Leading up to the National Caretaker Appreciation Day event this weekend, Standardbred Canada will be profiling caretakers from across the country in our Faces of Racing series.
There are many areas of the harness racing industry where caretakers are required. The role of a caretaker is often associated with caring for active race horses, both on and off the track. However, one area where caretakers are sometimes overlooked, but is of great importance, is on the breeding farm.
John Duffy, from Meridian Farms East, located in Milton, Prince Edward Island, has been a fixture with the Andrew family breeding farm for sixteen years. Year after year, John is able to remain enthusiastic about the industry by overseeing the new foals born on the farm and watching them progress to the track for the first time. “I wish everyone could see a mare and foal turned out for the first time. It can be very amusing seeing them figure out how their legs work,” he laughs. “I like foaling time and sale time the most. It feels very rewarding to be there the minute they are born, see them grow and mature and then watch them go to the sale to find their new home.”
It comes as no surprise that John enjoys watching the foals he cares for make the races. “I lived one block from the racetrack [when I was younger], so it was very easy for me to find my way over [there]. I found myself going back every day and I quickly started spending more time there than anywhere else. I grew to love the sport very quickly,” he recalls.
Throughout his time in the business, John has been able to learn a trick or two from respected horsemen, including Buddy Campbell and James ‘Roach’ MacGregor. Ironically, the Andrew family breeding farm (where he works), is located on the property where James ‘Roach’ MacGregor once kept his Standardbred athletes.
John has viewed the harness racing industry from a number of angles, but tends to lean in favour of one in particular, “I had my trainers and drivers license off and on for 25 years but currently, I am very happy with my role as a caretaker.”
Along with caring for the mares and foals at Meridian Farm, John often lends his hand to the race horses on the farm, “I get to the barn before 7 a.m, and start by feeding the race horses inside then all the mares and foals out in the field. I check on them as I go and make sure they are all healthy and happy. I help harness and clean stalls in the race horse barn for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. We always have visitors stop in during the summer months and I enjoy showing them around the farm.”
One aspect of the Standardbred breed that John enjoys is that every horse he works with is different, “They all have their own characteristics and personality traits that make each one special. You can learn something new from every one of them.”
“There is a three year-old trotter in the barn, Kris Me Goodnight and she has a big personality and sometimes finds herself in a bit of trouble but she will never do anything wrong in my eyes,” laughs John.
“Everyone has a different training technique depending on what they learned when they were younger or through trial and error. I believe that there are many different ways of doing the same things in this industry but as long as the horse’s health and well-being always come first, that is true horsemanship.”
“Caretakers are the ones who spend the most time with the horses day in and day out. They are the backbone in the industry and I think it’s great that the spotlight gets put on them for this event.”
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.
We stop in to see John and
We stop in to see John and his horses at Meridian Farms while going to Old Home Week in P.E.I. What a NICE man he is and very friendly and knowledgeable. All the Best to You Always John " P.S. See you this summer.