On 03 November 1993, a small, chestnut colt took his first
wobbly steps into the world of horse-racing. Born with an exceptional bloodline
(Dam: Saarostasia, Sire: Tristaplane NZ)he was selected by the legendary Bart
Cummings and trained for the track. That wobbly stance soon gave way to a lightning gait and the
young colt earned the name ‘Rapid Action’ Over a period of eleven years, Rapid Action won eleven
races and a total (in winnings) of $99
625. He retired at age eleven and was ‘put out to pasture’ at his
owner’s home in the YarraValley. Dubbed ‘Ernie’, the retired racer lived a relatively
peaceful life for a number of years. One clear September day, a young girl ‘free leased’ the
chestnut, as the owner believed that it would be beneficial for Ernie to be
regularly worked and handled again. Sadly, this was not the case. Some time later, a friend of the owner’s happened to drive
past Ernie’s paddock (unbeknownst to him) and saw a ragged, lean, bony beast
standing in mud with a rug wrapped around his neck - almost strangling him. Due
to the position of the rug, a white ‘apple’ birthmark was revealed on the
horse’s rump, identifying him as Ernie. On hearing of Ernie’s demise, the owner immediately stepped
in and reclaimed his horse. Due to the fact that the rug had never been removed, the buckle had
embedded itself into Ernie’s chest and his skin had grown over it, causing
intense pain. The rug had to be ‘surgically’ removed and Ernie bears the scars
on his chest to this day. Shortly after his return to his owner’s paddocks, a firestorm
(Black Saturday, Feb 2009) swept through the region and destroyed many
properties. Ernie survived (albeit with burnt feet)and was relocated into
a small yard. Tragically, the stress of the fires proved too much for
Ernie’s owner and he died shortly afterwards, of a brain aneurysm. We were called upon to rescue as many of the horses as
possible, as they were to be euthanized due to their injuries and trauma. We successfully re-homed two horses, but sadly the others
were beyond our medical capabilities and time frame. We were given two days to
act. Ernie arrived at our “bush fire sanctuary” (where he resides
now) bedraggled and with dread-locked mane. His legs were swollen, his hooves
seeping with fluid and a frightened manner prevented us from getting too close
to him (originally). Ernie had multiple abscesses on his hooves – one on the back
and two in the front. He had to endure injections of antibiotics, wear special
boots and have his feet bandaged and cleaned twice a day for a considerable
amount of time. It has taken years of care to restore
his hooves to a healthy state. However, the horse with the heart the size of Uluru still
welcomes you onto his back and is clearly very, very grateful to his human
carers. Ernie is an extremely loyal, affectionate, loving, noble and
generous soul. There is nothing that he would not do for us, and nothing that
we would not do for him. He has become family – and I personally don’t care if
I ride him or not. I feel privileged to merely love him and be in his presence. He is a symbol of triumph over hardship. He has experienced great victory and fame, as well as
crushing defeat, cruelty and neglect. He has walked on coals and laid his heart bare. And last, but not least, he has finally come home.