Quentin and Kimberley Schneider are ready to make their Running Aces debuts this coming weekend, and the track has profiled the pair for those that have yet to catch up with them on social media.
Quentin is a native of Alberta, and he and his brother, Rick, grew up in the sulky sport in western Canada. That is where they helped their dad operate the family farm in Sherwood Park, just outside Edmonton.
Quentin ventured out at age 21 and worked for some local trainers and began to drive at age 22. He won just one race in his first year, but has amassed close to 500 wins over the next 20 years of campaigning. These days, he likes to focus more on the training side of the business, and has chalked up over 600 wins as a conditioner. Quentin and his wife, Kimberley, are the dynamic duo that makes up 'QKS Racing,' and their stable operation is primarily made up of horses owned in whole or in part by them. Kimberley, by contrast, was not born into racing or horses, but did get exposure to both at a young age, as she became hooked on horses and then harness racing. The couple met through harness racing and immediately hit it off. They have been working together for 10 years and happily married for eight years now. They have built a full life together with a large family that is filled out by four-legged, 1,000-pound, hay-munching ‘children’ that make up their harness racing stable. They currently have 15 horses on the barn roster.
Kimberley and Quentin have raced mostly in Alberta and California in recent years and will be making their Running Aces debut this season. They were ready for a change of scenery this summer and had heard nothing but positive things about Running Aces from fellow horsemen in both California and Canada. With limited stall space available at Running Aces, the Schneiders opted to make their summer base of operations in Rice Lake, Wisconsin at the Barron County Fairgrounds, home to a half-mile harness track with a rich harness racing history. That was a decision that Kimberley is extremely happy to have made.
“We absolutely love our setup here in Rice Lake. We are in a beautiful barn which has a rich history, and we have heard so many great stories about the many trainers who have stabled here over the years," Kimberley explained. "We are so happy to now be a part of its history, as well.” She also praised the facilities, and noted that the people they have met there as incredibly nice and helpful. Kimberley and her horses also revel in the large turnouts, abundance of green grass, and sunshine, too.
The QKS cast of equine characters play out their daily routines and shenanigans on the world stage before stepping into the spotlight on the racetrack. Kimberley has made a habit of sharing the daily activities of their ‘kids’ on her Facebook page, and that initiative has turned out to be nothing short of sensational. From live streams while getting their jogging miles in, to bath time, to turnout time, grass munching, snack eating, begging for treats, or just ‘smiling’ and hamming for the camera, Kimberley gets it all on film. That’s right, Kimberley has taught many of her four-hooved children to smile for the camera.
Kimberley was asked what motivated her to share and post so much great content on Facebook, and she stated, “I want people to feel like they know them… So many people enjoy watching horse racing, and gamble on horse racing, but at the end of the day they have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. The same is true for people who do not like horse racing. I wanted to give them a real insight into our world and show that there is so much more going on than the two minutes that people see in a race. These horses are our family, we love them so much, and they are all unique individuals. They have so much personality and I want people to feel that connection with them other than just reading their name in a race program."
Fans of QKS racing get to follow the daily exploits of the stable on its Facebook page, where Kimberley also displays her amazing talents as a photographer. She shares snapshots of her ‘kids’ and describes each activity while sharing each horse’s nickname, and registered name. The cast of characters includes 'Twister,' who is the undisputed star of the show (Schneider says, “Just ask him, he’ll tell you he is the star."). There is a long list of other fun characters, like 'Roo-Roo,' 'Thunder,' 'Villa,' 'Dum-Dum,' 'OJ,' 'June' and 'Nora,' to name a few. Roo-Roo is Mystic Ruler, an eight-year-old pacing gelding by Camystic, who is currently considered one of the stable’s top performers. The Schneiders claimed him for $5,000 (CDN) in 2019 and he has turned a nice profit for them since (Mystic Ruler also lowered his lifetime mark to 1:52.4 this past winter at Cal Expo).
Another interesting fact about Kimberley is that she loves to teach her Standardbreds to ride, and she does so for two reasons. Reason No. 1 is because it is so much easier to find them a new home or a new job when they are done racing if they are trained for, and accustomed to, riding. Reason No. 2 is that Kimberley believes that it is good for racehorses' brains to do something different and get mental stimulation from a variety of activities.
The Schneider clan will also be represented by Richard ‘Ricky’ Schneider, who, like Quentin and Kimberley, is also making his Running Aces debut this season and has 12 horses based at Rice Lake, as well. Ricky has collected 200 driving wins and well over 500 training wins throughout his years in the sport, and will be campaigning horses like Gene Eugene, Therealgoods, Lookslikewemadeit, Chief Saratoga, and Budgie Smugler, among others.
Keep an eye out for the Schneiders and the QKS Racing cast of characters as they take on Minnesota when the Running Aces season kicks off this coming Saturday (June 20) at 1:00 p.m. (CDT).
(Running Aces)
These two (Schnieders) are
These two (Schnieders) are what racing should be all about. They never have a bad word to say. They are always upbeat. I don't know how they can smile so much. I cannot tell you how much they bring to the industry and its a shame that we don't have many more like them. They appear to love what they do, day in and day out, and it was a pleasure to be around them at Cal Expo.
I love reading Kim's posts and seeing her smiling face, and often the smiling faces of her herd.
Nice to read something positive about the people in the game.