Endless Days thriving Off-The-Track

By Jordan Gerrans

Retired race horse Endless Days has quickly found a new best friend in keen rider Tahliya Brodie.

Bred by Lilivale Stud, Endless Days had an admirable racing career for the Peter & Will Hulbert stable at Eagle Farm – winning six of his 53 starts for just over $300,000 in prize money.

But, in the middle of 2020, the son of Dane Shadow showed his owners and trainers that he had enough of being a race horse and was ready for his next adventure.

The now seven-year-old gelding eventually landed with the family, David and Penne-Jean and their daughter Tahliya, and provides a form of therapy for young Tahliya, who has suffered from bullying earlier in her life.

Endless Days, who now goes by the name of Max, is the second Off-The-Track horse that they have owned, with Bred In The Red, who went by the name Toby, previously being a friend to Tahliya.

“My daughter has been through some tragic events in her life anyway and that is how Toby came into her life, being Off-The-Track, so we had experience there and she really wanted another Off-The-Track to help heal and create another bond,” Penne-Jean recalled.

“To see them both together and to see the way Max follows her around the paddock, he is such a loving, gentle and kind soul.

“It is a therapy for Tahliya and it is also her new best friend because Toby was her only friend for a while because she had been through so much.

“I am so grateful that we have Max in our life today.”

Stewart Barr, the Managing Partner of Lilivale Stud, was in the connections of Endless Days during his racing career and helped get the gelding to the Tahliya for his retirement.

“They all fell in love with Max and I think Max fell in love with them,” Barr said.

“They have taken ownership of him, taking him into their family and he is now living at a property. It appears to be a match made in heaven.”

Tahliya is hopeful of eventually moving into eventing and showjumping with Max in the near future.

“He is a bit of a character, he is certainly different and has his little traits,” Tahliya said.

“He always puts a smile on your face, really.

“He will lay down with you in the stables and always check both your pockets to make sure you have food or not.”

Elite show jumper Hayden James worked with Max around his retraining soon after he finished up at the Hulbert stable before moving on to being friends with Tahliya.

“He is certainly soft in the mouth and responsive to legs more than your hands, he is pretty easy going,” Tahliya said.

“He does not want to go fast; he will take it slow for you and will not push for more reins.”

Penne-Jean thinks Max is the perfect Off-The-Track horse for her daughter – having a calm and beautiful nature, she says.

“They are trying to create their bond on the ground but he follows Tahliya everywhere,” Penne-Jean, who grew up around horses, said.

Endless Days is out of Barr’s foundation mare Endless Maize.

Barr, who has nine boxes at Caloundra and trains in his own right these days, is glad to see a galloper who he has been around since his earliest days thriving in retirement as part of the Off-The-Track program.

“At the start of last year he just decided he had enough of racing so we retired him,” Barr said.

“If I breed them, I make sure that they are properly retrained and rehomed.

“It is a really good outcome for an Off-The-Track horse who had given a fair bit to the industry and had enough of racing."