Horses Bring Memories and Hope

“THERE are not many Clydesdales around now, but before the second world war and before tractors, we had four on our place to plough,” recalled Jack Flaherty a resident at Strathearn.

Jack Flaherty saying g’day to Jimbo a 27 year old Clydesdale.

“When you got a new one, you put it in the middle of the older ones and they soon teach it how to plough,” Mr Flaherty said.

“They start not knowing their name, but they soon learn, they work out who is who,” he said.

Many of the residents remembered stories about Clydesdales in their younger years and on the farm, when St Hellier’s correctional centre brought two of their horses to visit today.

See VIDEO and photos below.

Bill Fittler, Govenor of St Hellier’s Correctional Centre said it was heart lifting to see the residents around the horses.

“There are so many people from off the land here who remember working these horses and Simone the activities coordinator from here thought it would be a good idea and we thought it was a brilliant idea,” said Mr Fittler.

Claude Prosser a former horse trainer and jockey meeting Jimbo the Clydesdale at Strathearn.

“It is also great for our in mates who care for these horses seven days a week, to be able to share their love of these horses with the residents and to feel part of the community,” he said.

“We have minimum security inmates, so they are getting ready for release and days like today help them reconnect with the community and bridge that divide for them to feel a sense of value to settle back into the community with skills,” he said.

“We have eight Clydesdales which are part of the working history of the property and on top of that we have a working horse program in partnership with Racing New South Wales where we retrain ex-racehorses and we have 90 ex-racehorses we are retraining at the moment, they get further advanced training and then they get re-homed,” Bill Fittler said.

WATCH THE VIDEO of Jimbo the Clydesdale visiting retired jockey and horse trainer Claude Prosser at Strathearn: