by Victoria Howard

When you’re in the sport of harness racing, many unexpected situations can and do happen. Some are joyous, while others may be devastating. For most of us, our horses are not just a hobby, or a 9 to 5 job – it’s our life.

The work is not just a job and the barn becomes our home away from home. We spend much more time at the stable than at our real home for we go to the barn early in the morning, return at night to feed and muck the stalls, and sometimes we may not get home until late at night if we have a horse racing.

Getting up at 5 in the morning is not an option, but a requirement, for a horse is like an alarm clock and knows exactly when their next meal is due. Most likely when you arrive at the barn at dawn, you will find the horse standing by their feed bucket patiently waiting, or in other cases the horse can be raising cane, screaming and banging on the stall gate. Really annoying!

Why do so many people do this day after day? It’s not for the money for until the horse makes it to the races, you better have some deep pockets. Whether you raise or buy a young horse the most exciting thing is when they win their first race. It makes all those early mornings worth it.

But then on the other side of the spectrum is the heart-wrenching times when your horse gets claimed, injured or worse, dies. This month’s superstar is trainer Rosy Weaver who has experienced many of the above.

In 2024 unfortunately all of Weaver’s horses were exposed to toxic feed. This occurs when dietary exposures encompass a wide variety of etiologies that can be caused by natural or man-made components. In the case of horse feed, it is important to inspect the sweet feed or pellets and look for hot spots: areas of mold growth, discoloration or moisture.

It can be deadly to the animal so if you think your horse has been poisoned, you are to stay calm — yeah, right! — and contact the vet. Horses can’t talk and tell you that something doesn’t taste right. Some of them may not eat the toxic feed, while others will eat anything. It is your responsibility to make sure the feed is okay, for you don’t want what happened to Weaver to happen to you.

“When my horses were exposed to toxic feed, I didn’t stay calm for it was extremely scary, but I was blessed for all my horses survived,” Weaver said. “My feed mill had moldy corn mixed into the feed that they were unaware of. It was impossible to smell or see.

“The feed looked and smelled fine, but when my horses’ got colic, tied up, and others started interfering when they never did before, I knew something was really wrong. It was very frustrating and scary, but I finally figured it out. The weird thing is not one horse missed a meal!”

Weaver is a Buckeye who was born in a small town in Ohio called Mt. Eaton.

“I still live in the same area for it is home,” Weaver said. “My family was not involved in the business, but I’ve always loved horses and wanted to work with them. I started out as a groom working at a private farm called Flowing Mineral Farm for about six years before going on my own. Ironically, I’m still there but it’s now called Glory Meadows.

“Presently, I have a stable of around 40 2- and 3-year-olds. I train mostly trotters, but this year we bought two pacers and had some success with both. I either own 100 per cent or at least 50 per cent of most of the horses I train; and I also own 25 per cent of some horses with partners. I race mostly in Ohio stake races and occasionally at The Meadows.

“Before going on my own I worked as a groom for trainers Jimmy Smith and Ben Miller. This year I’ve had several setbacks, but I’ve also had some excitement. I do occasionally drive in a race, but mostly leave it up to the professionals. Every summer I get overwhelmed with emotions when my 2-year-olds get behind the starting gate for the first start of their career.”

Weaver said her all-time favorite horse is Elegant Gigi.

“[Elegant Gigi] had so much determination and a huge heart,” Weaver said. “She is a sweetheart who showed up in the right time in my life. She will never leave my farm and is now a broodmare.

“My fastest horse is As A Real Legend who still holds the world record as of today for 2-year-old gelding trotters at Northfield Park.”

Weaver also talked about her favorite female in our sport.

“First, I want to say I am so happy to see Victoria [Howard] write a column about the females in the sport,” Weaver said. “Since the beginning, harness racing was known as a ‘man’s sport’ but as you can see, ‘we’ve come a long way,’ since the days of the greatest female trainer/driver, Bea Farber.

“She passed away before I had a chance to meet her, but I’ve read about ‘Queen Bea,’ and watched videos about her. She was and always will be the ‘Queen’ in my eyes and I hope to be half the successful horsewoman that she was.”

When it comes to giving credit for helping her get to where she is, Weaver said the list is long.

“I couldn’t have gotten to where I am without the people who had a hand in my success, such as, Don Irvine who drove for me and allowed me to pick his brain a lot and Willis Troyer who believed in me since day one and is now my partner on some horses,” she said. “Willis has made it possible for me to train at a private farm and take my horses south in the winter. I will be forever grateful to have him on my team.

“I want to thank all those people who showed up in my life to work with me and make my dream a reality.

Also, my family, especially my brother Mike, who has supported me all the way. He makes sure my horses get the best hay delivered and helps in keeping the farm in shape, besides fixing things on the farm.”

Weaver said she has her hopes for the future.

“Like many other horsemen my dream is someday to have one of my horses in the Hambletonian or Little Brown Jug,” she said. “I suppose that is probably every horseman’s dream, but dreams do come true.

“My future plans are to stay healthy and continue to strive for that ultimate goal of one day having a champion. When the time comes to slow down, I would love to try my hands with broodmares and foals. But in the meantime, I am beyond blessed doing what I love to do.”