Recently I had the chance to interview some wonderful women that are either trainers or drivers in harness racing and I asked them some questions about how they got into the business, and what it's like being a woman in this business. I wanted to know what advice they would give to other young women entering the sport. I also learned how long they have been involved in the industry for, and what horses have touched their hearts along the way. They told me who taught them the ropes of the industry which has enabled them to get where they are in the sport today. They described some of the challenges for women in the sport that they have faced.
Driver/Trainer Britt Kennedy
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| Britt |Kennedy pictured |
Britt was born into the business, and
she has been at the barn since day one. Her parents are the ones that taught
her the majority of the things she knows about the sport today, but she also
learned from trainers she has worked for along the way. Britt is always wanting
to learn more, so she continues to ask questions from vets and blacksmiths
to breeders so she can learn as much as she can. Britt has always wanted to
train horses for as long as she can remember. Now driving was always a bit of a
pipe dream for her, but today driving horses is no longer a dream for her now
it's now reality. Britt gives this credit to becoming a rider in the racing
under saddle (RUS) races, which gave her the confidence to become a harness
racing driver. She got her first driving win with Winzel this past July at
Dresden Raceway. Winzel is one of her favorite horse's along side with
Callmeinthemorning who gave Britt her first training win. As you can imagine,
these horses are very special to her. Britt told me the biggest challenge she
has seen for women in this sport is that their abilities are often doubted.
Though Britt owns her success to date, she feels there is a perception that a
man must be behind a horsewoman's accomplishments. She says it's not easy, but
it's worth it all the way.
Trainer Evelyn Harms-
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| Evelyn Harms pictured |
Evelyn did not get involved in the sport until the age of 25 and she rose quickly in the sport from a groom to trainer. She started out working for Doug Mcintosh and learned the basics from him and driver Mark Pezzarello who taught her how to rate a mile and jog and train a horse. Evelyn has been involved in racing under saddle (RUS) with trotters as a rider at tracks across Ontario. Once she got in the bike and saddle she knew that she wanted to pursue a career in harness
racing with the love she had for the sport. Her favorite
horse is the trotting mare Bop Too The Top, who gave Evelyn her first ever
training win. She said the biggest challenge for women in this sport is having
the strength to handle any type of horse. It helps to have a connection and
practice patience with the horse itself. Evelyn's advice to those entering the
sport is to never stop learning more, set goals and work hard to achieve them.
Long time Trainer Cathy Gaudreau-
Cathy always had riding horses but that changed when she met her now
husband Jim, and their first horse Lone Star Raleigh who was a very tough horse
in the claimers that had quarter crack issues but with Cathy's help, overcame
it. Her favorite horse was Ac Cob who she had his entire career with 36 wins
lifetime, and taught her a lot. Cathy became a trainer
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| Cathy pictured with Grand Bay! |
when there was very few women trainers at the time. She got her trainers
licence because of the passion she had for warming horses up at the track and
she wanted to get more involved. Cathy really looks back to the days of being
stabled at Windsor Raceway. She remembers when her husband Jim would have to leave to work
midnights at a factory and often had to read the newspaper the next day to find out how the
horses raced! Imagine no internet and cell phones! Cathy said being stabled at Windsor was like a big happy family
racing against your friends all of the time. She feels the biggest
challenge she faced was not being a woman in a mainly male sport, but it was
just trying to make a living in the business. This is even more of a challenge
now Cathy says, with vehicles costing more than they paid for their first farm! She
said she really hopes the industry continues to improve so it's around for her
grand kids to participate in later in the future.
Trainer Lindsey Kerr-
Lindsey started helping out at the barn at the early age of 8 and jogged
her first horse at 10. Her parents Randy & Cindy taught her all the
ropes of the industry.
Lindsey has always had love for the horses and it soon became clear that she would be
involved in caring and training for them the rest of her life. Her care for the horses has
certainly paid off as she is currently the 5th leading trainer at Western Fair Raceway.
Lindsey's first training win came with a horse by the name of Watch And Learn,
which was a very special name to her being the horse was named after the saying
her dad would always use. Lindsey said there are not many challenges she has
faced being a woman in the sport, but she would like to see more women trainers
out there. Her advice for women entering the sport would be to never give up.
The business has highs and lows so just push through the lows and never give up
on goals, as well keep a positive attitude and most of all, have fun. Lindsey
is a force to be reckoned with and recently became the first woman to ever win trainer
of the year for the Windsor-Essex Wespy awards.
Trainer Ashley Duford-
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| Ashley Duford pictured on right |
Ashley has been in the game her whole life working alongside her dad. She started
grooming horses at the age of 10, then eager to prove herself,
earned her trainers licence at a young age too. She credits this drive to her
grandfather Wilf who would take her to the barn and teach about the horses when
she was young. Ashley though owes her experience to her Dad Dennis Duford who
is a long time driver. She also learned from some fellow trainers while helping
them along the way. Her favorite horse of all time has been Magic Notes, the
sweetest mare but Ashley notes that when it came to race time she went right
down to business. Ashley's first training win came right at her home track
Dresden in May of 2011 which was very special for her. She said the biggest
challenge for a woman in the sport is that no matter rain or shine, snow, sick
or broken you still have to get up everyday. There are no days off so you have
to like what you're doing. Like Lindsey, she also said we need more women in
the sport and more young people to keep the business alive.
Driver/Trainer Andrea Leon
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| Andrea |Leon at Leamington Raceway |
Andrea has been around horse racing most of her life. It started with her grandfather having race horses when she was little. Her dad and grandfather are the
ones who brought her into the sport and taught her the ropes of the racing
industry. She got her trainers licence first, then decided to start driving
when they had a few difficult horses that only Andrea seemed to get along with
during the race. This along with her fearless nature, encouraged her to get her
drivers licence. Andrea has been a harness racing driver for many years, and
has paved the way for other women drivers. Rk Patrick was her first driving win
at Dresden Raceway, but her favorite horse along the way has been Airport Flyer
as well as Njs Trick Pistol who is still part of the Leon's stable. Andrea's
advice for other women who are looking to enter the sport of harness racing is
to always treat horses with the respect that they deserve. Man or woman it
doesn't matter the focus should be on the horse.
I want to thank all these passionate women for taking the time to
participate in my blog and answer questions of mine. As well tell the story of
being a female driver and trainer in harness racing with the challenges that go
with it.
- Nathan Bain
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