When Joanne Colville was recently elected as Chair of the Board for Standardbred Canada, she was, not surprisingly, in a celebratory mood. But, her initial reaction wasn’t to crack open a bottle of champagne. Instead, it was all about getting down to work.
It was two days before Valentine’s Day when the announcement was made. Fitting, no doubt, for someone whose love for horses and horse racing is difficult to rival.
While Colville was both elated and humbled at being named Chair, she was also cognizant of the responsibility that comes with the role, which includes filling the vacant CEO position.
“The job is on my mind all the time, along with everything else I do,” said Colville, a director of the Central Ontario Standardbred Association and owner/operator of High Stakes Farm, a 30-acre property that focuses on breeding, boarding, rehabilitation and racing stock. “I speak to industry participants on a daily basis morning, noon and night. I think I have an advantage of being around the tracks and at industry events. I can be reached many hours a day on my cell phone. If I don’t answer, I make sure to return the call. Communication is paramount in anything you do in life.
“I like the interaction with the people in my position,” she continued. “As a former employee of Standardbred Canada, I know most of the key staff and how the office operates.”
Colville is embracing the challenges of a sport that has had to contend with massive upheaval and long-term uncertainty over the past few years.
A unified approach, she explained, is crucial.
“The toughest challenge for this industry is to come together and work cohesively,” she offered. “We should all be working towards the betterment of the industry as a whole. Things are not like they used to be. Status quo is no more. Times have changed and so has our sport.”
So, what can people expect from the Chair?
“I think I will be successful in this role because I’m a person of my word,” said Colville. “I have received a lot of suggestions, ideas and complaints. I take them all into consideration. I share them with the management team, who maybe are not as visible as I am in the industry, to hear what the members want. Together, we are listening and working on different things that we can do to help make it better for the people in the standardbred world.
“I’m strong and independent and I love to learn,” she continued.
“I talk a lot, but I listen well, too. My other jobs have also influenced how I see things. We are a member-driven organization.
‘Customers first’ is a policy I like to live by. I think some of our members need to better understand the role of Standardbred Canada - what we can do and what we have no control over.”
While there’s plenty on her plate, Colville, also an outrider on the WEG circuit, sees none of it, be it the time commitments, the responsibilities or otherwise, as burdensome.
“For a city girl, turned country girl, horses have been my whole life,” she said. “We were introduced to it as kids at a young age and we got hooked. I wish every child could grow up like my daughter has with the country lifestyle and the horses. She’s not all about texting and video games. She understands the needs of the animals and carries the same passion as I do. The horses are a way of life and I love what I do. I like giving back to the animals that have put me where I am today. How many people can say they enjoy what they do day in and day out? It’s awesome.”
Which is just how Colville felt in the aftermath of being named Chair for Standardbred Canada.
“I was overwhelmed by the comments, calls, text and emails I received from all over Canada and the U.S.,” she said.
That, Colville will tell you, is something worth celebrating.
By Chris Lomon
