The days of rising at dawn and heading to Jenners Lodge in fog and frost as thick as rhinoceros hide to work his equines for the races that lay ahead, are less common than when he started training in 1982.

He's not completely walking away from the industry, but Terry Roles has scaled his stable down by more than half to tackle a new passion - nursing.

The 52-year-old husband to Rosanne and father of Sophie and Erin has endured hardships, a broken hip, nose, neck, leg, shoulder and ribs in between perfecting his greatest gallopers and hurdlers.

Forever a Deloraine local, Roles was a proficient showjumper before he entered the racing industry, learning from the late Allan Stubbs and Mal Gerrard.

``Racing has changed a lot over the years,'' Roles said.

``I don't think the atmosphere is there now that was around years ago because the crowds aren't at the races and that is probably what I miss most of all.

``It is just like everything, it has changed with the times and unfortunately with technology it's so much easier for people to sit home now,'' he said.

In three decades Roles has won a race on every metropolitan track in Melbourne, numerous regional cups and five grand national steeples, but his two biggest wins came at Warrnambool and on Melbourne Cup day in 1995.

``I won the first ever Galleywood Hurdle, the main hurdle over the Warrnambool carnival and I went there with a horse called Inchgower, who was probably one of the best horses I ever had,'' he said.

``I won 19 races with Inchgower, who was one of the state's top gallopers and turned to hurdling later in his career and then went on to be a successful showjumper, so he is very special to us.''

His prize gelding was not only a grand track performer, but was the first horse his daughter Erin rode after her life-threatening fall in 2006, which also sparked a career change for Roles.

For the past nine months, the humble trainer has worked as a carer at Deloraine's Grenoch Home Aged Care facility and is due to finish an enrolled nursing diploma in November next year.

``She (Erin) was on life support for seven weeks and that is when my wife and I spent virtually 24/7 bedside with her and that's when I sort of got to sit back and actually watch nurses operate and just realise what dedicated professionals they were,'' Roles said.

``The caring and holistic approach they have to their job . . . I was just inspired and in awe of them and after working with a lot of the elderly and sort of seeing what actually goes on behind the scenes in an aged care facility, I felt I had more to offer.''

Roles said his part-time career change has rejuvenated his passion for racing as the trade is no longer a full-time exercise.

``I always say, you're only king for a day in racing and you make the most of it when you're on top,'' he said.

``My life has sort of changed paths and directions a little bit . . . I don't think the future looks as rosy now in racing as probably what it did four or five years ago and I just thought it is time to look for an alternative.''