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00:00A changing of the guard is taking place this spring at Three Chimneys as Veronica Reed
00:06takes over the role of stallion manager from her predecessor, trailblazer Sandy Hatfield.
00:12We tagged along with both horsewomen during a busy morning breeding session.
00:16We know when I first came to town, there were a lot of breeding sheds that wouldn't let
00:20a woman in the breeding shed to watch.
00:23If you took your mare to the breeding shed, they made you stand outside.
00:26And there were a lot of times that people came and walked right past me and went to
00:29the first guy they saw.
00:31And I think once people realized that I knew what I was doing and could take care of their
00:37mares in the breeding shed and make sure that they got a good cover, I think they understood.
00:42Now I really don't think people even think about that about me.
00:45I mean, I think they just think about Sandy.
00:47But it is a great opportunity to help young women know that they can do whatever they
00:51want to.
00:52Her reputation in this industry is amazing.
00:57Not only is she a great horsewoman and very dedicated to what she does, she also gives
01:07a great voice to the industry, a great voice for everybody, not just females, but everybody.
01:13I've never seen a stallion manager the way that she writes on her sheets of paper, this
01:18mare was this, this mare was that.
01:20I think that attention to detail is something that nobody else could have taught me.
01:26Veronica has always been my go-to person.
01:28I knew that she would one day come back and take over for me.
01:32She's a good horsewoman, she's good with people, she knows her horses, which I think is one
01:36of the most important things.
01:38Both Sandy and Veronica are driven by a passion for and love of the horse, and that's really
01:45what makes them good at what they do.
01:48So Sandy Hatfield has been at Three Chimneys as stallion manager for greater than 20 years,
01:53through Seattle Slew and Dynaformer and Rahi, and now to Gunrunner.
02:00Gunrunner, he's just a magnificent animal to be around.
02:04He is going to be one of the ones that people remember his name.
02:07And it's always fun to see the horses that have done well, that you get to see through
02:12their life, like Rahi and Dynaformer, wild again.
02:16I think Silver Charm is probably my most favorite stallion.
02:20There's so many of them that you make friends with.
02:22I always tell everybody that the horses are the easy part.
02:26You know, they are pretty straightforward for the most part, especially stallions, and
02:29I think that's why I liked stallions in the beginning.
02:31But the people, they're all different kinds of personalities, all different types of people.
02:36So people are a little harder to manage than the horses.
02:41But they're all my kids.
02:42I mean, I have two-legged kids and four-legged kids down there.
02:45And I've watched a lot of people grow up and go on and do great things in this business.
02:50I mean, look at Veronica, you know.
02:52She was here, a young girl, and just going to college.
02:55And now she's managing stallions at Three Chimneys Farm.
02:58Some people said that a girl can't do this.
03:02And when I saw Sandy, I said, obviously she can.
03:05I mean, there's a lot of people I can talk to today that tell me that women can't work
03:09with stallions.
03:10I've been managing stallions for almost 35 years.
03:14So I know women can do it.
03:15You really get to develop a really great relationship with the stallions, the people.
03:21You're dealing with some of the best horsemen on the job.
03:24I believe I have the passion for human management as well as horse management.
03:29And I think that is the perfect mix you need for a job like this.
03:33I remember when I was a groom, you know, the manager would pull up in his truck and honk
03:37the horn and expect us to drop what we were doing and come outside.
03:40And that always made me a little irritable.
03:43So I've always tried to remember that.
03:45And I've never asked them to do anything that I haven't done or wouldn't do.
03:50And I think that's important.
03:51Treating people like people, like you would want to be treated or like they would want
03:54to be treated.
03:55I love talking to people about our industry and explaining to people what we do and how
04:01much we love our horses and how good of care we take of all of them.
04:04This is my 24th breeding season here, so it's been a great opportunity, a great learning
04:09experience and hopefully I've done a good job.