Trailblazer Sandy Hatfield Passes Torch at Three Chimneys

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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.

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