One of my favourite photos is a photo of my Mom holding Northern Dancer with then Stallion man, Bill McFarland in 1965 at Windfields in Oshawa. This was prior to Northern Dancer’s departure to Maryland. Mom and Dad had travelled from Trinidad, which is my father’s native home and where they were living at the time and stopped in to visit Northern Dancer on their way to my Mom’s family in Northwest Ontario. Little did they know at the time, my dad would be fortunate enough to land the job as Windfields Farm resident veterinarian eight years later, which truly shaped his career. It wasn’t until 1986, when he was transferred to Windfields Farm in Chesapeake City, Maryland that he had the opportunity to provide regular veterinary care to the great Northern Dancer.
His office was in the stallion barn just down from his stall. I learned to
have great respect for the little “Big Horse” as he was a real force to be reckoned with, and I was just a kid. At the time, I truly didn’t understand how fortunate I was to have the opportunity to be around such an amazing horse and his offspring. I am so thankful that I was able to grow up at Windfields and be exposed to so many great horses and horsemen and women.
I will forever be grateful to the Taylor Family, my Dad Dr. Rolph de Gannes, and of course Northern Dancer, for influencing my life in such a way that I have spent my whole life working with horses, trying to keep them healthy and happy. It amazes me every year when Kentucky Derby day comes around and you can still trace all the entrants back to Northern Dancer on one side or even both side of their bloodline!
Marianne is the owner of Quicksilver Equine Therapy, an Independent Bemer Distributor, and provides Sumchi Massage and both Human and Equine Bemer Therapy to clients at Woodbine Racetrack and the GTA.