Page 112 - August 2019

“It has been a fun ride, and one my family and I have enjoyed.”
NAME: Dennis Hunter HOME BASE: Nibley, Utah
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: I have been involved with racing Quarter Horses and a few Thoroughbreds on and off since 1972.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: I was appointed to the Utah Horse Racing Commission in 2005 by then-Governor Jon Huntsman. I served as a commissioner for eight years and have been a steward for six years.
FAVORITE HOBBY: Trap shooting and fishing in a boat with my buddies.
Dennis Hunter has a big impact on horse racing in the state of Utah. In fact, you might say he’s rewriting the rulebook. In addition to working
as a track steward at multiple tracks in the Beehive State, he’s reviewing the current racing rules and testing procedures for the state of Utah, working alongside Kory Trapp on a part-time basis for Utah’s Department of Agriculture, which oversees the state racing commission.
“With the now-adopted testing of hair that the Utah Quarter Horse Racing Association has
implemented for 2019, it is our job with trainers and owners to get the rules of testing and rulings adopted by our legislature and implemented
into our rulebook,” Hunter explained. “We are trying to adopt uniformity in our regulations and implement them, while referencing parts of the ARCI model rules.”
Hunter just enjoys being around the sport.
Since retiring from his job at Utah State University in 2013, he travels to races throughout the intermountain region with his wife, Donna. That’s in addition to his duties as a steward.
Have you ever wondered exactly what it takes to be a track steward? Hunter discusses that, and so much more, in the latest installment of our Backside feature.
Q. IN ADDITION TO YOUR WORK WITH THE RULES COMMITTEE, AND AS A STEWARD, WHAT OTHER JOBS/ROLES HAVE YOU HAD IN THE HORSE INDUSTRY? OF THOSE, WHICH HAVE YOU ENJOYED THE MOST, AND WHY? A. I have trained horses in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada. We have owned and raced in Oregon,
California, Colorado, and Arizona, as well as the above-mentioned states. We also ran horses on the chariot, as most horsemen in Utah and Idaho did for many years. It has been a fun ride, and one my family and I have enjoyed.
Q. WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS DID YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO BECOME A TRACK STEWARD?
A. My training as a steward was presided over
by the Utah Horse Racing Commission, which consisted of class, videos, rules knowledge and testing. I have presided as a steward since 2013
at our tracks in St. George, Ogden and Salt Lake City. I enjoy my contact with the trainers, jockeys, owners and event organizers. A steward’s job is not easy, and it is easy to criticize their rulings when a person doesn’t know or see the wide picture. It is sometimes a thankless job, but it is also rewarding when you see great four-legged athletes perform at their best.
Q. WHAT’S AN AVERAGE RACE DAY AND/OR WORK WEEK LIKE FOR YOU AS A STEWARD? A. On an average race day this year, my responsibilities have involved checking vet slips for medications and helping with some licensing. I have been in the ‘tower’ every year until now, and we have two new stewards who are doing the ‘tower’ work. This is their first season as stewards.
DENNIS HUNTER
by John Moorehouse
110
SPEEDHORSE, August 2019
John Moorehouse
THE BACKSIDE