“Horses can be very beautiful, graceful, friendly, gentle and affectionate animals if they are treated kindly and taken care of. The trust you learn in each other is hard to describe unless you have shared and felt it with a horse.”

Brenda Campbell has been involved in the Standardbred industry for 37 years, getting her start grooming at Western Fair Raceway when she was seventeen. She also met her husband of 35 years there, Lenny, who is a third generation horseman. Over their time in racing, they have bred, raised, broke, trained and raced a number of horses.

Forced to sell and close their operation last July due to health issues, Brenda still follows her horses closely in their new stables. The couple retained three broodmares who are turned out in Dorchester and will be bred next year. Living in London, they visit their mares on a daily basis. Brenda also helps out on the farm for Mary Jo Fraleigh when needed. Her harness racing memory captures her time with the Herberts.

Inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1977 in the Builder category, Bill Herbert was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where his affection for horses led him to the track. During World War II, he was the lone horseman training at Western Fair, first racing over the London oval in 1928. He leased the barn and track from the Department of National Defence, with an agreement to turn the facility over to the DND if needed.

By the late 1970s, the Herbert stable had about 100 horses and remained a family affair, with Bill’s son Jack driving and helping train the colts. Giving up driving in 1976 when he turned 75, Bill remained an active part of the racing operation. This story focuses on the Herbert Stable’s unsung hero, Bill’s wife, Ruth.

In the summer of 1986, my husband Lenny was working for Bill and Jack Herbert at the track. One Sunday, we received a call from Bill’s wife, Ruth Herbert, to come to the farm. I went for Lenny, despite never having met Mrs. Herbert. Their help hadn’t shown up for a few days and the work she was doing was unreal for a lady her age. Bill was very sick in bed and she was managing 65 horses.

After that day, I began working at the Herbert’s farm. I had always worked on horses that were already broke in the past, but Lenny and his father “Babe” Campbell made sure I didn’t get hurt. My job was filled with rewarding experiences, each day filled with something new. I was nervous at the start, but Mrs. Herbert would just laugh and slowly I became more confident. Mrs. Herbert taught me to move quietly and slowly around the yearlings, who started to trust me with time.

Mrs. Herbert would go in the house after the broodmares were out to take care of Bill. Her 15 years of nursing helped to keep Bill at home. It also was put to good use in the foaling barn. Mrs. Herbert treated her mares like human moms. When we have our babies, we take good care of them, as our mothers took good care of us, and that was what I was taught.

Lenny and I were watching television one night when the phone rang. I answered, “Hello?” and the voice on the other end said “You’re an auntie, Goldleaf had a filly.” Excitement electrified my body and out the door I went. Mrs. Herbert was waiting when I arrived and I couldn’t believe how beautiful the filly was. We stood and watched before entering the stall to remove the bag, put down shavings and a bale of straw. This was to make sure the foal had a soft landing while she was learning to stand, which was quite funny to watch as she figured it out for the first time.

Before the foal would get up, we would towel rub them and put iodine on their umbilical cord and check the foal all over. While the foal was trying to get up, we would give the mare a nice warm sponge down, clean her tail and check her all over. Then we would leave, and let nature take its course. Mrs. Herbert liked to watch to make sure the foal nurses, urinated and had a bowel movement. If all was well they would be left alone to get to know each other.

Mrs. Herbert inspired me. No school could ever teach me what I saw and felt. We had great fun and laughed a lot. She got me to do things I was scared to do before. My confidence in young horses is getting a lot better. I just loved the foaling season. Time has gone by and it has been 16 years since I lost my dear friend. All my memories of those days still make me smile.

This was a memory shared by Brenda Campbell and entered in the I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club’s Favourite Racing Memory contest. This is the fourth of five stories (previous memories featured here, here, here and here) that are being featured leading up to the Bring A Friend weekend that is happening nationwide from July 9-12. Register for the Bring A Friend National Challenge and bring a friend or two, or more, to the races during the weekend of July 9-12, and you’ll have a chance to win a prize package valued at $200!