Off The Track: Ganzfeld

This article is from the February 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

The Darley bred, Godolphin owned, Ganzfeld was highly rated as a potential racehorse, and at one time considered a stallion prospect. Born in 2014, Ganzfeld, by Lonhro out of a Redoute’s Choice mare, had everything going for him; breeding and owners with deep pockets and doubtless no expense was spared during his privileged upbringing. He ran in a trial at Warwick Farm in NSW in January 2017 and then raced in the Blue Diamond Preview for Colts at Caulfield at the end of the month where he placed seventh out of ten. His official statistics reveal that he had one race start for $3,000 in prizemoney. “They could not get his breathing right,” explains Emmi Hoefchen, who runs the Equine Studies and VCAL programs at Seymour College. “They gave him time off and invested considerable resources into getting his breathing sorted. But he was a roarer and they just could not get him right and so thought they should find him something else to do.”

Ganzfeld was spelling at the Godolphin Northwood property at Seymour where he was said to be “a really nice horse with a lovely temperament.” At that time in 2018, Seymour College was actually devising a program where they could obtain a horse off the track and follow its progress through to a performance horse for the Equine Studies course. “With the students at the centre at all times, not only would this opportunity assist them with meeting their practical assessments, but provide them with so many meaningful learning opportunities,” said Emmi, “we just had to find the right horse.

“It so happened that at that time Godolphin were looking to create a community partnership, increasing their involvement within the small rural community. I thought that we could incorporate an off the track horse into our Equine Studies program, creating something that was both good for us, the horse, and of course the students. Godolphin agreed to give us Ganzfeld. It was good for the school to have a link with world-renowned leaders in racing, however all the opportunities to come just blew us away. In the Certificate II Equine Studies, there are a number of units the students have to complete and a lot of them the students could do alongside Godolphin.

“He was four years old when we got him and the staff at Godolphin were right about his temperament, which for us was the most important thing, because we wanted him as a teacher and not necessarily a top performance horse. We wanted something the students could handle on the ground and eventually ride. We officially presented him to the College, and despite being green and just really off the track, he was quiet; the perfect new student/teacher.”

Initially Emmi, who has competed for Australia on several occasions in Western Pleasure, was going to do most of the riding. After her first ride, she commended the Godolphin team, “I found that he was a lot more educated to the aids than I had expected, they’ve given him a good foundation in the breaking in process, and someone has taken their time with him.” The school has officially owned Ganzfeld for two years now and remark that he is quiet, easy and safe to ride. Some of the more experienced students have ridden him during the practical days at Breakoday Quarter Horses.

“I personally really enjoy riding him,” continues Emmi “and when I suggested to the principal that I take him out and compete him, she thought the experience would be good for him. He is really quiet and slow-legged, which is what we look for in a Western Hunter Horse. He shows good expression and handles the atmosphere with ease. I took him out and competed in a Hunter Under Saddle class at the Big Valley Quarter Horse Association. The club was very welcoming and encouraged us to enter. Interestingly at most AQHA shows except the State and National Shows, you can ride a Thoroughbred, it does not have to be a Quarter Horse. Ganzfeld has just done one show so far, coming home with a first and second. I was really pleased with how far he has come, and more importantly how far he can go. He is so athletic and has a lot more to give.

“The plan is to continue on with what we are doing. I only have the students for two years, so the current group get to see the early stages of his progress and we will just continue on the journey we started and it is to be hoped he will progress in his job as student/teacher.

“It is good to be able to show students that you can do anything really with an off the track horse. The whole program supports our school's moral purpose that ‘every student can learn, given the right opportunities,’ in so many ways. We will carry on with competitions with him, however for me and for the students, with Ganzfeld, the journey is more important than the destination, and he has won the heart of many here at Seymour College.”

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