At 15 years old, off-the-track Thoroughbred Reduction has been at FEI level for over eight years with multiple riders. Despite a few setbacks along the way, he’s still going strong – and for current owner and rider Sophie Warren, he’s a horse that’s “just got a bit of grit.”
Lakes & Craters International Horse Trials, the last international event for 2023, was held in Camperdown, Victoria, in December. Featuring a course renowned for its hilly terrain, it’s an event that has historically played into the hooves of the endurance-blessed Thoroughbred.
The 2023 edition of the event was no exception, with Thoroughbreds winning all four international level classes plus the national-level one-star.
Winning the top class, the CCI3*L, Reduction made the long trip across the Nullarbor all worth it for West Australian rider Sophie Warren. At 15 years of age, the bay gelding has been at FEI level since 2015 and actually began his eventing career on Victorian soil.
EARLY RETIREMENT
By Redoute’s Choice out of a Zabeel mare, there were no doubt some high hopes for Reduction on the track. Unfortunately, he never made it past an unofficial trial as a two-year-old in 2010. He turned out to be a roarer (laryngeal hemiparalysis) and required tie-back surgery, but unfortunately had complications and then had a second operation – which led to further complications. Not surprisingly, his racing career was abandoned.
Equine veterinarian Emma Nicol purchased Reduction as a two-year-old and continued his treatment to recover from those surgery complications, before commencing retraining with him as a four-year-old in 2012. All was going well until Emma had to undergo a knee reconstruction two years later, and so Reduction went to Simon Tainsh for a few months to stay in work.
During that time, Reduction progressed from Introductory level to EvA95 – and Emma decided that was getting a little too serious for her. “He was suddenly going too well for me to get him back,” she laughs, explaining that the horse stayed on to train with Simon.
At the beginning of 2015, Simon unfortunately broke his leg and was going to be out of action for some time. With Reduction at a crucial point in his eventing career and Melbourne International Three-Day Event potentially on the cards that year, Emma handed the reins over to Yona and Nina Lloyd to continue the horse’s education and campaign him for Victoria’s premier winter event.
Once again, Reduction made great progress in a short space of time. “He went from an EvA95 horse to completing the CCI1* (now CCI2*L) at Melbourne in about four months,” recalls Nina. “It was a pretty phenomenal effort!”
Nina remembers the horse as one who was super easy to deal with. “He was a really friendly, pleasant horse. He was a good jumper; he had a good set of springs in him. He wasn’t very big, but he was a little gun!”
MORE FEATHERS IN THE CAP
Following Reduction’s Melbourne International 3DE campaign, the Lloyds’ competition team and schedule was oversubscribed and so Reduction was placed with Andrew Cooper, who was still based in Victoria at the time. The pair went on to compete at FEI level for nearly five years together, with a highlight being a win in the CIC3* (current CCI4*S) at Wandin International Horse Trials in 2017.
However, Reduction’s journey did take a small detour from the eventing circuit not long after that first FEI win. Suffering an unfortunate tendon injury later that year, he was spelled for 12 months. Emma, being a vet, rehabbed him during that time and he returned to work sound following the break. Prior to recommencing event training with Andrew, Emma competed him at the 2018 Barastoc HOTY show – winning the Led Thoroughbred class and finishing in the top 10 of the Ridden Thoroughbred class. Not a bad effort for a 10-year-old eventer!
“A lot of the Redoute’s Choice horses, they just have a super temperament and are super athletic,” says Emma, who’s owned many Thoroughbreds over the years. “He’s the shining light for the Redoute’s Choice horses after racing, and just a great example of those bloodlines. They’re just wonderful performance horses, and he’s got all of those attributes that we look for. He’s done a lot, and he’s still so consistent, which is wonderful to see. He’s a pretty special horse.”
Following Reduction’s fleeting success in the show ring, it was back to the eventing world with Andrew. Having completed the CCI2* (now CCI3*L) at Adelaide in 2016, the goal was to return and contest the CCI5*L – and in 2019, he did just that.
