Thursday, February 3, 2011

Queenslander's horse-sense makes splash in US

Queenslander's horse-sense makes splash in US

Queenslander's horse-sense makes splash in US

Posted: 03 Feb 2011 10:18 AM PST

THE name Brandenburg has echoed around North Queensland for years and at times the world in relation to rodeo, horse racing and horse sports in general. Many northerners have heard about the great bull-riding career of Hughenden's Darren Brandenburg, but not a lot know the exploits in the United States of his brother, Troy.

Today, Troy Brandenburg is one of the most sought-after equine therapists in the US. Born in Brisbane, Troy's early childhood was spent travelling from place to place as the family followed his father's quest for work.

He was educated from sixth grade at Hughenden where his grandparents lived and while his father was managing Gunnerside Station.

His dad had a keen interest in race-horses which he both trained and rode, and it was a natural progression that Troy and Darren would eventually become involved.

"When I was 14 years old, dad came to me one day and said 'You're going to be riding this weekend'," Troy said.

That was riding as a jockey at the local race meeting. The fact he rode a winner on a horse called Blue Duck, which had never been through the starting gates before, and another the next weekend determined that his foreseeable future was as a jockey.

"I had no previous ambitions to be a jockey, but decided that if I were, I would be the best I could - and anyway I was under orders from dad."

His continued success on the track opened up an opportunity to go to Sydney and be apprenticed to the legendary Theo Green.

"He was a magnificent trainer, a great bloke and was always there for the jockeys, but I was homesick for the bush and came back north to ride bush meetings," he said.

Troy finished his apprenticeship in three years and held a senior licence by the time he was 19. He rode winners in Sydney, won the jockey premiership and made the top-five country jockeys in NSW. The highlight of his racing career was riding 21 winners on the horse Jacka, which his Dad trained, but weight problems plagued him and, at Tamworth in 2000 at 36, he decided to quit. He then went into rodeo and success followed hin once more when he won the NQ Rodeo Team Roping title with Clayton Lane.

During his time on the rodeo circuit, Troy met a bloke doing massage on horses and decided to get into it to earn a few extra dollars while on the circuit.

"I asked him if he would teach me and ended up working for him for a while."

The treatment they practised was similar to the popular Bowen treatment used on humans. Troy then studied the treatment of performance horses with muscular/pain problems and worked on some Hunter horses - a breed of performance horse popular in show jumping, dressage and other ring events.

One of the horses was bought by a couple from Las Vegas, US, who later emailed him saying there appeared to be a problem and would he fly over and treat the horse.

He did, and treated the horse successfully, leading to a three-month stint travelling to shows, treating performance horses on the circuit.

After a short period back in Australia, he decided his future was in the US and returned to the show circuit there. His work was gained simply by word of mouth, and stories such as the barrel-racing horse he treated which went on to win $360,000 that year spread through the performance horse community like wildfire.

His work snowballed to a point where he is being paid to travel to all big rodeos and horse events. Organisers at the Performance Horse World Championship had him on speed-dial. He has been featured in magazines and interviewed on television talk shows.

"My work takes me to two or three states each week and sometimes I'm lucky to be home three nights a month," Troy said.

In 2006 he was flown in to St Louis to treat a barrel-racing horse belonging to a young lady named Tiffany - a champion barrel racer who has since won the 2009 Illinois State Championship.

They met again in 2008 after Tiffany's horse fell and suffered an avulsions fracture, caused when the tendon is torn from the bone and pulls a sliver of the bone with it.

Using various treatments including magnetic pulsating equipment and acupressure, Troy had the horse up and going in six weeks.

A relationship with Tiffany was also up and going, and in December 2009 they were married in Las Vegas.

Life for both of them will be running at a fast pace for the foreseeable future.

Troy has a seminar in China to address and five seminars in Brazil. On top of this he is working with the US Olympic equestrian team, as well as running clinics throughout the US.

"I think I'll have to bring the pace back a bit," Troy told the North Queensland Register while in Australia for a break over Christmas.

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