Ken May's stallion, Axle, jags a first and second at Dalby Stockman's Challenge & Campdraft

Since the death of Mr May earlier this year, the stallion, Axle, aka Rosie's Lethal's Return, has continued to compete on the challenge and campdraft circuit with father and daughter duo, Allan and Kaycee Wallen.

Before the event, Kaycee said she had her fingers crossed the pair would do well with Axle in Dalby.

"Ken should be riding with me so that should be good," she said before competing.

The disability support worker and show horse rider from Mount Tarampa, near Gatton, said she was over the moon with the win as it was a tough competition.

"There was 199 in the Rookies and Axle was so consistent in every run he did whether it was with my Dad or myself. He got 23 cutouts all weekend - and 89 and 90s in the draft," she said.

In the Open division at Dalby, Mr Wallen and Axle just missed out on a win, coming in second.

Mr May was 69 when he died after a long period of ill health and after suffering a severe stroke in August, 2019.

Before his health deteriorated, Axle was trained and ridden in many challenges by Mr May and has continued to be loaned by Mr May's partner, Anita Martin, to the Wallens.

Kaycee said Axle was one very special horse.

She said she and her father met Ken May through competing at challenges many years ago.

"We all looked up to him. He was an incredible horseman, a legend as many would say. He helped and trained many people to ride," she said.

When Mr May got sick, Axle was loaned to another person for competition work and campaigning and then was sent for breeding for three years.

Kaycee said Ken rang them up when he got really sick and asked if we would take him and campaign him.

"It gave Ken something to look forward to and it made him happy that his pride and joy was out there doing something and doing it well," she said.

At 14.3 hands and 11 years old, Axle is, according to Kaycee, "a big bay fella" who is all muscle.

"He's a pretty special horse and he came from a pretty special man. Ken did an absolutely amazing job on him... we break in and train a lot of our own horses and we do a very good job, but this horse is hard to explain, " she said.

While Kaycee competes on Axle in the Rookie division of Challenges, her father rides him in the Opens. Kaycee also rides him in campdrafts in the Novice and Open divisions.

At the recent Cloncurry Stockman's Challenge and Campdraft, Axle and Mr Wallen scored a second in the Open Challenge while Kaycee and Axle just missed out in the Rookie finals.

Ken May was the last person to ride Axle at a Cloncurry Challenge before this year's event so as a tribute to Mr May, Mr Wallen tipped his hat while still in the ring after competing by way of a farewell to his old friend.

The 25-year-old said it was definitely a heartfelt moment at Cloncurry this year that was captured by photographer, Jo Thieme, who also knew Ken.

After his death in May, respected horseman Ian Francis said Mr May inspired and mentored many of Australia's top horse men and women.

"He is a lifelong horseman and one of the pioneers of the Australian Stockman's Challenge movement," he said.

Since 1972, Mr May was a professional horse instructor and was the inaugural senior horse instructor for 12 years at Longreach Pastoral College, where he was instrumental in putting together the equine curriculum.

After he left Longreach Pastoral College, Mr May and his partner, Anita Martin, ran horsemanship, cattle work, and colt starting clinics around Australia.