Rubble not evading new role at Hervey Bay RDA

By Andrew Smith

His racing name was The Tax Evader, but the former harness racehorse is certainly not shirking away from his responsibilities in retirement.

Now affectionately known as Rubble, the standardbred is helping give people with a disability the opportunity to ride and enjoy all the activities connected with horse riding.

The former pacer has been part of the Hervey Bay Riding For The Disabled since February of this year.

The gelding raced 14 times for one win, having last raced in March 2024.

RDA Coach and Horse Manager Emma Pearson explained how they acquired Rubble from Hucknall Horses, having had their sights set on another standardbred at the time.

“We actually went there to look at another horse, but The Tax Evader was tied up right at the very back of their tack room,” Pearson said.

“Us three coaches saw Rubble just standing there quietly, he was chilled and his body language was amazing.

“There was a lot going on, and he was completely unbothered.

“We have quite a long checklist that we go through with them, because we have a lot of volunteers that don't necessarily have a lot of horse handling experience prior to coming to RDA to volunteer.

“So we have to make sure that the horses are okay to be handled by beginners and everything that we did with him, he was so respectful.

“We don't often have easy decisions when we buy a horse, but he was very much an easy decision for us.”

Established in 1992, the Hervey Bay RDA has five horses in total which assist around 25 clients in getting a feel of what it is like to ride a horse.

Pearson said the six-year-old gelding had the perfect nature to help boost a client’s confidence if they had just started out riding.

“Sometimes our participants might have sudden movements or make unexpected loud noises, so we do lots of silly things when we go to trial and view a horse just to see how they react,” Pearson explained.

“We need to know what's the worst that they're going to do when something unexpected happens, and he was not reactive even in the slightest bit.

“He's so stoic and calm - anyone that meets him basically thinks that he's a lot older than he is, and he has this calming presence.

“A lot of riders that are nervous or have anxiety are really good with him because he’s so calming…he will never use more energy than he has to, and he’s quite happy to plod along.”

The organisation was sadly forced to euthanise another standardbred in Mister Cool Stride in April of this year.

The bay gelding had been part of the fabric at the Hervey Bay RDA for several years, having been retired from racing in 2017.

Pearson said Mister Cool Stride and Rubble were perfect examples of how former harness racehorses could adapt to new environments and have successful post-racing careers.

“I think having that experience the harness equipment on - they're already desensitised to a lot of unusual things that we do at RDA,” Pearson said.

“For example, we have to crowd the horses - we might have a leader, and then we might have two sidewalkers that walk beside the horses to support the riders.

“We do a lot of changing of stirrup lengths, adjusting girths, probably a lot more than someone just riding their horse at home.

“So even having that experience with all the harness equipment, they’re already used to being crowded. They also seem to be so trainable as well.

“I think being raced, they're used to a lot of different people being around them – at the RDA they might have 20 different people interacting with them in one day, and not every horse is okay with that.

“They seem to take the least amount of time to settle in as well, possibly from going to different races and stables, they're a bit more used to that.

“The temperament of the standardbred is amazing…they are unflappable, very calm, and seem to be so trainable as well.”

The centre recently received a Queensland Off-The-Track Therapy Horse Grant.

The grant helps fund the costs associated with veterinary treatment, farrier and feed for retired racehorses that are used as therapy aids.

The former Chris Waller-trained galloper Savagery is also among the horses used at the RDA, another beneficiary of the funding.

“The grant has been a huge relief because horses cost a lot of money, and to know that we've got that money there is just amazing,” Pearson said.

“It's been a huge help to our centre, and right when we really needed it as well.

“Savagery has also benefited from the funding through the Queensland Off-The-Track Grant, and he's just had hock surgery that we possibly wouldn't have been able to afford without the grant.

“The funding means it frees up money to go towards other things, which at the moment is to buy a new horse.

“We probably wouldn't have been able to afford to buy Lulu - the horse that we recently purchased - if we didn't get that grant.”

With demand for their services at an all-time high, Pearson said the funding was also likely to help the centre expand in the future.

She added that the Hervey Bay RDA was always on the lookout for more horses to help people with a disability experience the freedom and fulfilment of horse riding.

“Probably the last two years have been the most challenging years we've had,” Pearson said.

“We went from a herd of 11 seasoned RDA horses that have been with us - some for over a decade – to now only having one of those original horses left.

“The others have either been rehomed, retired or sadly euthanised due to medical conditions or old age.

“We've had to cut back our participants as well as we've searched for horses, which isn't easy.

“We would like to add at least another two horses within the next three to four months, because we have such a long wait list and we are getting new enquiries every week.

“We would love to build our herd back up and then be able to help more people in our community.”

The QOTT Grants Program complements the various post-racing initiatives introduced by RQ over the past five years to support racehorse aftercare in Queensland.

These include the Subsidised Lessons Program, Acknowledged Retrainers Program, Event Sponsorship Program, Nutrition Education Hub, Safety Net Partnership with Save A Horse Australia, Premium Event Partnerships, QOTT Education Program, QOTT Clubhouse, the New OTT Owner Welcome Pack and the On-site Humane Euthanasia Program – Equine.