With over two decades of experience with the breed, Victoria Talbot is as passionate about standardbreds today as she was when she met her first ‘champ with a stamp’.
“I grew up in Inglewood, which is a small country Victorian town where harness racing was quite popular”, Victoria explains.
“A local chap by the name of Brian ‘Cowboy’ Mahoney offered me my first job, working at his harness racing stables when I was a young teenager. Brian taught me all about how to care for and work the horses in cart and the ins and outs of harness racing.
“I also started to ride some of the racehorses and took them on once their careers ended. I provided the horses with foundation retraining and then found them loving new homes. This was long before standardbreds became a popular choice of riding horse, as they are today”.
Victoria’s career in harness racing continued on throughout her twenties, whilst also commencing work with thoroughbreds.
With life revolving around horses, Victoria filled her time around work commitments with equestrian adventures in the show and HRCAV arenas.
“In October 2021, my riding horse sustained an injury and needed some time off”, Victoria recalls.
“I purchased two standardbreds from Branson Harness Racing, just to keep me ticking along for a couple of months whilst my horse recovered.
“One of these horses was Barney (Bettor Answer That), who was a very well-bred but unraced pacer. Barney’s lack of performance on the track was due to the fact that he has the work ethic of a sloth”, Victoria says with a laugh.
“This turned out to be a blessing for me, as Barney’s calm nature made him a breeze to transition to saddle. Even without a roundyard or confined space, I backed Barney in a couple of sessions and he’s progressed consistently from the get-go.
“Initially I thought the other standardbred I brought home, a very flashy chestnut named Blue, would be my next show prospect and Barney would just be a nice trail or pleasure mount.
“Although Barney’s temperament certainly has made him an excellent trail horse, even confidently leading an old schoolmaster who was having meltdown on his first ever ride out, his natural canter and the fact he can also jump made him a nice prospect as an all-rounder.
“Given that Blue was a bit more of a nervous type and everything took longer, I ended up focusing on Barney a bit more. Everything is just easy with Barney and we haven’t looked back since our first show together”.
With such an adaptable willing partner, Victoria has had the confidence to participate in a variety of equestrian disciplines with Barney.
“Barney and I are graded at Level 4 in HRCAV and have been enjoying dressage, showing, combined training and we’ve also attended some open show jumping events”, Victoria explains.
“My nine-year-old daughter also rides and she recently borrowed Barney to participate in lessons at pony club. He was just super and looked after her so well, completely unfazed about the dazzle boards, brick wall jumps and everything else thrown at him.
“As a busy mum, I really appreciate taking Barney out when we attend events with my daughter. As Barney is so fuss-free, I can spend the start of the event completely focused on my daughter and her pony and as soon as she’s set up I can literally just pick up the reins, jump on Barney and he’s ready to go. It makes participating possible for me, as I have a horse who’s just so easy to take out and do anything with.
“That’s definitely one of the best things about Barney: I never hesitate or worry about where we’re going. Recently, I attended my first event in many years at the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre, which is a very high-atmosphere venue. Barney was so relaxed about being there that I sent him off with my daughter to wash and even during the overnight camp-out he just played with his water bucket and ‘wuffled’ his nose at me when I stuck my head out of the float to check on him. He’s such a legend!
“This feeling of complete trust is something I can genuinely say I’ve always felt around standardbreds. In all my years, despite riding literally countless standies, I have never had even one get their back up, threaten to explode or make me feel unsafe.
“These days, with modern breeding creating a much more refined and athletic horse and harness trainers putting more emphasis on preparing their harness horses for their lives after racing, standardbreds have grown in popularity.
“I think this is wonderful and I would absolutely encourage people to give a standy a chance. They are truly the kindest, most willing breed of horse, perfect confidence-builders and fantastic for riders with busy lives who just want a low-maintenance, fun horse to enjoy”.
