by Chris Lomon

Although she wasn’t aware of it at the time, Tyler Wiseman was already well on her way to a life in the standardbred industry before she took her first breath.

Certainly, the fact horses and racing were ingrained in her DNA played a major role in how her career path would eventually play out, but that was far from the only factor that led her to the racetrack and barn.

“I’m fourth generation on my dad’s side and third generation on my mom’s side,” said Wiseman, the daughter of the late Steve Wiseman and Kathie Plested. “My mom had me and not even six hours later, I was in the barn. So, I guess you can literally say I grew up in the barn.”

There was an impediment, albeit an important one, that kept her from spending more time with the horses.

“Sadly, I was forced to go to school, even though I wanted to be at the barn,” Tyler said with a laugh. “Every day after school, I would go to the barn and spend my weekends helping my mom and dad race. It’s been a huge impact in my life and honestly, I wouldn’t change any bit of it.”

Although she can’t remember the day, month or year, there was a moment when Tyler knew she was destined to follow in her parents’ racing footsteps.

For some in the sport, that moment could be when they are witness to an inspiring performance, an unforgettable mile or finding an instant connection to a horse.

Not for Tyler.

Instead, it was a dramatic event during a race that struck a chord.

“I couldn’t tell you the exact year, but there was an accident at Cal-Expo,” Tyler said. “Luckily, my dad was not in it. But I was in the grandstand with one of my childhood best friends, and I remember growing up that all of the kids I knew wanted to be drivers and trainers, but in that exact moment, when I saw it, I knew I wanted to be an outrider. I love training and grooming horses, but I always wanted to be the one to save the day and help people when they were in need.”

She would realize that dream, going on to handle outrider duties at Cal-Expo and Running Aces, while also working as a groom in various barns.

Currently, she works for trainer Candace Brandstatter.

“I’m a groom, but I also ship and paddock when we’re racing,” Tyler said. “When my boss can’t make it to the barn, I’m training, I’m jogging, so I help run the show. I do everything that needs to be done. Right now, we have seven horses in the barn.”

Seven horses, each with an identity of their own.

“There are a few that are tough to deal with and there’s one or two where you wish there were seven of them,” she said.

And then there is Pedigree Blue Chip.

The bay son of American Ideal—Grace K, once trained by her later father, had a somewhat modest racing career, winning 16 of 115 races to go along with $73,577 in purse earnings.

“After my dad passed away [the long-time horseman succumbed to cancer in March 2021], my mom Kathie owned part of the horse and so did Donald and Barbara Amstine,” Tyler said. “They gave the horse to me. They said I could race him, keep him as a riding horse or a pet. Whatever I wanted to do was up to me. Before I got him, he had a really tough time. He was involved in an accident and hurt his shoulder. I just loved him. Whether he raced again or not, I loved him. He was a tiny horse, but he had an attitude where he thought he was the biggest horse in the world.”

There were occasions when Pedigree Blue Chip raced like he was.

“I ended up racing him and he won three times, but after another injury, he just wasn’t the same and I needed to do the right thing for him,” Tyler said. “I found him a home and the little kids love on him and he’s become a pet to them. He helped me in my darkest times, and I would spend all day in the barn with him, just making sure he felt good. He didn’t have to go out on the track and try as hard as he did, but that’s what he did. I always wanted to do what was best for him.”

The pacer is a perfect example of what type of horse Tyler feels the most connection to.

It’s the hard-working, under-the-radar, courageous horses, the ones who rise above obstacles, who resonate with her.

“I’m the type of person who goes for the horses that other people might not go for,” she said. “I like the mean ones, the ones who might have a few issues, or the lower-level horses… those ones end up being my favorites because they’ve been through the most. Every horse has a story, but sometimes, those horses don’t get the same spotlight.”

Tyler is by no means a seeker of attention, content and fulfilled to spend her hours behind the scenes, working hand in hoof with her band of horses.

In her high school years, there were occasions, more often than not, when she passed on the party life to be with the horses.

And she doesn’t regret it for a moment.

“In high school, instead of going to parties, I would go to the barn first,” she said. “I would make sure all the horses were set, everything was cleaned up and then I would go to do something. I had to work early the next day, so half the time, I didn’t end up going. My mom, who has 12 horses at Running Aces this year, she works her butt off, so I think I get that trait from her.”

Home, for Tyler, has and always will be wherever the horses are.

When she’s not at the barn, she’ll be on horseback, finding a new trail or sauntering down a familiar path.

And every now and again, she’ll join Brandstatter for an evening, not a long night, out on the town.

“On an occasional night, but it’s very rare, Candace and I will go out to dinner and hang out, and just have a girls’ night,” Tyler said. “My go-to thing after I work in the barn is to go riding. Usually, that’s what I do every day. If we’re racing at Monticello, I’ll be done around five and I head home to ride. I live 10 minutes away from Monticello, so I can go any time I want.”

It’s just how she envisioned her horse racing life to be.

“When I was seven, I knew being in horse racing was what I wanted to do forever, whether I was in the barn or on the track,” she said. “I started around 12. I was tall enough and big enough where the horses couldn’t bowl me over. From the age of 12, I was getting the horses ready for my mom. And now, here I am.”