Succinite already a winner post-racing

By Darren Cartwright

It took almost six months and seven races for Succinite to register his only win in a 14-start career - a $15,000 QTIS maiden at Roma. 

Yet, when the five-year-old gelding made his return as a performance horse at the Warwick Horse Trials in February with vet Linda Schiemer in the saddle, he won ‘on debut’. 

Succinite’s transformation from racehorse to winning eventing horse is just one of the many successful Off The Track (OTT) stories across Queensland for retired standardbreds and thoroughbreds. 

The connection between Succinite, affectionately now known as Bubba, and Linda can be traced back to her Nanango Veterinary Surgery. 

It was there, that she connected with Bubba through Nanango trainer Glenn Richardson, a client and friend. 

And ever since she first treated the 16.2h chestnut, she was keen to take care of him when the curtain came down on his racing career. 

“He was a nice big solid staying type. He was always quiet and a pleasure to deal with,” Schiemer said 

The son of Amber Grey and grandson of European champion stayer and sire Galileo may still be racing if not for a few minor injury setbacks and a lack of suitable distance events. 

His last injury was a conundrum for the owners who decided to retire him. 

That is when Linda acquired her future show trial champion. 

The injury he had sustained had not healed as well as expected and it was upon closer inspection that Linda's suspicion of a sequestrum was confirmed. 

Sequestrum is when a segment of bone becomes separated, loses its blood supply, and dies.  

Following a couple of surgeries over several months, starting March 2021, Bubba was ready by November to begin work as a performance horse.  

“He’s unflappable, straightforward nature was evident at his first competition,” Ms Schiemer said 

Despite gale-force winds, a gun club training nearby and racing cars zooming around next door, Bubba was unfazed and won his class.  

Off the back of the stellar performance, the busy full-time vet will aim Bubba at eventing in Star classes. 

She said she was mindful that OTT standardbreds and thoroughbreds can sometimes get a bad rap when in fact they had qualities that can be easily overlooked.  

“They are no different to other horses and usually come with tolerance other young horses haven’t learned,” Schiemer said.  

“They have been stabled, gone into the water, on walkers and floated.” 

All horses can have their challenges, but with OTT equines, her advice is to look after their feet.  

They need to transition from being shod in racing plates every couple of weeks to steel shoes and for longer periods between shoeing.  

Initially, you may need to get their feet seen every three to four weeks, she said. 

Her other key advice is to ensure they have plenty of “hay, hay and more hay”.

Do you have an off the track Thoroughbred or Standardbred? We’d love to hear from you! Whether you compete with your retired racehorse, ride for pleasure or they’re a valued companion animal, we’d love to hear about your lives together and how you found your equine friend. Click here to connect with the QOTT Team.

Are you looking to retire and rehome your racehorse? Or are you a prospective new off-the-track owner looking for a retired racehorse? Click here to connect with the QOTT Acknowledged Retrainers.