Braehill Equine Breeding Centre
Ben & Rae Hill
Massie QLD 4370
Mob: 0428 054 146
E: braehill101@outlook.com
Meagan Macintosh & Terry Hartman
22573 Warrego Hwy
Warra QLD 4411
Meagan Macintosh: 0437 473 001
Email: meaganmacintosh@gmail.com
Registration: AQHA #A3-1153
Foaling date: 17/10/2018
Colour: Red Roan
Height: 15hh
Breeder: R&R Bradley
Current Owner: Terry Hartman & Meagan Macintosh
Genetic Test: HYPP: N/R, HERDA: N/N, OLWS: N/N
VIEW FULL INTERACTIVE PEDIGREE CHART >>
(Click on Pedigree Tab in iCompete)
| Sire: Metallic Cat | High Brow Cat | High Brow Hickory |
| Smart Little Kitty | ||
| Chers Shadow | Peptoboonsmal | |
| Shesa Smarty Lena | ||
| Dam: Hazelwood Romantic Acres | Acres Destiny | Bob Acre Doc |
| San Jose Hickory | ||
| Hazelwood Romantic Oak | Docs Freckles Oak | |
| Hazelwood Romance | ||
There are very few horses that balance natural talent with integrity, who are driven to do the right thing by their rider, and understand that it is part of their job. It is remarkable to feel this in a true cow horse, bred with an innate ability to read and rate a cow. Watching these types of gifted cow horses, you can almost see their hunger to do their job, as they lock into reading the cow, determined not to be beaten.
To have that desire and still think with their rider, reading their movements and adjusting accordingly, and to do that in a way that’s discernible to the spectator is a true gift that is rare – and even rarer in a stallion. This is exactly what makes Romantic Cat so special.
Romantic Cat is owned by Meagan MacIntosh and Terry Hartman, but the story of how they came to own him is one of luck rather than planning.
Meagan was looking to buy a Stock Horse gelding at the 2021 Nutrien Classic Sale. Late in the week, Terry had to head home, leaving Meagan with his bid card. By then, she hadn’t found anything she liked and was close to calling it quits herself, until her fiancé, Tom Fay, reminded her that she’d already put in the time and might as well stay.
When the 2yo colt came into the ring, she and Tom knew nothing about him. They hadn’t even seen him pre-work. He wasn’t the type of horse they normally go for, but he moved well, and Meagan said you could see he was clever on his feet. Knowing he had been trained by Will Durkin gave Meagan confidence that everything would have been done properly.
They didn’t expect to be able to afford him. With his breeding and ability, they assumed he would sell well beyond their reach. In hindsight, they feel lucky that he didn’t look like a typical campdrafter on the day. He had a long mane and still looked like a big foal. “He looked like a cutting-style horse with a campdrafter on top”. Where others hesitated, Meagan and Tom saw potential.
Tom’s first words afterwards were, “You’d better ring Terry and tell him what you’ve done.” When they arrived home with the colt, Terry had a ride, and his verdict was simple: “He’ll be right.”
The colt’s initials are RC, and around home, this translates affectionately to “Arsey”—a nod to just how lucky they feel to have him. More than a few people have since admitted they knew they’d regret not buying him.
Early on, Meagan considered gelding him. That idea disappeared quickly. “I thought he was as good as any horse I had ever ridden,” she said. Wanting a second opinion, she sent him to Jon Templeton for a month. “Jon thought he was good too”. While Meagan would have been happy to keep him with Jon to see just how far he could go, Terry was adamant—this was a horse she should ride herself.
Though he appeared small at the sale, Romantic Cat grew to 15hh by the time he was three. Meagan describes him as a “roan pocket rocket”—quick, sharp, and incredibly athletic, yet with integrity. “He looks after me—more than other colts would. He makes sure I’m right first, and still does his job. Not many horses do that.”
In the camp, she feels him wait for her on the ends, almost suspended in mid-air, before getting to the spot he needs to be. “He makes me look like I know what I’m doing,” she laughs, “but really, I’m just hanging on.”
Meagan had some advice early on from Terry Hall at one of his schools. “He said not to do any cutting-out practice on him, saying it would ruin him as a campdraft horse. So, I didn’t. For the number of cut-outs he’s won, he shouldn’t be as good as he is. It’s just in him.”
Outside the camp, Meagan said he is quick to get where he needs to be. “He sticks his nose out and goes flat out, but he is so soft he comes back so easily. He can instantly check, jump, and change sides with exceptional softness”. His intelligence was evident early.
“He learned a course faster than any horse I’ve had anything to do with. He knows his job and knows where to be.”
When the pressure is on, Romantic Cat is the horse Meagan chooses. At the Open Shootout at Eureka, when he was just a 5yo, the cattle were particularly tough. With a truck full of options, she knew he was the horse capable of handling them both inside and out. He won the shootout, proving just how easily he can make a bad cow look good.
Meagan does all his preparation and most of the competing, though Tom has ridden him successfully, and her sister Penny borrowed him for a Cloncurry Stockman’s Challenge, where they placed. Anyone could get on and be competitive.
After suffering a paddock injury that cut a tendon, Romantic Cat had twelve months off. His return to competition is set for the 2026 Nutrien Classic. 2026 will also mark a new chapter, with the oldest one of his progeny going through the sale. Meagan says he has stamped them consistently. “It’s like he’s put a blanket over them. They’re quiet, smart, very trainable—even out of hotter mares. And they are the right type for campdrafting.”
Trainability and temperament are qualities she values highly, along with conformation. With a background in showing and judging, Meagan is particular about type, and she rates Romantic Cat’s structure highly—being well put together, with great legs, and correct conformation.
He has won challenges and campdrafts, broke his open status at just five, and yet remains quiet enough for kids to jump on bareback in a halter. No dirt. No vices. Just a genuine, intelligent, athletic horse—passing those same qualities on to the next generation.
Sometimes the best horses aren’t the ones you go looking for. They’re the ones that find you.
WINNER Westmar Ladies Draft with Meagan
Eureka Campdraft
Hannoford Campdraft
Westmar Campdraft
Cloncurry Stockman’s Challenge & Campdraft
Flinders Challenge & Campdraft
Kraga Campdraft
Warwick Gold Cup Campdraft
Bell Show Stockman’s Challenge
Black Gelding
DOB: 3/11/2023
Dam: Bullenbong Ash
Black Roan Filly
DOB: 26/09/2023
Dam: Fairleigh Spellbound
Dam: Countrywide Pixie
Lot 472 – Bullenbong Dusky Cat
Sold: $22,500
Dam: Bullenbong Ash
Vendor: Meagan Macintosh
Buyer: Jim Lyons
LTE: US$637,711.
USA major achievements:
Hazelwood Romantic Acres is from the great Hazelwood Romance line. She also bred Bradley’s Romanced (Nutrien Classic Campdraft finalist).
Hazelwood Romance is a legendary campdraft mare. She won an incredible 114 drafts in her career. Romance left an indelible legacy on campdraft genetics, as the dam of the great Hazelwood Conman, and her descendants contine to produce champion progeny.
Visit www.highbrowcat.com for a full list of this outstanding sire’s accomplishments.
