OTTWA Retraining Program | Checking in on Tracey and Teddy
Batavia Bonfire was rehomed through the OTTWA Retraining and Rehoming Program in July of 2023. ‘Teddy’ entered into the retraining program after retiring from racing before ever trialling or making an official start.
Teddy was retrained by OTTWA Retrainers, Oakford Equestrian, after an initial spell at the OTTWA Estate. It did not take long for someone to enquire about Teddy, with plenty of expressions of interest pouring in after his initial sale video was posted. From those expressions of interest, Teddy was matched with Tracey Barnett.
Tracey is an avid OTT supporter and has been following and attending clinics since 2020. Tracey was quick to submit an expression of interest for Teddy after viewing his video.
Tracey viewed Teddy on the 20th of July 2023. Although she would have liked to have said it was love at first sight, Tracey admits she was at first shocked by his ‘true Standy head’. Teddy was still growing into his body at four years old, and presented as a tall, gangly and slightly disproportionate horse. Thankfully, his loveable nature and impeccable ground manners were enough to win Tracey over.
Tracey fondly recalled their first meeting, commenting that, “He definitely struck me as a horse I wanted to get to know. At the time, I chose him for his temperament, trainability and soundness over his looks. Now that he has matured, he is stunning in appearance as well.”
When asked whether the retraining delivered by the Oakford Equestrian team was beneficial to the beginning of their partnership, Tracey said, “I love that Teddy wasn’t pushed beyond his capabilities. His retrainer set great foundations for me to build on and maintain Teddy’s confidence and curiosity through it all. I found the graduate pack very valuable to see exactly what he’d done and helped me navigate my next course of action for his continued education.”
Tracey officially purchased Teddy nine days after their initial viewing. Now, Teddy and Tracey try a bit of everything—from dressage, cross country, games and even polocrosse. As Tracey’s first young horse and second standardbred, the pair have been slow and steady with their progress, taking the time learn together. They have attended a few dressage training days to score results such as 79.66% in one of their prep tests, and recently attended their first competition, claiming several OTT prizes in the process! Tracey’s ultimate goal is to turn Teddy into her next eventing partner further down the line.
We are thrilled to have played a small part in the development of this partnership and wish Tracey and Teddy all the best with their future together.
Categories: OTTWA Rehomed Horses
