Leading up to the National Caretaker Appreciation Day event later this month, Standardbred Canada will be profiling caretakers from across the country in our Faces of Racing series.
For many caretakers, their involvement in the harness racing industry becomes a life-long affair. Once you become connected to the horses, it’s something that’s hard to get away from, whether by choice or circumstances, and such was the case for Quebec native Roxanne Viau.
Roxanne has been around horses for as long as she can remember. Her 'love story' with her equine friends started at the age of three when her Dad bought her a grey pony. “I was the happiest little girl in town. My dad (Rheau) was in the horse business with dozens of racehorses and he had four children to take care of them. This is how I learned the real job of being a caretaker.
“Being around horses is very comforting and rewarding. If you treat them right, they will give you everything they have. If you respect them, they will respect you.“ Roxanne was away from the horses for almost 15 years and had to come back. “I seriously think I can’t live without them. There is a French saying, You can take the girl out of the horse business but you can’t take the horses out of the girl.”
Fast forward to 2018, the 51-year-old now assists her spouse, Michel Audet in Berthierville, Quebec, with their modest stable of horses.
For Roxanne, the most rewarding aspect of being a caretaker is when you have the feeling the horse likes and trusts you. “When a horse leans its head over your shoulder for you to pat him, I think it is its way to tell you that he appreciates what you do for him.”
“I look to people in the horse business who treat their horses well. People who respect the animals and their limits. I also admire and look up to women drivers such as Marie-Claude Auger, Anne-Marie Turenne and Melanie Plourde. I think it takes a lot of courage and guts to drive with male drivers.”
In the 1990s, Roxanne competed in the “Powder Puff” races in the Ottawa region and really enjoyed the experience. “Last year, almost 30 years later, my spouse, Michel, challenged me to drive again in a women’s race. I did and I still loved it. This year there is a Women’s Challenge Tournament organized by the Circuit Regional and I will be participating in it.” Driving with an amateur license, she’s two-for-two in 2018, driving SOS Mach Xtreme in Quebec’s Circuit Regional events.
“Every August, there is a great race weekend in Saint-Aime des Lac, in Charlevoix. It is one of my favourite places, it is a gorgeous place owned by the Harvey family.”
“I think the Caretaker Appreciation Day is a very good initiative. It gives people the chance to know the people who are working with the horses. Don’t forget that behind each racehorse, there is a caretaker who really cares about him!”
Standardbred Canada along with the horsemen’s associations and tracks across the country will partner on National Caretaker Appreciation Day the weekend of July 20-22 at racetracks across the country.