Taking horses beyond the racetrack

A Mount Duneed business is helping horses move on from their time on the racetrack and into new careers.

Shory Park is Australia’s largest thoroughbred retraining program and typically houses about 60 off-the-track thoroughbreds at the farm at any one time.

Each year, the business helps rehome hundreds of horses, with about 90 per cent of those being thorougbreds.

Shory Park owner and operator Nikki Cook grew up with horses, studied the equine industry at a tertiary level but spent her early career in real estate.

She said the full-time business as it is now only came into being about 10 years ago.

“It was always just a hobby [at first] – I grew up working in racing stables as a teenager, and before I knew it I was taking home horses when they were too slow and needed a home.

“Dad’s rule was always I had to sell one before I got a new one, so it just became a hobby and a love, I guess. I was in love with the thoroughbreds and realised they needed a home, and there wasn’t too many people doing it back then, so before I knew it, it became a business, and I left my job in real estate to fulfil it.”

The Shory Park philosophy is to produce horses of a high standard and quiet nature, with the business committing to provide horses with the upmost care and give them very best chance at a new future off the track.

A Racing Victoria accredited retrainer, Shory Park is renowned for the care and wellbeing of its horses and the business prides itself on each horse’s condition and presentation.

Horses comes directly from the horse trainer or owner.

When each horse arrives at Shory Park, they undergo a full assessment, both physically and mentally, to see where they are at. Once the farrier, dentist and body worker has been over them, horses are spelled for at least three months.

Horses then start groundwork and assessment, which provides them with the tools they will need to become confident and willing riding horses. During their ridden work, horses are exposed to a variety of different situations and environments to prep them for the next stages in their future careers. Horses are taken to local pony clubs, cross-country schooling, road riding and have an introduction to flat work and jumping.

There is also follow-up coaching after the sale is completed.

Cook, who was Racing Victoria’s Retrainer of the Year in 2019, said selling horses came with its own particular challenges.

“Coming from real estate, I’d much rather sell houses than horses, that’s for sure. It’s quite hard work – you’ve got to get the exact right match, and that takes a lot of time and skill to be able to perfectly match people.”

She said the peak years of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 were actually good for the business, with sales picking up considerably.

“We were busiest during COVID, because everyone was sitting at home and wanted a project and something to do; COVID was actually the biggest numbers we’ve ever done. We were flat out – obviously we were essential [an essential business] because the horses still needed to be cared for and fed, so we were very lucky to keep operating.”

Shory Park sells about 80 per cent of its horses to children in pony clubs.

“That would be most of our market,” Cook explained.

“The horses are great all-rounders and great for juniors, and also price-effective for that budget.

“We’ve had horses win horse of the year competition at top level performance homes, but we also sell for polo, pleasure horses, nannies if they’ve got injuries… a variety of people.”

She said horse retraining was a vital cog in the wider horseracing industry and a part that was not widely known.

“I was up at Luke Oliver’s [of Luke Oliver Racing] open day earlier this week, and it’s all just about educating owners and giving them the tools of where horses go, giving them the option, because lots of people don’t understand the process or even think about it.

“They think once their ownership lapses, they’re off the hook, but actually it’s their responsibility to follow through; care after racing as well.”