Looking back on my childhood, I entered the standardbred space long before ‘cart horses’ were considered a popular choice of riding partner. I’ll get into more detail about my own journey in an upcoming post, but let’s just say pony club was a polarising experience.
Having recently caught up with a few inspiring young standardbred riders, I was thrilled to learn that the stigma is certainly shifting. With every champ stamp paraded proudly by a young rider, the standardbred continues to gain recognition as a superb choice of junior’s mount.
It seems that the word of the standardbred is far more pervasive than I realised. Back when I first went to view the prospective upgrade from my pony, I knew absolutely nothing about the horse that stood before me. Advancement in technology has certainly enabled standardbred success stories to spread far and wide! It seems that the information getting out to the masses is, for the most part, a glowing endorsement for the breed on the whole!
The young riders who have shared their stories for this post all partnered with standardbreds early in their horsemanship journey. Each provided great insight into what it is like to take a standardbred through the pony club circuit in the modern age.
Sam Caudwell didn’t know terribly much about standardbreds prior to submitting an enquiry for zippy little Raising the Standards graduate Lizzie. “I knew that standardbreds had a reputation of being extremely quiet. Being nervous, that was what drew me to consider the breed.”
Sam was able to very quickly establish herself and Lizzie as a combination to admire. “The first time a lot of people saw Wizzle was at our pony club’s showjumping day, where we took out overall champion (we had been a pair for a mere two weeks!) Everyone was amazed at how naturally talented and keen she was.”
Within the first three years together, Sam schooled Lizzie from a promising entry-level novice, through to Level 2 in combined training and Level 3 eventing, as well as training confidently over 1.10m obstacles.
Their confidence grew, along with their successes. “Lizzie and I have won at multiple competitions and been representatives at major life after racing events. But I would say our main achievement would be doing our first Grade 2 Combined Training at the Kilmore race track, where she used to race!”
Taking a horse up the ranks to success is a familiar process for Bella Cornfoot, who was just eleven years old when she got her first standardbred, Lacey. “Before we actually bought Lacey, I was ‘training’ her. She was a horse that I used to ride every Saturday morning for lessons. So I was learning as she was learning.
“It took me roughly three years to actually get Lacey to canter correctly; she was a big learning curve for me! I think working with a standardbred makes you a better rider, because you learn to have patience. That’s the key to successfully training any horse.”
Within the past two years Bella and Lacey have graced the winner’s circle countless times, taking home a bounty of broad sashes, rugs and garlands. Across the 2015-2017 season, the girls took out numerous supreme and high-point champion awards, state titles in showing, combined training and dressage, as well as the SPPHAV National Junior Title (2016).
As demonstrated by the above stories, versatility is a celebrated attribute of the standardbred. It’s a trait embraced by Grace Bilney, who enjoys a wide variety of pursuits with her trusty steed Cruze.
“Cruze and I have attended a few agricultural shows with good results and qualified for the Alabar HRV Hero series for Standardbreds in 2016. We went on to compete at VASA in January 2017 and made it through to the top 10 finalists.
“We have competed in HRCAV dressage, ridden over to Snake Island at Port Welshpool and won optimal time at the Northern Standardbred Riding Group Navigation ride in September 2016. We also love swimming together in summer.”
Grace particularly appreciates Cruze’s relaxed and gentle demeanour and rather hilarious antics. “Cruze has such big, bold and cheeky personality. When we go swimming together, he puts his head right under and blows bubbles. He also stomps his front leg when I’m making his dinner and he nods his head when I ask if he is hungry. He really makes me laugh!”
Like Cruze, Lacey also has a ‘quirky and playful’ nature. Bella explains, “Lacey loves to show off her tricks, which are to kiss, paw and lay down on command. She likes to stick her head in the bottom drawer of the float, because she knows that ‘her’ licorice is in there and that’s her all-time favourite treat.”
The wisdom passed from all three Standy fans echoes the same sentiment: owning a standardbred is a wonderful experience & that standardbreds make superb pony club/all-rounder riding horses.
When asked whether they would encourage other young riders to consider partnering with a Standardbred, there was a unanimous response: “YES!!!”
“If you have the opportunity to take on a standardbred, absolutely go for it!”
“Working with a standy is a rewarding journey that will be built upon across several years. Set realistic expectations and regular, achievable goals; when you feel like you’re getting nowhere, take some time to look back on how far you have come…It’s always surprising!”
“Standardbreds teach you big life lessons and will reward you with so many skills that come from training your own horse.”
“This beautiful breed of horse is worth all of your hard work, time and dedication. They will try their hearts out for you and give back a lot of love in return.”
We thank Sam, Bella and Grace for sharing their stories with us.
Learn more about standardbreds…
