Thoroughbreds are showing their versatility off the track throughout the country, and in the deep south, Chuggatai has found his calling in the show ring.

A four-year-old by Mongolian Khan, Chuggatai had seven starts on the track for Ascot Park trainer Jo-Ann Gordon before he was retired and sent to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Acknowledged Re-Trainers, Ardlussa Equine.

Located in Riversdale, Ardlussa is operated by Jamie Melaich and Katie Sutherland, who happened to be on the look-out for a horse to keep for themselves when Chuggatai came through their gates.

“I got him in April last year, time has really flown,” Melaich said.

“He was very young when he arrived, that was my only hesitation as we don’t typically rehome three-year-olds, because people think they are a bit young to do something with. That is partially true, dependent on what you want to do with them, but Jo had said that he was very mature, and we should give him a go, and the two horses she’d sent us prior were lovely to work with.

“I have my warmbloods to compete, but I’d been thinking that as we are rehoming these horses, we should be representing them. We decided to keep the next really nice thoroughbred that comes through, and as soon as he came off the truck, he was put together nicely and was the perfect size for me, I’m a really small person.

“In those first couple of rides, that confirmed that he was a cool horse, very smart and picked everything up really quickly. He was a super nice mover, really tidy and straight.”

Originally hailing from Canada, Melaich had experience in equestrian sports before moving half-way across the world with Sutherland, and the pair established a successful riding school, while also rehoming standardbreds and competing at shows.

“I’m Canadian and have been in New Zealand for almost five years, I’m a permanent resident now,” she said. “I had been riding in Canada for my whole life, showjumping, dressage, all sorts of things.

“I came over here with my partner, who is a Kiwi, and we started as a riding school, then we branched out to rehoming as she had been doing the standardbreds for a while already. We thought we’d better do the thoroughbreds too and now have a mix of both.

“They are very blank canvases, not quite as blank as standardbreds because they’re experienced in being ridden. It’s fun to get on, get to know them and see them progress, and because they are ridable, they do so very quickly.

“They (thoroughbreds and standardbreds) aren’t that different, but the market for them is very different. Especially down in Southland, there are a lot of people that just want to farm ride, which the standardbreds are more sought-after for. The thoroughbreds can be overlooked because people assume they won’t be as good for farm-riding, but we take them both out and no one is particularly better than another in their first few times on the farm.”

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Chuggatai has progressed rapidly under Melaich’s tuition, starring in the show ring with a number of wins and placings in thoroughbred-specific and open classes. In late-January, the pair attended Donna and Elise Edwards-Smith’s Know Your Thoroughbred Clinic in Southland, before taking on their first event.

“I particularly enjoy getting to take him out, they have a background in getting out and about at the races, so they seem to adapt quite quickly into being at a horse show,” Melaich said. “It’s very rewarding to see them start to figure out their job.

“He didn’t look like a three-year-old and didn’t act that way, he had his first couple of hacks with another horse then was happily going out on his own. In his first couple of shows, he was a little bit tense, but by number three he was really relaxed and happy.

“We spent pretty much all of last season showing, which was new for me as we don’t have those types of classes in Canada. At the end of the season, there was a little event on, so he went in the 65. He hadn’t jumped in probably six to eight months and he did it all no problem.

“We did the Donna clinic right before the event and it was really fun. He can be a bit of an overthinking horse and rush, and with the warmbloods, we would try halting after to slow them down. He found that a bit stressful, so Donna and Elise gave me some strategies that I hadn’t thought of before, and since then, it’s been like night and day for him, so much better.

“He did the 70 and 80 at the last Jumping Southland show and he was great for a horse that hasn’t ever jumped a course at that height off our property. I think he really likes it, so we’ll do a bit more of that next year.

“He’s very brave and has nice talent.”

Ardlussa continue to share images and updates of Chuggatai through their Facebook page, which has been followed with interest by Gordon.

“He’s turned into a star, which is very cool,” she said.

“I’m so happy that he’s found a life he wants to be in, in the stable he was a very nice horse, but he just didn’t want to be a racehorse. We knew he had ability, but he didn’t always show it, so we decided to retire him and give him the opportunity for a new life.

“He’s really thriving and obviously loves being a show horse, something that he’s very good at. It’s just awesome, it’s lovely to see him so happy and doing so well.

“We see plenty of him on Facebook through Ardlussa, I’ve rehomed quite a few horses with them and they’ve all seemed to end up in really nice homes where people are really happy with them. We had another wee fella called Bob Marley that keeps popping up, he was a gorgeous horse and he’s gone to a lady who loves him, he hasn’t been to a show but she’s bringing him up slowly and enjoying him.

“Some of them just end up living on farms and being hacks, and that is a beautiful life for a horse. As long as they’re well looked after and making people happy, that’s the main thing.”