The Harness Racing Victoria HERO Program is poised to diversify into an exciting new area.
Professional dressage rider, trainer and coach Jason Dins has reinforced his commitment to standardbred life after racing by joining the HERO Registered Retrainer ranks.
Centrally located at Kyneton, Jason is highly respected in his field, coaching state wide in addition to educating a broad cross section of horses, including those at the elite FEI level.
He has long advocated for standardbreds as riding horses and believes that with specialist training and exposure there is no reason why the breed cannot excel in a host of recreational and competition fields.
“I will be taking on one HERO horse at a time, transitioning them directly from harness racing to saddle with a focus on incorporating basic dressage into their schooling,” he explained.
“At the completion of their education, each horse will be offered for sale to the general public.
“I’m very confident that through this partnership we can open more doors for these beautiful race horses to move into Pony Club, HRCAV and even EA dressage homes.”
Jason Dins Dressage has more than 3000 Facebook followers and the ability to expose the HERO program and its graduate horses to a vast new audience, according to Manager Tanya McDermott.
“We’ve established an excellent foundation over the past three years, the challenge for HERO now is to explore avenues which enable the program to grow and expand,” she said.
“Our traditional market for off-the-track standardbreds has been trail and pleasure riding, and we’re keen to show that these horses are perfectly capable of turning their hand to any equestrian pursuit.
“Having someone with Jason’s profile and skillset on board is a major boost for HERO.
“I’m thrilled to welcome him into the retraining family and look forward to seeing where the partnership will lead.”
Jason has taken delivery of his first HERO project, a six-year-old pacing bred Sportswriter gelding named Sportstar.
The pretty bay enjoyed a modest racing career, notching just two minor placings and $1961 in stake earnings from 14 starts.
For further information, or to follow Sportstar’s retraining journey, visit www.jasondins.com.au or follow HRVHERO and Jason Dins Dressage on Facebook.
