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“Rocky” and Deb & John Fransway
By Deb Fransway

Rockhim, called “Rocky,” was born in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, in April 1992. It was 5 a.m. and Vanae, his dam, was not about to wait for the vet, so he was born with Vanae’s natural instincts and great coaching from trainer, breeder and owner John Fransway. Vanae, by Nero, was bred in New York to Markim’s Pride. John drove her to the Empire State for breeding in order to have a horse eligible for the New York Sire Stakes.

Rocky was broke as a yearling in Hopkinton, and then brought to Mac’s Happy Acres in Plainfield, New Hampshire, for training with Tom McNamara. John had big hopes for this large bay colt.

Rocky headed to Saratoga Raceway as a promising 2-year-old and qualified in 2:06.2. He raced briefly at Saratoga but developed a tendon problem and was turned out in New Hampshire for rest and rehabilitation. As a 3-year-old, he returned to Saratoga and qualified in 2:06.2. The tendon problem returned, so John decided it was time to retire Rocky from racing, with $603 and six pari-mutuel starts.

John’s interest in Standardbreds began in 1976, when he bred and raised a trotter named Dutch Chocolate (5,2:06.0f, $57,980) by The Dutchman. John continued racing Standardbreds for nearly 20 years. Some of his other successes were trotter Lauxmont Windsong (3,2:02.4f, $26,162), and pacers Shiloh C (p,6,2:05.2h, $24,306), The Nobleman (p,4,Q2:04.4f, $2,302; 7,2:02.1f, $78,261), Lift Ticket (p,6,1:58.1h, $67,706), and Senor Cedarn (p,7,1:55.4f, $46,567), just to name a few.

Deb Fransway has been a horse owner for over 20 years, enjoying riding and competing in hunter jumper shows.

“My daughter Alana was practically raised on a horse,” Deb said. Deb and Alana competed in horse shows throughout New Hampshire and Maine. Deb’s interest in Standardbreds began when she met John.

“I knew nothing about Standardbreds (before I met John),” Deb explained. “Driving? It never entered my mind. John taught me how to drive, but I noticed a distinct difference in our definition of ‘on the bit,'” she joked.

John and Deb are retraining Rocky for pleasure driving. Deb explained that Rocky occasionally grabs the bit for balance still. “He is a powerful horse with a spirited extended trot, but he will take hold of the bit and jolt you into ‘turbo-trot’ if he thinks he is being passed,” Deb said. He will correctly accept the bit only when he is relaxed and balanced.

“We do a lot of ground training, with walk to halt transitions with Rocky,” Deb added, including teaching him to halt and stand while ground driving is a must if one is planning to drive on the roads.

“I am starting to understand the racing side of the Standardbred,” Deb said. “At times Rocky will give me the ‘could you run that by me again?’ look. I try to think like a Standardbred but will often ask John for advice should a problem arise. He will give me a logical answer from the Standardbred’s point of view, and that usually solves the problem.”

Rocky stands at 16:3 hands and is large boned, but he is a ‘teddy bear,’ Deb said. He will gently tap his stall door with his hoof if you are not looking in his direction. He also loves apple juice and must have a cup after every workout.

In place of a sulky, Rocky now uses a heavier pleasure cart. “John still has the racing blood in him,” says Deb. “It was much easier to transition Rocky to the new pleasure cart than John,” Deb added. “At first John was not happy with the reins, he thought they were too skinny,” but Deb said John accepted the cart and the new reins after the first drive. On his first drive with the new pleasure cart, Rocky did not complain about a thing. “We did not attempt a road trip until we were sure both parties were content with their new gear,” she added. “Safety first.”

Deb and John still use a jog cart on the farm track, but the pleasure cart is preferred for travel on the dirt roads that surround the farm.

Rocky has grown accustomed to the vehicles that pass on the dirt roads, but you never know what is lurking around the next turn. While driving Rocky down a very narrow road, John came face to face with a fire engine.

“One of us was going in the ditch, and it wasn’t Rocky!” said John.

The truck pulled off the road and Rocky trotted past the flashing vehicle without hesitation. The truck was able to quickly get back on course, and sped up the road without losing too much time.

“We are still working with mailboxes and cats, they seem to attract his attention,” says John.

John has been a USTA member for 28 years as a trainer, breeder and owner. His interest has always been focused around racing. Deb has been a member of the USTA’s Standardbred Equine Program for four years, with an interest in riding and pleasure driving.

In January 2002, Deb Fransway organized a chapter of the Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization in her state. SPHO-NH’s mission is to encourage retraining, placement and promotion of the Standardbred horse for pleasure purposes before, during and after harness racing careers. SPHO-NH is now an independent club and wants to reach out to all Standardbred owners in New Hampshire and surrounding areas. For more information about SPHO-NH, please visit the website at http://www.spho-nh.net.

John and Deb make a good team transitioning their Standardbreds into their new life of pleasure driving. They have brought the worlds of racing and English pleasure together to create a safe and productive way that helps prepare their Standardbreds for their next adventure in life.

They have combined their knowledge of the racing and pleasure horse worlds to create a safe and effective method of preparing Standardbreds for their next adventures after racing.