Too Busy Talking | Reliable Cherry Does It All.

Owned by junior driver, Kyle Symington, Too Busy Talking joined Kyle at Harvey Agricultural School following retirement. With Kyle, Cherry, as she is known around the stables, competed up to novice level dressage and eventing, proving herself to be a true all-rounder.

Sophie Graco was approached by Kyle in 2022 after she had retired her own standardbred mare. Having a chronic illness, Sophie needed a reliable and safe mount to both rejuvenate her love for riding and build back her confidence. Being trainable and reliable, Cherry and Sophie quickly formed a strong connection.

“I’ve owned standardbreds for the past ten years, so when I was offered the opportunity to lease Cherry, I jumped at the chance. They are fantastic horses and have such a lovely temperament,” commented Sophie.

Cherry is described as an absolute character, with her signature standardbred head toss always proving to be a crowd pleaser. Together, Cherry and Sophie compete in endurance rides, with their greatest achievement so far being the 40-kilometer ride at Greenhill’s in 2022. Cherry proves to be a reliable endurance mount, thoroughly enjoying herself along the way.

“She felt amazing all weekend through the freezing cold rain and wind, getting us all A’s and one’s on our vet card with our fastest completion time for a 40 kilometer so far,” said Sophie.

Long term, Sophie aims to build Cherry’s fitness up, with hopes to compete in an 80-kilometer ride one day. Sophie also stated that she would be quite happy just to see where this talented little mare can take her.

“A simple plod around the block gives me the same satisfaction as a 40-kilometer ride on Cherry,” replied Sophie fondly.