Truck driver’s tips have QOTT Acknowledged Retrainer falling for new addition

By Andrew Smith

Most people will seek advice from trainers or owners when bringing a retired racehorse into their care.

But for Tamara Janus, it was a conversation with a horse transport truck driver that convinced her she had picked up a good one.

Tamara signed on to be a Queensland Off-The-Track Acknowledged Retrainer earlier this year, having already been involved in the QOTT Program as an Approved Coach.

The latest addition to her Upper Caboolture property has come in the form of retired racehorse Wairere Falls.

The thoroughbred was trained by Chris Waller and raced at Flemington, Rosehill, Eagle Farm and Doomben over an almost five-year career that netted close to $600,000 in prizemoney

The gelding recorded six wins and 19 placings from 65 starts, having his last race at Eagle Farm on December 28 last year.

Tamara said a conversation with Grandview Park Stud had led her to pick up Wairere Falls, but it was when the eight-year-old arrived at her property in mid-February that she knew she had made the right selection.

“It’s always the same truck driver from Sydney Horse Transport - I think it’s the third or fourth horse I’ve had through Chris Waller, and every time, this truck driver has always got a little tidbit for me,” Tamara said.

“He was two hours late arriving, so I thought ‘oh gosh he’s going to tell me that the horse is terrible at loading,’ or that he’s got all these problems.

“I said, ‘oh apparently he’s pretty quiet?’ and the driver said, ‘quiet? This is the quietest thoroughbred I’ve ever met!’

“He told me even the 75-year-old lady who helps at Chris’ stables every morning and brought him to the truck said, ‘this thing’s just a real pet, you’re going to love him.’

“It’s always nice to hear that sort of information from people that do see them, especially the guy that transports them to and from the track quite often - he’s got a little bit more insight and I think he likes to have a chat!”

Wairere Falls, who is called “Saint” around the property, has taken to his new life like a duck to water.

Tamara said he had made the transition from the track to trail riding with ease.

“Most of the country racehorses that I’ve taken out on trails are a little bit more used to it coming from the bush but for a horse that’s raced on mostly city tracks, he’s just going ‘oh this is great’ – he was looking through the trees and bush, and he was loving it,” Tamara said.

“He’s great through all his obstacles, he is really good on his flat work, just super willing, and probably the most sensible off-the-track city horse I’ve taken out to a trail.

“It’s still only early days, but the plan is  to get him out to the local club that does competitive trail rides, and the local dressage club too.”

Kicking off her riding career at Pony Club at just three years of age, Tamara achieved dressage success as a teenager and turned her focus to natural horsemanship, where she developed a passion for breaking in young horses and retraining older horses.

Her love of training horses then turned into a full-time business 12 years ago, when she started TJ Equine.

She has also competed in the Australian Brumby Challenge at Equitana, Coonamble Colt Start, Winton to Longreach Endurance Ride and Race to Ranch at Cowgirls Gathering, and competes regularly in dressage, agricultural shows, competitive trail rides, working equitation and team penning.

In that time, she has retrained around 20-30 off-the-track horses for clients, but these days focuses on only having around one or two horses in her care at any single time.

The 35-year-old explains how she decided to step back slightly from her busy workload, before signing up for the QOTT Acknowledged Retrainers Program.

“A couple of years ago I went, I can’t do training and coaching and everything because I was just stretching myself too thin - I’ve got two young kids as well and thought I’m just going to really focus on the coaching side,” Tamara said.

“As much as I love it, I just got the itch to do a bit of training again, and I didn’t want the constraints of having clients horses in and not being able to go anywhere.

“So with the QOTT Program, I’m able to pick a horse, do a little bit with it, help it along its journey, and I’ve always had a thing for the off-the-track horses.”

Since commencing as a retrainer, Tamara has taken on five retired thoroughbreds to retrain and rehome under the QOTT Program.

She is also looking to retrain standardbreds as well while working as part of the program.

“When a lot of people look for a horse, they don’t want a thoroughbred or a standardbred, but I think once they meet one, they change their opinion of it,” Tamara said.

“They have such great work ethics coming from the racing industry - they have had a job and a career…they tend to be willing to go towards another vocation.

“When they first come in, they don’t show a lot of personality but after one or two months, they’re like ‘this is who I am’ and we go from there.

“I think it’s very rewarding and it gives me a bit of purpose because I do like giving back - it’s nice to do something to help horses along the way so they’ve got a future no matter where they go.”