What can I say he's the love of my life, I've never met another horse like him and I don't know that I ever will? He has the biggest of hearts, a great work ethic and the kind of loyalty we are all looking for out of our horses. 

I'd never had anything to do with standardbreds before we'd meet and had no intention of getting to know them either.  I was into arabs and wanted to get on with endurance riding. 

When we first met he was a big 16.2h skittish nervous nelly and I wasn't really all that keen to get on him.  I was offered him to ride in endurance whilst my injured mare was spelling.  I tentatively went to see if I wanted to take him on.  He looked to me like a big uncoordinated lug that was very unbalanced and too dorky to get the job done.

Hesitantly I mounted him and was shocked that his stride resembled that of a camel in his motion. He nervously walked me around the paddock and I was even more shocked when I experienced his large camel like trot...after a few minutes he showed good signs of listening and wanting to trust me.  I thought what the heck, I haven't got anything else to ride.  So I took him home. 

From every ride from there on in he improved leaps and bounds with his balance and was very quick to learn and trust me.  I couldn't believe how much he wanted to please me, the more I began to like him the more he improved, it's as if he needed me to believe in him and more to the point - like him!!!!  

Like soon turned to love when he showed me his work ethic was second to none. He had initially been a real pain to catch however once in hand he knew he had a job to do and he just loved showing me he could do it.  He's the type of horse that liked routine, and I'm a Virgo.... the routine Queen!!!  He soon turned to me to have his halter put on. 

He was brilliant on the road, which I assume stems from his race career; he was probably trained behind a vehicle.  There wasn't much that bothered him at all; he loved being out and about during the day or in the blackest and windiest of winter nights. He would be completely decked out in lots of reflective outfits to ensure the cars saw us after they had blinded us both with their high beams.  He loved cantering through the bush reserves and loved to chase roos.  To me he now felt like a big event horse on track... He was quick to hit peak fitness and was as reliable and trustworthy a horse I had ever ridden, I felt unbelievable safe on him and he felt fantastic once I got used to his huge trot.  My Arabian counterparts jockeys would have to rise to the trot 2-3 times more than I and I laughed at them cantering trying to keep up with his trot!!! 

Rocky enjoyed adult riding club too and began to look very smart in his movements.  Instructors couldn't believe it was the same horse they had seem some years before.  

Keeping in mind he had come with some baggage in terms of race injuries I was keen to keep him sound.  He had had a damaged hip and a bowed a tendon.  He had had a few years rest and was sound for me to start training. 

His first two outings were 40km rides to make sure he still felt as good as he did at home and see how he was going to behave with the whole endurance scene.  To my shock, he was a madman on track...not in a nasty way but he wanted to race everyone and frequently broke into a pace during stressful periods of other horses coming up behind him, even though he'd never show and signs of this at home and trailing with friends. 

I soon learned to change headgear from a snaffle bit to a hackamore.  He still wanted to race everyone and paced occasionally which felt like he needed a hip replacement.  He learnt to lean sideways into the hackamore and speed downhill, even though I was keen to walk down the hills.  We travelled well with some horses on track and he wasn't allowing them to leave him behind. 

My masseur back at base was impressed by Rocky's transformation as he had seen him in previous years and expressed his concerns about me taking him on for endurance.  Too his surprise he was doing a wonderful job and vetted through his first two 40km rides and then straight through to qualify after three sequential 80km rides... 

My delight was unexplainable, as I'd been looking for a new mount for some years.  To my surprise the horse I thought that was just something to ride while my mare recovered turned out to be the horse I had always wanted...I just didn't know it until I had him.  I just love him to bits.  

I do believe that whilst standardbreds are safe reliable mounts, I don't believe they are suitable for beginners when in their peak of fitness.  He was a big horse and wanted to get in the thick of it. 

After his qualification, I did feel that the hills were getting a little much for his old hips, so to my disappointment I decided to give the owner some money for him and give him his well-deserved retirement ticket.  My heart broke and so did his; he often looked at me wondering why we weren't working together anymore.  He needed to be needed...without consistent handling/work he becomes nervous and untrusting.  I still look back at our time together and to this day believe he's been my best horse. 

After about 12 months rest and moving properties I decided he looked too good not to try again, so I did.  Now living in a hilly landscape I figured that training him in the hills would either make him stronger or he'd struggle.  The first 6 weeks back into work he was his usual workhorse self and was so glad to be reunited with me again. Just when I thought we were back in business he had a little stumble up a small hill that made me feel he was struggling.  I decided his job would be to help me train newbie's coming into the sport with road training etc.  To date he's done a wonderful job at that, his latest job is babysitting my two weanlings.  One of which is out of my arabian mare by the gorgeous 'So That's Life' standardbred stallion owned by Jack & Karen Kendall.  She's a gorgeous little filly so with fingers crossed she's got the flavour I need to replace Rocky!!!! 

If I were able to get a horse half the horse of Rocky I'd be the happiest rider out there!!! 

Happy horsing.

Kim Pulvirenti, Victoria