Giant is a rising 10-year-old bay, standardbred gelding and is 16hh (best guess) and he deserves an amazing home. He is sound and could be restarted under saddle. He is a horse with personality and opinions, he is a good communicator. He likes being loved and fussed over, especially being told how handsome he is. He is incredibly well-loved by his female trainer and me, so she/we will be very fussy about the right home for him. Tiarn said in her post, "The curtain has been drawn on my big man’s career. 7 wins and 18 placings for me. The horse who got me through some very hard times and always showed up when we needed him. He loved racing tough, sitting in the chair or battling his way to the lead. A true gentleman, and a ladies man. He healed my heart and restored my confidence and I will be eternally grateful to him. I can’t wait to see what you get up to in retirement my man, thanks for the memories"
He is a great eater and is good for the farrier, dentist and vet. Easy to give medication, can rug and unrug him free in the paddock and will tie all day. He is easy to load into the float and is a good traveller but he does get impatient if you take too long to start moving, He is OK travelling with other horses but if he has to wait for them to be loaded he can get restless, so it is best to put him on last in that circumstance. He prefers women but can be handled by men. He likes people who are calm, quiet, consistent, trustworthy and clear in what they want, He likes being talked to. He loves kids and is soft and patient with them. Is he an easy horse? Hard to answer....yes if you are the person described above, but not so much if you are not the person described or come at him in a "bad frame" of mind. You will need to be OK with listening to and respecting his point of view, it will be a partnership. He is used to dogs, chickens and ducks.
Like many standies, he is pretty independent when it comes to other horses. He likes having neighbours and has been in with others but is clear about his space, especially at food time. Having said that he has usually only been in with other horses in a fairly small paddock and it is often very different in a larger space. He is up to date with teeth, worming, feet etc. If you want to ride him, he will need to be retrained under saddle, he won't be able to lunge yet but could be long-reined easily. As long as you are consistent in your communication, he can learn new things pretty easily. I have done his bodywork for the last almost 3 years, he feels the best he ever has this time around,
He will need to have one main rider and would not do well in a riding school situation....too peopley and confusing. He either likes you or doesn't and then takes a little time to form a bond but once it is there it is unshakeable and you will feel all his love for you. We feel he would prefer variety in his post-racing career and would be good at mounted archery, carriage driving, working equitation, trail riding maybe a little jumping for fun, he may also suit endurance. He is the sort of horse you could take on holidays, to a beach or the Snowy's. He would happily work all day and then sit beside you while you have a wine. He is probably not a show type.
You must be prepared to come and meet him, he will not be rehomed sight unseen.
You must be someone I know or can be vouched by someone I know. Please fill out the EOI form if you want to meet him.
Located: Menangle Park
Racing Pic by Dean Mitchell, DJM Racing Pix. Videos by Tiarn Sutton. Other photos by Tiarn or me
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