The HRV Hero team is excited to announce the appointment of two new Hero Ambassadors.
Growing up around the stables with harness racing trainers for parents, Tana Males formed a love of horses early and a natural talent in the saddle.
With his gentle, willing nature, Turnpike Cruiser, known around the Males stables as ‘Cruise’, was a natural fit for pony club life.
“One day I just decided to jump on Cruise, as he’d been sitting in the paddock for a few years”, Tana says of her first experiences with her new riding partner.
“Cruise is a bit of a cheeky one under saddle, but he’s a hard horse not to love.
“He’s just such a cool character and nothing really ever phases him; he’s pretty perfect”.
In their time as a partnership, Tana and Cruise have attended pony club rallies, show jumping competitions and put on a dazzling display of their talents at the recent Megan Jones Eventing Clinic for Standardbreds in October, which was organised and subsidised by the Hero program.
Tana and Cruise’s dedication and ambition to train hard and work up through to the higher levels in eventing is inspiring to witness and has cemented their place as the newest Round 1 Hero Ambassadors.
The new Hero Ambassador Program sees contributions towards entry and other fees associated with attending equestrian competitions, public events, clinics and training days will be extended by HRV Hero to a selected team of Ambassadors
“Tana’s passion for standardbreds and Cruise’s can-do attitude make them the perfect choice as Hero Ambassadors”, says Hero Operations Manager, Tara van der Minne.
“We’re excited to see what this talented pair can achieve, with the support of the entire Hero team behind them!”
Sharing in this passionate approach to life after harness racing is competitive navigation ride, trail and High Country adventurer Ashleigh Robinson.
Having lost her beloved senior standardbred Immy to recurring bouts of colic earlier this year, Ashleigh has started her next chapter in standardbreds through partnering with young mare Hanleigh Park Fox.
In the four-and-a-half months that have passed since their first meeting, Ashleigh and standardbred ‘Fox’ have made a positive start to their partnership.
Untrialled and without so much as a racing name, seven-year-old Fox was initially was very green and lacked life experience.
Despite still being very much at the beginning of their journey together, and taking a steady approach to training, Ashleigh and Fox have already shared some wonderful experiences as a team.
Focusing primarily on trail and navigation rides, Ashleigh and Fox have already brought home their first batch of ribbons, having placed third at the St Andrews Adult Riders Navigation Ride on August the 30th and a second, fourth and the Best Performed Standardbred awards across the weekend at the Goulburn Valley Equestrian Club Navigation Ride.
Adding to their growing a list of aspirations and accomplishments, is the pair’s appointment as new HRV Hero Ambassadors.
“Ashleigh and Fox are an inspiring team, who have already shown great enthusiasm and passion during their early adventures together”, says Hero Operations Manager Tara van der Minne.
“We are very pleased to welcome the girls into a Hero Ambassador role, as we feel their pursuits across a blend of HRCAV, trail, navigation and high-country riding makes them a unique and very interesting team to showcase the many talents of standardbreds beyond the track”.
