought he was very beautiful and told me I was so lucky to have such a famous, lovely horse. It was a bit overwhelming, in the best possible way, to have someone gush over my boy and speak so fondly about him”.
With two beautiful boys completely winning her over, Lindy has become a passionate standardbred convert and advocate for the breed.
“I just love the standies! I think they’re a very easy-going, universal type of horse that take everything in stride and will give anything a go’, Lindy explains.
“Finding Frank through the Hero Direct Off The Track (DOTT) program was a great experience. Hero sent me a pack with goodies from sponsors and some extras, like my membership fee being covered to register Frank with SPPHAV and information about educational programs. This provided a lovely welcome into the standardbred community and I’m excited to get my boys out and about and promote the breed!”
