Last week we shared a beautiful photo of the Holdens & Danny Carey with Reys Ya Garter on the cusp of his final run in the cutting pen at 18 years old. Cutter turned campdrafter who can still “CUT IT” with the best of them. It was much anticipated and he did not disappoint.
We could just whack up his run, but he deserves so much more. His journey has not been without incident and it’s best told by Trudy, one of the most passionate horse lovers we have met.
Enjoy!
“In this walk of life, we have so many beautiful things we should be truly grateful for, when you see them every day you take them for granted. Sometimes you don’t realise this until a tragedy or heart ache that really changes you, in one way or another, occurs.
“Such is the case with our beautiful home bred stallion Reys ya Garter who has faced, and overcome, so many challenges.
“As a 4yo he fractured his hock. 12 months later, whilst away training at another facility, he became tangled in a barbed wire fence. It took Corey 45 minutes to cut him out & so tangled was he, his tail had to be cut off just below his dock. This experience we will never forget, it was gut wrenching and heart-breaking.
“But, his true brave spirit & big heart got him through all these challenges, and it was his strength that gave us strength to transition him to the campdraft arena.
“We had our fair share of knockers, “You’re embarrassing the cutting industry, he ‘can’t run!'” said the critics. But, one very wise man, John Brekelmans, said, ‘He will truly succeed, you don’t have to say anything he will prove himself, trust me!’
“We will never forget those kind words John said that day. He would always come and watch Rey run/draft and proudly remind us how ‘he was right!’
“Circumstances, some might call it destiny, brought Hugh Miles & Rey together, but that’s another story, but their partnership surpassed all our expectations, all we could ever have hoped for. We have loved the journey. And to top things off we’ve been welcomed into the Campdraft industry, with arms wide open.
“Proudly watching our home bred stallion Reys ya Garter continually and consistently reach remarkable heights has brought us, and the people who have helped us along this amazing journey immense joy, making it extra special.
“In a last minute mum-brain moment whilst driving our son Cash to daycare, I thought, ‘Imagine if Corey rode (competed/showed?) Rey one last time!’
“So I rang the NCHA office the day before entries closed and entered them, surprising Corey. “Corey doesn’t say much………..but I got one hell of a grin!
“He was the only horse to compete at the Willinga Gold Buckle Campdraft with Hugh Miles and in the NCHA Open Gold Cup with Corey Holden all in the same month.
“It was 10 YEARS since this beautiful Bay stallion walked down the timeline in the cutting pen. Unheard of!
“Win, draw or score, either way we knew we’d be just as proud of our beautiful 18 year old stallion. How privileged were we to have Corey onboard to enjoy this very last 2:30 minutes in the pen on the big stage!
“#Believe in what you breed!”
