Caravan Rolls On in the show ring.
© Derek O’Leary
By Equestrian Life
British-bred, Caravan Rolls On came to Australia in 2013 and enjoyed the majority of his career here with Danny O’Brien.
Caravan came through Racing Victoria’s Off The Track program, and for Equine Welfare Officer Sam Davison, it was a special case. Previously a track work rider for O’Brien, she worked with the horse for a year and half, and built quite a rapport with him. “He was a cheeky little character…. he was still a stallion at the time he was racing. He was a little bit quirky and he loved himself… absolutely loved himself. You would ride him out and he would pump himself up if other horses came near him, because he thought he was amazing. He always had a real presence about him.”
Caravan was originally rehomed straight from his racing owners to a stud, where he worked as a breeding stallion for polo ponies, before being gelded and moving into a career as a riding horse. He didn’t gel with his first rider, and it was then that Off The Track stepped in to help find a more suitable home. When retrainer Fiona McIntyre saw the photos of him via email, she thought he had potential, and since then she’s fallen in love with the quirky character that charmed Sam on the racetrack.
Since taking him on in September 2018, Fiona has built a strong partnership with him. “He’s been absolutely fabulous. I tend to approach all my horses as individuals, and you soon work out their personalities and what you can and can’t do, and what is the best approach to each horse. He’s just entertaining — he’s an entertainer!”
In the June issue of Equestrian Life magazine, we caught up with Fiona to chat about Caravan Rolls On and her other off the track star, Precedence – both of whom had success at this year’s Virtual Windsor Horse Show!
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