“He is the ultimate trier,” says Andrew Cooper. “He has a never-give-up attitude and always gave me his all. What he accomplished with me far exceeded all expectations and it was truly a testament to his good will that he became a five-star horse.”
Reduction’s five-star completion at Adelaide was certainly a highlight for Emma: “There are a lot of feathers in his cap! He would have gone back to Adelaide again after that, except the pandemic put a stop to it.”
ACROSS THE NULLARBOR
With a five-star horse but no five-star competitions, Emma made the tough decision to sell Reduction in 2021. He went to Michael Dagostino in Western Australia, where he won the Brigadoon CCI3*L in 2022 and placed in a number of other FEI-level events. Despite some good results, Michael decided that the horse would perhaps gel better with another rider, and so he was sold to Sophie Warren in late 2022.
“I actually was laid up with a back injury and could hardly walk,” explains Sophie of when she found out Reduction was for sale. “I went and had a little ride… I could barely fold into a jumping position to actually try him over a fence, but I just loved him, and loved how he felt and who he seemed to be.”
Sophie decided to have him vetted – during the same week, she was also having an MRI on her back. She let a call regarding her MRI results go through to the keeper in favour of learning the vet check results, her logic being that she didn’t want concerns about her own fitness to ride influencing her impending equine purchase!
“I rang the vet and the vetting had gone well, and I said, ‘Right, I’ll take him’. I then rang the MRI people back and they were like, ‘Yeah, you’re in a really bad way.’ And I was like, ‘Well, I did know that, but I didn’t want to know,’” she laughs.
It all worked out for the best in the end. Like many riders, Sophie largely ignored medical advice suggesting she take a break from the saddle, and she is now loving the ride on her new eventing partner – even if at times her back disagrees!
A REAL TRIER
“He’s been a pretty fabulous horse. I’ve only had him just over 12 months, but he’s been absolutely brilliant for me so far. It’s been really exciting to be able to have him land in my stables and enjoy him,” she enthuses.
“He really suits me. He’s a bit of a worrywart on the flat, but he’s just the bravest cross country horse… he’ll just launch at any question you put in front of him and I’m finding that really awesome. At the same time, he makes me ride and he makes me work for it.”
Sophie says that Reduction’s experience has taught her a lot already. Although she’s been at FEI level since 2007, she believes you improve and learn with every horse you sit on. “It’s nice to have a high-level horse such as Reduction that keeps teaching you, because you never stop learning.”
Sophie believes that one of the horse’s greatest attributes is the fact he tries so hard. “He’s such a trier. The flatwork is not his strongest phase, and he struggles a bit to put himself in the right shape, but you work with him, and he just tries and tries and tries. His attitude is just such an important part of it, and I think that’s probably why he has not only been able to reach the levels he has in the sport, but also being able to do it with multiple riders and maintain that longevity. He’s just got a bit of grit.”
Sophie’s main successes in the sport have been on Thoroughbreds. “I enjoy that you sometimes need to be little bit more intellectual to get them to the top end in the dressage and the show jumping. You do have to think a little bit and adjust your ways of training depending on their shape and their size. I just really enjoy them as a ride.”
Sophie was certainly enjoying being on a Thoroughbred at Lakes & Craters, where the hills test out a horse’s endurance and a little rain on cross country day this year made for a true, older style cross country test where Reduction’s grit no doubt came to the fore.
“It’s nice to have a high-level
horse such as Reduction
that keeps teaching you.”
Reduction’s CCI3*L victory was his third FEI win with as many riders, and Sophie feels the horse’s longevity in the sport is partly due to his ability to maintain galloping fitness without excessive work. Over their 12 months together, they had six FEI starts prior to Lakes & Craters and those events counted for much of the horse’s fitness work with only light preparations along the way. “He holds his fitness… so hopefully that will help us keep him galloping along until he’s a little bit older.”
Over the summer months, Reduction will now have time off, with his baseline fitness maintained by a hilly paddock and bush riding. “Our season kicks off again at the end of February, so we’ll crack on for that. I’d love to get back him back to Adelaide!” EQ
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