by Victoria Howard

Born in the Cicero, IL, Kristin Shetler started going to the barn as a youngster to help her parents, Dan and JoAnne Shetler, with their horses.

This was the time when harness racing was alive and well, and going to the racetracks was the place to go for an evening of entertainment.

“I am fortunate to have been born and raised in our wonderful industry,” Kristin said. After my parents married, my mother JoAnne became heavily involved as a caretaker, trainer and bookkeeper. Together they have run their stable since 1976 and successfully continue to do so.

“When I was growing up, I always worked in the barn in some capacity. I spent the first eight years of my life watching races at Balmoral Park, Sportsman’s Park, Maywood Park and Hawthorne. My father accepted a private training position, which had my family move around a lot, thus my transferring schools twice a year. Honestly, I believe the moving was beneficial to a young girl for I met a lot of great people.

“It was about that time when I really became involved with the horses. I always had a riding horse that travelled with our family from track to track.”

When Kristin was in the eighth grade, she decided to stay in one place so she could attend high school.

“Fortunately, we had some good friends, Henri and Judi Lunsford, that had a farm in central Kentucky who were kind enough to offer me to stay with them during school season,” Kristin said. “They had a daughter, who was close to my age so I feel blessed to have had two sets of parents and a ‘surrogate’ sister.

“When I was 12 or 13 years old I bought my first standardbred, Castleton Path. She was a large Landslide mare that came out of the great Castleton Farm pedigrees. Owning a part of that mare gave me permission to go to the paddock when she raced and groom her. That was the beginning of my career.”

In the fall of 2011, Kristin attended the Blooded Horse Sale in Delaware, OH.

“I initially went to purchase a trotter but on the second day of the sale I saw a big, beautiful Camluck mare called Stoneridge Beauty who wasn’t bringing much money,” she said. “She had a very swollen left front leg that was so bad she couldn’t flex, for there was no distinction from above her knee to her foot. Although she didn’t show much on paper, she was a half-sister to Pet Rock.

“This was the time of Pet Rock’s 1-year-old season. He was very impressive and horsemen were taking notice. Of course, Pet Rock turned out to be a successful racehorse and stallion. I bought the mare for $400 and bred her to Palone Ranger. The result was Bourbon Chase.”

During her early to mid-20s, Kristin stepped away from the standardbreds and ventured to the other side of the fence, the thoroughbreds.

“For roughly five years I galloped and ponied racehorses at Turfway Park and River Downs, but eventually returned to the standardbreds, pursuing my trainer and driver’s license while working in the family stable,” she said. “A lot of people think that thoroughbreds are more exciting but to me there is nothing like a standardbred.”

Kristin also took a hiatus in 2014 due to a training accident.

“In 2013, I ventured on my own and had a public stable of 10 standardbreds,” she said. “Unfortunately, in 2014 I was involved in a serious training accident, which sidelined me for roughly nine months and I was forced to sell the horses I owned and temporarily close down my operation. It was one and a half years before I was able to get back in the jog cart, and another two years before I was back in a race bike.

“Presently, I am running a stable of 18 horses with my ‘other half,’ Jonas Czernyson. We are stabled at the Palerma Trotting Center located in Vero Beach, FL, and during racing season we race mainly at Mohegan Sun Pocono, The Red Mile, and this year we ventured to the inaugural meet at Cumberland Run in Corbin, KY. Jonas is also a horseman who is no novice to the sport. As a team we work well — on and off the racetrack — and love what we do.”

Kristin’s fastest horse to date is Bourbon Chase, the first horse she bred and raised.

“He race timed in 1:49.3 at The Red Mile, but holds a record of 1:50.2 at Hoosier Park,” she said. “In his 3-year-old season, he earned $135,000 and was competitive in the Indian Sire Stakes with dad driving. To date Bourbon has amassed under $240,000 and at the age of 11-years-old he is still going strong.

“Recovering after several injuries, he comes back year after year and refuses to retire. I tried to retire Bourbon in the winter of 2023 but he was having none of it, so he is still racing and will do so until he tells me it’s time to hang up his harness. I drive him myself so I can pick and choose my spots and do what’s best for him and when he retires, he will be my second riding horse.”

Coming up with her all-time favorite horse was difficult for Kristin because to her, every horse has different qualities that make them special.

“It would probably be easier to pick a least favorite since there aren’t many of them,” Kristin said with a laugh.

When it came to who has taught her the most in the industry, the answer was quick and easy.

“Without question, my parents,” she said. “They both have amazing assets from all perspectives. It has never been about the hours spent in the barn, the short nights with little or no sleep, or the time spent running up and down the highway. My parents always have always put the horse first and what was best for them. These are the traits they instilled in me and I am so grateful.”

Kristin’s lifetime in the sport is chock full of incredible moments with her parents and one stand out experience was just with her dad.

“My father and I were the first father/daughter team to drive together in a pari-mutuel race at Hawthorne Racecourse in Chicago,” she said. “A very special memory indeed.”

Her most exciting time in the sport was made more special because she shared it with her mom.

“That would be when I had my first pari-mutuel win as a driver at Indiana Downs,” Kristin said. “It was pouring rain and I was driving Orixa, a maiden filly trotter. I didn’t give her the best trip for we were first up from the half on, but it was the best path to take considering the weather.

“We won the race and as I drove back to the winner’s circle, standing in the downpour, smiling from ear-to-ear was my mother. It was a feeling I can’t explain.”

Besides training and driving, Kristin is a huge advocate for saving and retraining standardbreds.

“One of my passions are saving, adopting out and retraining standardbreds,” she said. “I have my own retiree, Longwell, who is a13-year-old Yankee Glide. He was one of my parents homebreds who was retired at the age of 7 after winning over $300,000 lifetime. Longwell was mom’s baby and she wasn’t about to let him go anywhere. I was looking into buying a riding horse at the time and decided to turn Longwell into a riding horse.

“Needless to say, it worked out great for both of us as he goes everywhere with me. Another horse of mine, Bourbon Chase will probably be added to the roster when he tells me he’s had enough racing.”

Kristin loves this sport and definitely has some ideas on what we can do to improve it.

“There are a couple of avenues that I think we need to explore, such as placing more emphasis on advertising to help draw live attendance,” she said. “Back in the day when dad was starting out, harness racing was a huge sport. The grandstands were always packed and the handle was great. It’s sad but a lot of people don’t realize a racetrack may even exist close to them.

“As for being on the racing side, I think there should be uniform rules and regulations across all jurisdictions. I believe our industry needs an influx of younger generations. Unfortunately, in my opinion I think technology has created a disconnection for most people under the age of 30. Some people have no idea what farm life or barn life is, or that it even exists.

“Horses have always been my passion, and to be blessed to have made a career out of something I love and not consider work is priceless. And the best thing about harness racing is there are no limitations. Whether I chose to be a groom, driver, trainer, owner or breeder, it was just a matter of what level I wanted to reach.”