After suffering a debilitating stroke in 2017 Viv Waghorn was recommended to use horse riding as part of her rehabilitative therapy and a year later started attending HorsePower Swan Valley.
This is where Viv first met Cookie, a specially trained Off the Track (OTT) therapy horse, and Viv was elated to find they had much in common, having both retired from the WA racing industry.
Cookie retired from racing following his final start at Gloucester Park in April 2014, and now spends quality time with Viv on a weekly basis as part of Viv’s therapy, but Viv’s connection to horses and the racing industry started many years ago.
“I’ve been with the racing industry since I was 16 and I loved the track work, I used to help Donna Graham out who is a horse breaker, and she used to call me when her breakers were ready to get on and that was always fun.”
“I got my trainers license and only had it for a couple of years because I got really sick and when I was in hospital I told someone that I used to ride, and they encouraged me to get an NDIS plan and then I could start riding out here at HorsePower and see how I went.”
“The first time I came riding I was so excited to get back on a horse and I met Cookie, when we were introduced, he was so lovely and he just accepted me the way I was which was awesome. As soon as I saw him and he saw me, we just blended.”
Your Good Fortune aka ‘Cookie’ is a Group 3 Winner of 14 races and stakes earnings of $182,000, by the sire Bettors Delight (USA) and out of the dam Hi Ho Silver Lining (NZ). Trained by Greg and Skye Bond, Cookie was always a favourite with stable staff due to his relaxed nature, superb temperament and willingness to work.
“Getting on and off he was so adorable, he just waited, he had heaps of patience, my first ride was about 10 minutes long because I couldn’t take any more because I was a bit wobbly,” said Viv.
“Now, I’m more confident on the horse than I am on the ground because I’ve been with Cookie, and I have such good staff here at HorsePower who are gathered around me, if anything happened the girls have got me, it’s just been incredible.”
“After a stroke you tend to isolate yourself and stay at home, I’m still not confident in company but I’m so confident with HorsePower behind me. I think they have put me a good six to eight months ahead of where I would have been without Cookie, and with him I’m just so far in front.”
“To find that Off The Track horses can be such a help to someone with a handicap, it just shows that horses have a life after racing, and so does somebody who has had a stroke.”
With the assistance of over 600 volunteers, HorsePower combines the transformative power and the therapeutic effects of horses in the delivery of adaptive mounted and unmounted programs, including equine-assisted therapeutic, educational, recreational and sporting activities aimed at enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities.
Community TAB of Racing and Wagering WA is a major sponsor of HorsePower Australia and has contributed over $400,000 to support the organisation throughout the partnership.