Seigler's Unconventional Path to Showman Career

One of the better qualities of the Thoroughbred industry is its ability to draw in people from all walks of life. Take a stroll through the barns before a race or during a sale and there will be people from all over the world with different backgrounds. In most cases, their stories start the same way before diverging and ultimately winding up in a familiar place. Though sometimes there are people whose stories are unlike any other. Take Iris Seigler, 66, a showman with Summerfield Sales, previously with Taylor Made Sales Agency and Bluewater Sales. She is well known and perhaps somewhat of a celebrity. "She knows everyone," said Summerfield co-founder Francis Vanlangendonck. "Everybody comes up here, 'Iris, how are you doing?' It doesn't matter whether it's Wayne Lukas or Bob Baffert, or all those guys, they all know her, they all like her." It might be hard to believe, but the Albuquerque, N.M., native did not grow up around horses. In fact, she was afraid of them. "I was 35, I think, and I had a boyfriend in Oklahoma City that got me around horses, and I was scared to death of them," she said. "They asked me to go in a stall like, 'No way I'm going in a stall.' " But that exposure to horses changed her life forever. Her love of being outdoors and working with animals made the career choice a no-brainer. "On a really nice day, I wouldn't want to be in a building," she said. "I'd rather be outside and enjoy myself." Someone told her about Keeneland, and to paraphrase track announcers across the country, she was off. "I said, 'OK, what direction is it?' So I got my car," Seigler said. "That's when I actually broke up with him. I told him I'll be right back. That was like 25 years ago." That desire to be part of the industry brought her to Kentucky, where she found a job with Taylor Made. "I didn't know how to show a horse," Seigler said. "I had never even seen a weanling before... I tried to tell my family and they're like, 'So?' because they have nothing to do with horses." A friend recommended Seigler look to get into sales and pointed her toward the Taylor brother's operation. It was at Taylor Made that Seigler met longtime yearling manager John Hall. "I worked well with John Hall," she said. "He's the one that really got me started. He made me feel that I could do this. He gave me the confidence that I could do this. All (the credit) to him." Hall, who passed away in 2021 from cancer at 79, has remained Seigler's guiding light. "He was an awesome man," she said. "He was an awesome horseman, like a father figure. He really cared, and showed that he cared about all of us. "His wife, Devi...she's an awesome person, too. I love John Hall. Before he passed away, his wife let him call me to say he loves me. He's special. They're special." Throughout her career, Seigler has shown Triple Crown Champions American Pharoah and Justify, among others. Despite some horses having more name recognition than others, she has no favorites. That approach stems from when she first worked at a racetrack and a jockey told her not to fall in love with any of the horses. "I try to treat all the horses the same, and I think if you just have that mindset that they all are animals and we're here to take care of them... They're somebody else's animals they put in our care to take care of them, walk them, feed them." Vanlangendonck praises Seigler's professionalism, calling her someone you always want to help you. He said she knows what has to be done and is terrific with the horses. "Well, it's huge at the sales because, you know, we're not here to train, we're here to sell. And if a horse has a bad habit of kicking at you or biting and whatnot, you just have to work around it until you get them sold because you don't want to mess one up trying to fix him," he said. "She's really good and knows some of the tricks to keep the horses from doing those things just to get through the next few days. I put her on a lot of horses that need the extra little attention because doing something before the horse acts up is the big deal and she knows how to do that." Seigler is also good with the other showmen. Her experience is invaluable to Vanlangendonck, especially when she is working alongside younger staff. "She'll calm them down when they get a little bent out of shape," he said. "And keep the shedrow level. She's great about that." Her touch with people is part of what has kept her in the industry as long as she has. Whether it is the people she works with, the people she is meeting or the cultural experiences she acquires from traveling the world, Seigler has become part of a community. A family, even. Seigler cited advice from Hall when describing the secret to her success. She said: "Come to work because you enjoy the work and then you just keep a happy smile. And as long as your horses are good and the people are good around you, I'm good. It's not that hard."