Western Pleasure talk with Steve Heckaman

He was inducted into the NSBA (National Snaffle Bit Association) Hall of Fame this year, and currently serves as that organization's first vice president.

This diverse horseman stands a prominent AQHA stallion, Potential Investment, who breeds more than 100 mares a year. His offspring are doing very well, confirms Heckaman.

There is very little that slows Heckaman down, not even a terrible accident in 1997 that took the life of his wife and left him in a coma for a month. When he awoke to face the terrible news, Heckaman himself had to confront weeks of agonizing rehabilitation and the loss of vision in one eye. After breaking most of the bones in his right arm, he was left with extensive nerve damage to the limb. He humorously compares the amount of metal in his body now to "a small Erector set."

The accident and its aftermath forever changed the way he managed his barn, and his daily activities.

Heckaman has won eight All-American Quarter Horse Congress titles. Photo by: John Brasseaux©

"I'm more cautious. I need to know what the horse's energy level is, and I don't take chances the way I might have before the accident. I have to have pretty good confidence that the horse is ready for me."

Currently, Heckman trains two horses qualified for the World in Junior Pleasure, and he's overseeing a 2-year-old primed for the Congress.

In addition to bringing up horses, Heckaman is bringing along some promising people, too. He is a proponent of the apprentice program for up-and-comers.

"I always have apprentices here, riders who come and stay for a minimum of two years, " he explains. "I think it takes that long to absorb the information and to put it into practice. I try to present a well-rounded background, to teach them how to read a horse's mind, think like it thinks. Of course, they need to know how to really ride before they come here."

Some of the now-famous names that have graduated from Heckaman's program include Rusty Green, Donnie Recchiutti, Mark Shaffer, Doug Pratt and Karin Carbone All are very successful in the horse industry and big winners in their own rights. And they all possess one trait in common.

"Ambition is absolutely the first key. I look for someone who's willing to invest the time, come early, stay late, give up the girls, work on holidays, whatever it takes. To be successful, you have to sacrifice," counsels Heckaman.

Western Pleasure is the key discipline at Heckaman's barn. "It's the foundation for so many other divisions, like Amateur or Youth, or all-around horse. In Pleasure, you're getting control of all the body parts. Master this, and the horse can go on to a long, productive show career in many different disciplines - trail, horsemanship, showmanship, most anything.

"Many of the Western Pleasure movements are similar to dressage, maybe even a tad more difficult. It takes a horse with a high degree of athletic ability to do those maneuvers and exhibit the right balance - with no contact!"

In the Western Pleasure classes, horses must walk, jog and lope on the rail each direction, stop, and back willingly.

Heckaman evaluates prospects first according to their movement, but admits that, "Aesthetics are important. A horse that has a pleasing overall profile is great, but attitude is key, especially for an Amateur or Youth. The prettiest horse is no good if it doesn't have the mind to be trained and presented."

Just as in the hunter/jumper industries, the prices of top Western mounts have escalated dramatically in the past two years. "The top 1 percent of horses on a national level are bringing astronomical figures. It's the law of supply and demand. If you have the real product, somebody will offer you a profit.

"I keep my standard of excellence very high. It's always what you'll find at our barn. It keeps us working hard, but we believe there's really no other way to do it."