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Jerry Crump grew up around animals in Kentucky. He has a calm, quiet demeanor and loves history. Crump’s manner has suited him well in the horse industry, where he’s worked with thoroughbreds, standard bred and even miniature horses. Since 1997, he has been the foaling manager at Winbak Farms near Chesapeake City. Crump has delivered more than 1,000 horses in his career. He says each one is just as special as the last.
I started working with horses back in 1984 at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Ky. Robert Alexander hired me, and I started working with mares and foals. He ended up teaching me how to pull out horses. From there, I did other things in the horse industry. I worked on other farms such as Lanes End in Kentucky and Sycamore Hall Farm in Cecil County. I grew up in the business. I loved it and I didn’t want to do anything else. I just wanted to keep on working with the horses. A job opened on Winbak, so I applied. I started out doing the foals and then other things on the farm, but now I am back as the foaling manager.
How did you train for the job?
I was raised in the business. I grew up with cattle and I helped calf out and I ended up having a knack for it. I can’t explain it really, it’s just what you fall into.
What essential skills are required?
Compassion. You have to love what you do. I have seen people who have a lot of knowledge that don’t apply what they know and I have seen people who don’t have as much knowledge, but they really care and go out of their way to find out what they need to know. So compassion is the number one key. As far a physical ability to be able to foal a lot of horses, it calls for some strength and for a long arm and a feel for position and to know what you are feeling for. There are some skills involved. You have to get in there and learn as you go. I have a lot of interns that start here. It is just a matter of how much they want it. Just like anything in life, if you really want to do something bad enough you will figure it out.
Describe a typical day.
If I don’t get a phone call for an emergency at night, then I come in the morning and I go through and see how many foals I had that night. I go around and examine each foal and mare and make sure everyone is nursing and healthy. We exam gums, heart and eyes and few more tests, administer 12-hour shots and do paperwork. If everything is normal, we send them out in two or three days. I would love to keep them here in this barn longer than that, but we have so many we need to move them around to another barn. We are foaling out about 300 mares each season.
What's the best part of the job?
The babies. I love watching the babies play and I like to watch the mares turn around talk to their foals and knicker. A long time later, when they hit the racetrack it’s a lot of fun to say, “Hey, I foaled that one out. I had a part of that.” Muscle Hill is one of the greatest all-time trotters in history, and I can say I had a part in that.
What's the biggest challenge?
Not everything goes the way you want it to. Sometimes you do have loss. But it doesn’t occur that often. This year has been one of my best years as everyone gets along as a team
What advice would you offer someone looking to go into this field?
Make sure you love it. You’ve got to love the horses. If you don’t have compassion for the animals, this is not where you belong, but if you love what you are doing then I strongly encourage it. It’s not about the money. Everyone likes a buck, but it’s whether or not you can get satisfaction out of bringing in a life. Watching a foal grow is a reward within itself.
Know a person or a profession that would make an interesting On the Job profile? Contact reporter Adelma Gregory-Bunnell at (443) 245-5033, agregory@cecilwhig.com or on Twitter: @Adelma_Whig.
