Leading up to the 2020 edition of National Caretaker Appreciation Day virtual events taking place on the weekend of September 18 - 20, Standardbred Canada will profile caretakers from across the country in our Faces of Racing series.
The series continues with a profile on Fiona Reynolds of Burlington, Ont.
It takes a special person who dedicates his/her life to taking care of others, but there are very few special people who devote themselves to not only caring for humans but for horses as well. One such person is Fiona Reynolds.
“I compare caretakers to front-line health workers. There is nobody more important than the person giving the direct care. I think it’s wonderful Caretakers are being recognized for their very important role in a race horse’s career,” Reynolds explained.
Fiona has been working as a caretaker since she was 17 years old, and it all started after moving her saddle horse to a Standardbred farm in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and she hasn’t looked back since. She cared for horses up until 1985, when she decided to make the move from horses to humans and become a long-term care RPN (Registered Practical Nurse) for Halton Region. Although she now works with people full-time, she can’t keep herself away from the horses. On her off days and holidays, Fiona works for Vanderkemp Racing Stable at Ideal Training Centre, near Acton, Ont., and ensures she is available to paddock in the evenings.
Let’s meet Fiona Reynolds in this video produced by Standardbred Canada’s Hailey Saunders with video contributions from Dianna Vanderkemp and her some Zach.
After working over three decades in the industry as a caretaker, Fiona has had the opportunity to work for and learn from several different trainers. “I look up to anybody that I have worked for in the barn. From Jim McDonald, Archie McNeil, John Burns, Mike Vanderkemp, Jeff Byron, to Tony Alagna’s barn. Everyone I have worked for I have learned from, and everyone has a different way of doing things.”
Reynolds looks forward to stakes season and find that it’s a very exciting time. “I have been able to paddock some really nice horses over the summers, and for the first time in a very long time I was able to participate in breaking a couple of babies with Mike Vanderkemp, and watching them come along and start to race is so exciting.”
She’s had many great moments during her career in racing but cites a three way tie for her most memorable moment. “Winning the inaugural Peter Haughton Memorial with Sokys Atom, a 45-1 long shot and more recently paddocking two Breeders Crown winners Ramona Hill and American History in one weekend! How does that happen??”
(Faces of Racing photo courtesy John Watkins)