Vendeval

VENDEVAL (AUS), foaled in 2016 by ELUSIVE QUALITY (USA) from ALIZES (NZ) commenced only a short racing career with Godolphin before retiring. Despite his pedigree, racing just wasn’t for VENDEVAL having been unplaced in 4 starts winning a total of $6,880.

After retiring from Godolphin’s racing program in September of 2019, Vendeval enjoyed a lengthy spell prior to being gifted to Scott Brodie to take part in a Thoroughbred & Veterans Welfare Alliance program where he was retrained by Scott Brodie and ex-service men and women. The programs mission is to help retired racehorses settle into a new life after racing, with the help of defence force personnel who have suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) while serving Australia.

Scott Brodie’s program helps both horses and humans by providing them with the opportunity to form a special bond. The kind of connection horses only allow to happen once an honest relationship is established.  The program is about learning to communicate with horses and learning to control your body language and energy levels.

Vendeval has now found his forever home with Isaac Adams who completed the Thoroughbred & Veterans Welfare Alliance program in 2017. Isaac served in Afghanistan in 2011 and was looking at different therapy options for himself. This program was life changing for Isaac which led him to moving to Queensland and starting a similar program called Healing with Horsemanship. Isaac works with kids from defence families and veterans staring Vendeval as one of his main horses for the program. Now known as Vinny, his main role in Isaac’s program is to teach the NDIS clients, veterans and veteran family members horsemanship skills.

“Vinny is very expressive in his body language which really helps our members identify how he is feeling and how they can better communicate with him.” said Isaac.

“Vinny isn’t afraid of anything, he is honestly bomb proof, which obviously makes him very safe for our members to be around him. When people start working with him, he is very affectionate and tends to fall asleep on the job!”

“Vinny has a favourite client, Mikaela, who he just completely changes for. Mikaela’s favourite thing about Vinny is how he has taken to her as his favourite person. Vinny will happily leave all the other horses to follow Mikaela and will also try to follow her after she hands the lead rope to someone else! Their bond has really helped Mikaela’s confidence.”

Godolphin is proud to see Vendeval contributing so positively to Isaac’s program, and we look forward to continuing to follow the difference he makes with his Healing with Horsemanship clients.