By design, Kelsie Ingraham’s harness racing life is a work of art

by Chris Lomon

For groom Kelsie Ingraham, horse racing — and the horses themselves — have always been a true work of art.

Beyond the barn, paddock, and racetrack, the horsewoman from Pompano Beach, FL, leads a busy, but rewarding, life through another standardbred-connected pursuit.

As a small business owner — her company is called Cricut Life — Ingraham creates a wide array of horse racing-themed products. Her line includes everything from drink buckets and T-shirts to truck decals and jog cart stickers.

“I make all kinds of different things for people,” Ingraham said. “It’s nice to see their reaction when you bring it to them. You learn a lot about creating things in a very specific way. There is a lot of detail in what you are creating, so you have to be very patient and focused when you are making something.”

When she’s not immersed in her creative work with Cricut Life, Ingraham is a dedicated groom, a role she’s proudly held for 13 years.

Her connection to horses began at an early age, dating back to when she would watch her father, trainer and driver David Ingraham, and her mother, trainer and driver Kelly Case, compete at tracks across the U.S., including Rockingham Park, the now-defunct racetrack in New Hampshire.

“I remember those Rockingham days,” said Kelsie, of the racetrack that hosted its last live horse race in 2009. “My dad and mom would always give me a thumbs-up when they were on the racetrack and my friend Kristina Smith and I would always go into the winner’s circle with them. So, it’s definitely in my blood.”

Kelsie enjoyed her own immediate success at the racetrack.

The first horse she paddocked, a son of His Mattjesty out of the Albatross mare Golden Hour, paced to victory in Florida.

“His name was Golden Mattjesty and he was racing at Pompano Park, which is where I practically grew up,” Kelsie said. “I would ride this horse around the barn. He was my pet. He ended up winning the first time I ever paddocked him, so that was very cool. He got along with everyone.”

Kelsie has worked at several outfits over the years, including her current job in the barn of Randy Bickmore.

She has also groomed for Jim Dunn and Fern Paquet.

“When you work for different trainers, you learn different ways of doing things,” she said. “No trainer is the same as another in the way they work with their horses and that’s a good thing. Obviously, everyone has the same goal of winning and bringing out the best in the horses, but it’s great to watch and learn how they prepare their horses.”

Now living in East Wakefield, NH, Kelsie has always been someone who “talks the talk” — literally — with every horse in the barn.

“When you walk in every morning, you can hear them talking,” she said. “They definitely all have their own personalities. I always talk to them, too. They are like your cat or dog – you just love them.”

That love extends to those who have raced their final mile.

Together with her boyfriend, trainer Michel Bilodeau — who also maintains the racetrack surface at Cumberland — the couple owns a group of standardbreds, including a special group of four retired racehorses.

“My boyfriend and I have those four and a bay who we are just starting out with, along with one racehorse, Age Is A Number,” Kelsie said. “We have Jay Bees Grin N, who was the first horse my boyfriend and I bought together. We also have Lucksgottachange, who was the horse that got Michel into the business. The other two horses — Royal Hawaii and Drunk And Dramatic — were ones that he had racing, but once they retire, we don’t ever want to let them go.”

Kelsie feels just as strongly about preserving her family’s connection to the sport.

“If I have a family one day, I would like to keep my family name going in the business,” she said.

For now, her focus remains on the day-to-day care of the horses in the Bickmore barn, as well as the ones she calls her own. On race nights, Kelsie still looks forward to those winner’s circle moments — just like she did as a child.

On race nights, she looks forward to recreating the feelings she had when she joined her father for a winner’s circle photo.

Watching her horses compete is by no means an easy thing.

“Winning is great – you never lose that happy feeling you get when you see one of your horses make their way to the winner’s circle,” she said. “I’m more nervous with one of my horses because there is that direct connection. But you are also happy for everyone connected to a horse you are paddocking. You can see how much it means to everyone.

“People who aren’t familiar with the sport don’t realize it’s a lot more than just that two minutes of fame – so much work goes into getting a horse to the races and to the winner’s circle. It’s about the greatest feeling in the world when it does happen.”

Outside the barn and away from race day hustle, Kelsie and Bilodeau cherish time spent in nature, soaking in a slower pace of life.

“We have a boat that we go out on when we can or we just head to the lake to hang out,” she said. “We have four wheelers we love to go out on and in the winter, we have snowmobiles. It’s always a big goal – to go out and just unwind together.”

A good life — by design — that continues to be a true work of art for Kelsie.