Simon and Debbie Dodwell went to the 2018 Landmark Classic Sale planning to bid on a young colt that looked like a great prospect. However, that particular horse turned out not to be what they were looking for. Another colt did catch their eye, and while they would not come home with him that year, fate would lead him back to them in short course.
For Simon and Debbie, the young colt called Travers Confidence stood out among the other horses his age in that 2018 sale. “We both liked how he travelled, he looked really soft and carried himself well”. Both Simon and Debbie noticed Confidence on their own terms, and when they discussed what other horses they liked prior to the start of the sale, they discovered that Travers Confidence was the only one either of them liked – and they both liked him a lot.
Mark West had broken in and trained Confidence and put him through the sale. His high regard for the colt was evident, and he was the highest bidder when the hammer fell. Circumstances following the sale meant that Mark was unable to compete with him at the level to which he had intended.
In 2021, Mark and Simon both played a role in competing on Confidence at the newly named Nutrien event, Mark in the Challenge and Simon in the Campdraft. Mark made the Challenge final, with the 4th highest aggregate.
Simon describes Confidence at the time as being very calm, soft and relaxed. He had been doing Stock Horse shows and although he was a little green on a cow still at that stage, it was evident that he had the temperament, type and athletic ability to be the kind of horse the couple were looking for. By this time, he was a 6-year-old. Following the Nutrien event, Simon and Debbie were finally able to buy him.
They are not in a rush to speed him along, and the plan has always been to let him mature and improve with experience. Simon explains that he has personally learned the key to having a horse reach its potential and stay competitive for a long time is to build and maintain its confidence.
It turns out that Travers Confidence has a very appropriate name, and while he is an unflappable character, it is still important to Simon that they look after him mentally and physically. They think a lot of this young horse and are quietly confident about his future potential as both a competitor and sire.
“We work him on the buffalo at home but I am happy to give him room and time. He was already very well broke, and has a lot of natural cow sense. He learned a lot quickly. But I am not prepared to put too much pressure on him, or any other horse”.
In his 3rd Campdraft at Urana, Confidence won the Novice after a runoff. He has been lightly drafted as of the end of 2021, and the plan is to continue to build him along towards a bigger season for 2022/23.
Simon describes Confidence as having an outstanding nature and a lot of natural ability. “His temperament is unbelievable – he is good to do anything with”. One of those tricky situations came up for Simon when he got hung up on Confidence, which is always a heart-in-throat moment. In this vulnerable moment Simon knew he was at the mercy of the horse. “He just let it happen, stood there and watched me until I got unhooked. I’ve loved the horse ever since”.
As for his athletic ability, Confidence has an eye-catching way of moving. He carries his head low and has a beautiful smooth gait. He rolls back over his hocks nicely, can bend and move in any way with ease. He naturally covers a cow then can drop back when he needs to. Another advantage is his size, at 15.1hh.
The quality of his pedigree is as good as it gets for a campdraft sire. His sire Hazelwood Conman needs no explanation. His grand-dam and great grand-dam were both highly competitive open campdraft mares.
There aren’t any holes when it comes to Travers Confidence; he has the magic combination of looks, temperament, type, pedigree and athletic ability. There could hardly be a more appropriate name for a stallion – it may sound trite but breeders can have confidence in this young sire.
