Some horses are carefully sought out, while others seem destined to find the people they belong with. For Bill and Gill Carey, RBH Fully Loaded was very much the latter.
Bred by Ros and Bill Heeney, RBH Fully Loaded combines some of the most respected bloodlines in the performance horse industry, being by the legendary Metallic Cat and out of Dennies First Spin, a mare carrying the highly regarded Docs Spinifex influence through her maternal line.
Loaded first came into Bill and Gill Carey's life when Ros approached Bill about preparing the colt for the Landmark Classic Performance Horse Sale. Ros believed he had all the qualities required to top the sale and wanted Bill to undertake his sale preparation.
Before the colt even arrived, Bill was captivated by his pedigree. Having always admired the Docs Spinifex line, he spent considerable time researching Loaded's dam and speaking with people who had known and competed Dennies First Spin during her performance career with Todd Graham. The more he learnt about the colt's genetics, the more excited he became, although he often jokes he was hoping the colt might arrive looking ordinary enough to remove any temptation to keep him.
Instead, the opposite happened.
As Loaded settled into the Carey program and Bill began breaking him in, it became clear he was dealing with a very special horse. His athleticism, attitude and trainability stood out from the beginning and before long Bill turned to Gill and said, "We can't let this horse leave the place, we need to own this horse."
Bill contacted Ros and asked whether she would consider selling him privately prior to the sale. To Bill and Gill's delight, she agreed, saying she loved the thought of Loaded remaining with the Carey family to be trained, campaigned and enjoyed for years to come. The deal was done before the colt ever entered the sale ring and the decision was made that he would never be offered for sale.
Bill broke Loaded in himself and he has remained in his program ever since.
Like all of Bill's horses, Loaded began with a cutting foundation, spending five months learning the fundamentals before the world came to a standstill during COVID. With competitions cancelled and uncertainty everywhere, Loaded was turned out for a twelve month spell.
While the interruption was disappointing and cost Loaded valuable time during what would have been his futurity year, Bill had already seen enough to know the young stallion possessed exceptional talent.
As Loaded returned to work and progressed through his campdraft education, Bill quickly discovered that while his breeding suggested he would excel in the cutting pen, his greatest strength may actually lie outside the yard.
"The first time I chased a cow on him I was blown away," Bill recalls.
Loaded possesses an incredible ability to read cattle, stay balanced and make the right decisions under pressure. He never wastes movement, rarely puts a foot out of place and has an instinctive understanding of a beast that cannot be taught.
Bill often says that from the breaker onwards he had never ridden a horse quite like him. As Loaded matured, it became less about training the horse and more about helping him become the best version of himself.
"Horses that are that natural make life unbelievably easy and enjoyable," Bill says.
Although interruptions to his career have limited the number of competitions he has attended, Loaded has consistently proven himself to be highly competitive, regularly making finals and placing whenever he draws the right opportunity.
Away from competition, his temperament has become one of his most admired traits. At campdrafts he is remarkably relaxed, often standing quietly at the camp to the point Bill jokes he sometimes wonders whether he is even awake. Yet the moment the gate opens and there is a job to do, Loaded switches on instantly and gives everything he has.
As a stallion, he is equally impressive. He thrives on human interaction, enjoys attention and affection and is perfectly content standing amongst mares, geldings and other competition horses. Bill firmly believes almost anyone could handle him thanks to his quiet and sensible nature.
Standing just under 15.1 hands, Loaded combines strength, athleticism and exceptional balance with plenty of bone and good feet. Bill believes his natural athletic ability and intelligence are major reasons why he remains so relaxed in competition, every part of the job simply comes easy to him.
As a young sire, Loaded was strongly supported by mare owners across the performance horse industry and that confidence is already being rewarded.
One of the biggest highlights to date came in 2026 when a daughter of Fully Loaded topped the Toowoomba Nutrien Supreme Sale at $100,000, creating enormous excitement around the future of his progeny and their place within the Australian performance horse industry.
Today, Bill and Gill are riding and developing a number of homebred Loaded progeny and are delighted with what they are seeing. Whether crossed with Quarter Horse or Stock Horse mares, the foals are proving to be athletic, trainable and exceptionally good minded.
With multiple young horses coming through every age group, the Carey family is looking forward to showcasing their homebred progeny in competition and continuing to demonstrate the versatility and ability Loaded is passing on to the next generation.
Bill believes trainability is one of the stallion's greatest strengths and that the combination of Metallic Cat over one of Australia's most respected maternal lines gives Loaded an exceptional amount to offer Australian breeders.
With his own competition career still developing and his first progeny beginning to emerge, Bill and Gill genuinely believe the best chapters of Loaded's story are still ahead.
Above all else, they simply feel grateful for the opportunity to own such a special horse and remain determined to enjoy every moment of the journey. They do not know if they will ever own another horse quite like Loaded and count their blessings for the journey he has already given them and the exciting years still to come.
