Page 188 - Speedhorse, February 2019

KIM SAUNDERS
“It is what it is. What will be, will be. It’s all in God’s hands and timing. Pay Attention!”
by John Moorehouse
Think the pressure of a race day at Ruidoso Downs or a horse
sale stresses out Kim Saunders?
Pfft. She’s got no
problem performing
under pressure. Back in
the late 1980s, Saunders
spent a season as the
“Masked Rider” mascot
for the football team at Texas Tech. A tradition at the university located in Lubbock, Sanders wore a black Lone Ranger-style mask, a white shirt, and a red and black cape and she rode a black steed during the games.
Saunders, who received both Bachelor and Master’s degrees during her time at Texas Tech, puts her education in Animal Production and Equine Exercise Physiology to work as the Farm Manager at Sierra Blanca Equine. Located on the grounds of Ruidoso Downs, Sierra Blanca is a major operation offering breeding, boarding, and sales prep services to horsemen and horsewomen throughout the area.
How does someone rise to such a position? As Saunders said, she “was born into it.” Like so many in the horse world, this is a family business; for her, it dates all the way back to her great-grandfather, who raised and raced horses.
She found time in her very busy schedule to provide some answers.
Q: Where were you born?
A: Clovis, New Mexico.
Q: What are your hobbies outside of horse racing?
A: Most all of my hobbies revolve around horses. I do enjoy traveling.
Q: What is your favorite movie, and why?
A: “It’s A Wonderful Life” is my favorite movie because one never realizes how much of an impact they have on others.
Q: What’s an interesting fact about your family?
A: We are plain vanilla.
Q: Do you have a nickname and, if so, what is it and how did it come about? A: No nicknames, but most people call me Kimmie.
Q: What is the strangest personality quirk you have ever seen in a horse?
A: I had a horse as a kid that would not get in a trailer unless it was hunting season!
Q: If you were not in the horse racing busi- ness, what job would you like to have?
A: I do not know. I have never had the inclination to do anything else.
Q: What is your favorite thing about living where you live?
A: What is there not to love about Ruidoso?
Q: If you could vacation anywhere on the planet, where would it be and what would you do there?
A: I would love to visit Ireland and tour the many horse farms and castles—might even do a pub crawl.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote and, if so, what is it?
A: “It is what it is. What will be, will be. It’s all in God’s hands and timing. Pay Attention!”
Q: If you could sit down and visit with any- one, past or present, who would it be?
A: I would love to sit down and visit with my Grandfather again.
Q: What drink would your friends describe you as, and why?
A: Wine... I get better with age.
Q: Who’s your favorite athlete of all time, and why?
A: Emmitt Smith. He was a great player on the field and is a great player in this thing we call life.
Q: If you were making a movie about yourself, who would you cast to play you, and why?
A: Julia Roberts. She can play serious, funny, deter- mined, sassy and relentless.
Q: What’s one thing you don’t like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: Breakdowns.
Q: What’s one thing you like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: Watching these beautiful horses give us all they have.
John Moorehouse
184 SPEEDHORSE, February 2019
THE LIGHTER SIDE