Page 37 - August 2015

horses and maybe four hours a day taking care of our apartments,” Kirk says. “I start all the horses and the sales process. I haul and prep and present them at the sales. I do a lot of my own vet work and all my own blood work. If I have a horse that’s sick, I draw the blood and do the blood panel. I used to do my own ultrasounds, and AI’d them. Barbara does everything, too — she mows the grass, gets up in the middle of the night with me to help with the foaling, and helps me run the ranch and the apartment complexes. We had a couple stallions that we stood at the ranch, and she helped me with that, too.”
FAMILY TIME
Kirk and Barbara’s blended family consists of Travis, 40; Emily and Rachael, 35; Josh, 34; Benjamin and Sarah, 33; Jacob, 29; and Julie, 21.
“Julie attends Texas A&M and manages a boarding stable, and will be getting married next spring,” Kirk says proudly. “She started
in Pony Club and showed western pleasure, English and showmanship. She’d get her horse ready herself — groom it and clip it. When she was about 14, she started booking the hotels. I’d give her my credit card and she’d tell me when to show up. Those times were probably the most fun I’ve ever had in horses.
“Various ones have been involved in the horses with me at various times,” Kirk adds.
“Jacob is now at the ranch. Rachael’s husband, Cody Reynolds, is a trainer and up until a couple of years ago, we were partners and they lived here at the ranch. Then they moved to Crescent, Oklahoma, and Cody now trains at Ruidoso.”
In their down time, Kirk and Barbara spend as much time with their kids and grandkids as possible. “We like to be involved in whatever activities the grandkids are involved in,” Kirk says. They still have 16-year-old Catchmeinyourdreams. “For the public, he’s a five-time champion; for my grandson, he’s his riding horse,” he says.
Kirk and Barbara also share the gift of family by offering respite care for foster chil- dren whose families need a break for whatever reason. “He and Barbara have raised several foster children and at an age when most people would be thinking of retiring, they’ve taken on two more,” confides Phillip.
“Foster parents can’t leave these children with just anyone; they have to be approved,” Kirk explains. “So, we take the kids for a period of time — sometimes just a few days and sometimes quite a bit longer. We get to spoil them for a while and treat them like grandparents would — teach them how
to swim, how to ride, shop for clothes and shoes and toys. We’ve had them from literally babies on up to teenagers and everywhere in between. And we get pretty attached to them; they become part of our family.”
“He shares all his love and all he has with his family and the people around him,” Stu Sprouse says of Kirk. “I think that’s one of the outstanding things about him. He’s a good Samaritan for the public; he’s always willing to help somebody.”
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
Health and life permitting, Kirk says, he’ll keep doing what he’s been doing. “We thought about backing off a little, but just the thought of it scared the hell out of me!” he adds.
Although horse racing offers its share of challenges, Kirk is more a “glass half full” kind of guy. “I tend to look at what’s nice about it,” he says. “As long as you’ve got a couple nice yearlings in the barn, life is good. How can you see it as a challenge when it’s an enjoyment to get up every day and do it?
“The horse industry has so many facets
to it: being an athlete; an owner; breeding; showing; writing about it; and so on. We just love to be around horses,” Kirk says. “And we love to be around the horse people, too. There aren’t very many businesses today where you can buy or sell a half-million-dollar ‘commod- ity,’ and you can do it over the phone or on a handshake and it works out. It’s a tribute to the people in the industry. If you’re going to be in business, why not do it with people who have that kind of honor.”
“I love racing, don’t get me wrong, but they be”come a part of the family and a part of your life.
Kirk & Barbara Goodfellow’s blended family
SPEEDHORSE, August 2015 35